Life To Life Africa: March 2021

Spring Greetings LTLA Friends!

Spring in the United States is always a refreshing season, especially after a cold winter, and even more so this year as we emerge from the long year battling a pandemic. Spring in the US also corresponds with the celebration of Easter, our Lord's death, burial and resurrection. As we celebrate the hope of life eternal through our Lord Jesus Christ, we say with the Apostle Paul, "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Zimbabwe emerged in March from a two month lockdown, imposed after they experienced a significant spike in Covid-19 cases and deaths from late December through mid-February. With the easing of lockdown restrictions, schools have reopened for all students with the following safety measures: only students in Grade 7, Form 4 (4th year high school) and Form 6 (6th year high school) will attend school everyday as they prepare for placement exams. Grade 7 students take exams for placement in high school, while Form 4 students seek placement in advanced high school / college prep programs, and Form 6 students study for placement in university. All other grade levels will alternate days at schools to enable social distancing in the classrooms.

Last year students only attended school from January through March before they were sent home for the remainder of the year due to the pandemic. They were supposed to receive some remote learning instruction, but that essentially did not happen. Exam-year students were given exams at the end of last year in spite the lack of preparation. Families who could afford it paid for private instruction (referred to as "extra lessons") for their students. As a ministry, we were able to assist exam-year students involved in our ministry with extra lessons last year. The education department decided to advance all students to the next grade level for this academic year despite the lost time last year. We are concerned that many students won't be adequately prepared.

Recognizing that students will need "extra lessons" in order to be able to catch up and progress in their learning, we are planning to provide extra lessons for students involved in our ministry. Marvelous Makumbirofa, an LTLA Training Ministry team member, will provide extra lessons for five primary school students to help them get established in their grade level in order to progress academically. These students will also receive spiritual input from Marvelous (see photo) and the other LTLA Training Ministry team members, as they have not yet been able to resume youth Bible study gatherings but are taking three days a week to visit children and youth in order to remain engaged with them. It is our hope to see these students investing in the next generation just as Marvelous is doing, because Marvelous is fruit of our youth ministry. She was discipled in her high school years and was the first in her family to go to college, where she was trained to be a teacher. She is now teaching students the ways of the Lord and helping them progress academically.

Marvelous teaching the LTLA high school Bible study in 2019 before the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown stopped such gatherings.

Below are the students to whom Marvelous will provide extra lessons:

Grade 1 Students: Blessing Kadangure, Kuvanashe Bhoisi, Bright Mumba.

Makanatsa Kapfurutsa (Grade 3) & Millicent Soda (Grade 4)

Below are the exam-year students we will assist with private preparation lessons:

Ratidzai Kaswa (Grade 7), Beauty Mesani (Form 4), Leslie Mapfumo (Form 4)

Mitchel Makumbirofa (Form 4), Fungisai Charariza (Form 4).

Last September we asked you to pray for the students below who were preparing for the Grade 7 high school placement exam. Thank you for praying, as they have advanced and are now attending their first year of high school (Form 1).

Donnell Nhau & Godswill Banda (Chinhoyi High School)

Ngoni Gotora & Tito Zuze (Chinhoyi High School #2)

We are grateful to be able to invest in the spiritual and academic development of the next generation in Zimbabwe! Thank you for your prayerful and financial partnership so that this is a reality!

Rejoicing with you in our risen Lord!

Mike Sulc

Dear LTLA Friends,

First, a prayer bulletin - We ask for your prayers for Jonathan Govero, Navigator staff in Zimbabwe and good friend of Life to Life Africa, who lost his mother to Covid-19 on February 15. Please also pray for Arthur Nhau, LTLA Training Ministry Director, whose 26 year old niece died this month from the effects of Covid-19. Please lift up these brothers in the Lord as they grieve the loss of their loved ones.

As a way for you to get to know Shelton Nhundu, LTLA Chinhoyi Community Ministry Co-Director, you will find below his answers to a series of questions. Shelton and "Gogo" (Grandmother) Mildred Musapuri will lead the LTLA efforts in the Chinhoyi community while Arthur & Mildred Nhau provide leadership for the LTLA Training Ministry. You will also find photos below that provide a visual update of LTLA Chinhoyi Community Ministry activities.

Grateful for your support in prayer & finances!

Mike Sulc

Life to Life Africa


Shelton Nhundu leading by example as he demonstrates a sustainable maize (corn) planting method (called the Pfumvudza farming method).

Getting to know Shelton Nhundu, LTLA Chinhoyi Community Ministry Co-Director:

How did you come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior?

I was a church goer growing up and never really pursued a personal relationship with Christ. I didn't even own a Bible. In my first semester at Chinhoyi University of Technology I met Arthur Nhau (LTLA Training Ministry Director). He taught me about having a personal relationship with Christ and gave me a Bible.

What drew you to get involved and remain involved with Life to Life Arica (LTLA)?

After receiving Christ, I really wished everyone would have the wonderful opportunity to be discipled in a relationship with Christ. I made a commitment to myself to serve the Lord for a year after college and I chose to serve with Life to Life Africa. I considered becoming a pastor but I felt like there are many people doing that and there are only a few focusing on intentional discipleship like LTLA is doing.

How has the discipling and training you have received from Arthur Nhau benefited you personally and prepared you for service in God's kingdom work?

During my years in college I was discipled by Arthur even during the two years he was in Nigeria for training. He would contact me via email, WhatsApp messages and calls. His love for me really touched me, so after college I got involved in an in-depth ministry training with Arthur. That training helped me understand the vision to spiritually multiply my life. I grew closer to God in that time and it really equipped me to serve Him.

What excites you about co-leading the LTLA Chinhoyi Community Ministry? What makes you nervous about assuming this role?

I am excited to continue the LTLA spiritual ministry into the community while also implementing development training with our team and the people we serve. [In 2019 Shelton received agricultural and financial stewardship training at the Crown Ministry Stewardship School in Malawi.] I look forward to seeing people enter into a relationship with Christ and see Him transform all the dimensions of their lives. I am humbled and excited to assume this leadership position but I really ask for prayer to serve everyone in a way that pleases and honors the Lord.

I am nervous about leading as it is a great responsibility to serve people and the Lord. I serve people older than I which makes me nervous, but I take courage because the Lord gave strength to young leaders like Timothy.

What do you see as the strengths of the ministry?

Our team is eager to serve and they serve so joyfully. For that I am proud. They also really respect our leadership. They are excited to see what the Lord will do through us.

What do you see as the weaknesses of the ministry?

We do have some team members who are weak in their faith and struggle with faithfulness. There are also older team members who struggle to read so we are always finding ways to help them understand the scriptures but it is an exciting thing to do.

What do you see as opportunities where the ministry can advance its mission to seek, love, lead to Christ, disciple and train people?

We are utilizing land at our Community Center to train our team in growing food and we see the opportunity that they can pass along the heart and skill with people in the community. We have been able to grow the food we distribute to the vulnerable families we serve which exemplifies and encourages generosity. There are endless opportunities to share the Gospel and we encourage our team to do so with their neighbors. We continue to develop tools to help our team members who can't read to share the Gospel effectively.

By God's grace the Community Ministry will be a model for the community by sharing our faith, living the Christian way and also working with our hands as the Apostle Paul exemplified in 1 Thessalonians 2:8-9, "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. Surely you remember brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you."

What do you see as threats to the ministry advancing its mission?

I am concerned that a dependency syndrome can take root among the people and they will resist a model that holds them accountable to do their part in leading productive lives.

Note from Mike: Below are links to news reports that speak of the "Pfumvudza" (means "New Season" in Shona) training that the LTLA team received initially in 2012 from Foundations for Farming. This Christian organization is not directly mentioned in these articles but it is encouraging to see that Zimbabwe is promoting this effective farming method. We know however that if it is not combined with the spiritual foundation from which it was created it will not have eternal impact. Below are links to the Foundations for Farming website and brochure that outlines the Pfumvudza farming method, which includes the emphasis on accountability that Shelton mentioned:

https://allafrica.com/stories/202102260677.html

https://www.newsday.co.zw/2020/12/can-pfumvudza-save-zimbabwes-agriculture/

https://foundationsforfarming.org/new/?page_id=8820

https://foundationsforfarming.org/new/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/FfF-A-Brief-Summary-English.pdf

How can people be praising God for what he has been doing on behalf of the LTLA Community Ministry?

We give praise to God for the good rains we have received this growing season as it looks like we will see a good harvest with our maize [corn] and soybeans. We also rejoice that Otillia (LTLA team member) was able to lead her neighbor, Mrs. Mandishona, to receive Christ. We are delighted for the prayer and financial support that we have received that continues to sustain us through this pandemic and the economic challenges we face as a nation. We are always praising God for the opportunity to serve Him and be used to transform the lives of people in our community.

How can people pray specifically for the LTLA Community Ministry and for you?

Please pray that we all catch the vision of multiplying our lives spiritually and that God would bless our efforts in discipling people in every dimension of their life. Pray for empowering of God's Spirit for team to be unified in the mission God has called us to fulfill. Pray wisdom and courage for "Gogo" Mildred and I as we seek to lead the Community Ministry in a way that pleases the Lord. We believe that God wants us to have a greater impact not only in Chinhoyi but into Zimbabwe and to the rest of the world.

I ask that you also pray for my wife, Tinotenda, and I as we establish our marriage with Christ at the center of our family.