"Hello My Good Friend!"

 

"Hello, my good friend!" This is how Rod Kwaiser would greet me whenever we talked on the phone. I will certainly miss hearing his greeting because our good Lord welcomed his friend and faithful servant into his presence on September 7. Rod went to Zimbabwe to serve with Life to Life Africa five times in the past seven years. His church family at Hopevale Church in Saginaw, MI, as well as the Life to Life Africa family, will miss this dear friend and brother in the Lord. He made lifelong friends as he served cheerfully and wholeheartedly for the sake of the Lord he loved. We were all blessed in having him as a friend! 

 

Rod Kwaiser made friends wherever he went. Here he is pictured with Matore 

with whom he worked closely in tiling, electrical and welding 

at the LTLA Life Discipleship Center.

Rod with Louisa and Johan Joubert. LTLA contracted Johan to construct the Life Discipleship Center.

Rod developed a deep friendship with them and is now in glory with Louisa, 

who passed away from cancer on Good Friday in 2018.

 

56 New Families!!

During the past few months the LTLA Community Ministry Team has been busy evaluating the needs of the families we serve as well as those of other families in Chinhoyi. The result is that we are now serving 56 new families! The team determined that we had adequately helped and trained 56 families toward caring for their physical needs, and thus released them from this aspect of our ministry. 

We are grateful to the Lord for this success, and for the opportunity to now serve 56 new families! We are excited to impact these new families spiritually as we share the good news of Christ with them, and train them in sustainable farming practices and in other life skills. Below are photos of how the team has started serving them. 

Please pray for the LTLA Community Ministry team as they will be busy ministering to these 56 new families. I look forward to sharing what God will do through their efforts! 

In keeping with the spirit of Rod Kwaiser, I share this update in the joy of the Lord, which is our strength! 

 

Mike Sulc 

Life to Life Africa

 

Some of the new family members gathered to be trained in sustainable 

farming practices by the LTLA Community Ministry team.

New family members receiving compost training.

New family members receiving training in sustainable corn plot planting.

(L to R) Kate, Diana, Tsungai & Jane (LTLA Community Ministry team members) 

harvesting cabbages at the LTLA Community Center for distribution to families.

Itai (LTLA Community Ministry team member), on the right, 

assisting with one of the two food distributions conducted in September.

Creativity, Trust & Hope

Dear LTLA Friends, 

Thank you for your prayers for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Zimbabwe as they weathered their second large spike in Covid-19 cases. The lockdown that started at the beginning of July is slowly being eased, with schools reopening next week. 

We are also grateful for a diagnosis for Tatenda, an LTLA team member, who collapsed in late April and has had trouble walking since then. A neurologist has determined he has transverse myelitis, swelling of the spinal cord. Please pray that the prescribed medication will bring healing so he can walk without pain or aid from a crutch. I have asked Arthur Nhau, LTLA Director in Chinhoyi, to provide a report on the Training Ministry that he oversees. Below is his report on what God is doing in the midst of challenging circumstances. 

 

By His grace, 

Mike Sulc 

Life to Life Africa 

 

From Arthur: 

This pandemic has been teaching us how to be creative in doing ministry, as well as trusting more and being hopeful in the Lord. The Bible tells us that Jesus came to earth during the oppressive rule of Rome (Luke 3:1-2) and the Pharisees (Mark 3:6) when conditions were challenging for ministry. If those were ideal conditions for Jesus then this pandemic is a good time for ministry. Below is a group of students that in years past were part of our high school ministry and now are at polytechnics & universities. We are calling them our Fruit Ministry. With the pandemic lockdowns they have had to remain in Chinhoyi, which has given us more time with them. We are continuing to equip them to be followers of Christ who faithfully share the Gospel and can help those who believe to grow in their relationship with Christ. As they prepare to return to their campuses we are praying 2 Timothy 2:1-2 for them. 

 

Fruit Ministry Group

 

This year, by God’s grace, my wife, Mildred, and I felt called to focus more on the already established disciples and training them to be labourers. We are so humbled by the men and women the Lord has entrusted to us, as they challenge us to depend more on the one who called us. In this update I will share a little about three of the six that we are training and who are challenging us by their faith in the Lord. 

Simba finished college in May as one of the top students in his class and was offered a job at a leading company in Zimbabwe. After giving this much thought, he came to me and said “I am not yet sure about my future but I want to commit myself to being trained in disciple making so I have turned down the job offer." Pray with us that, "he who started a good work in Simba will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)

Tatenda is the type of man who goes an extra mile in serving the Lord. He challenges me with honesty and vulnerability in sharing heart issues that many would keep to themselves. He loves recruiting others to Bible studies, and God has given him faithful men that he is encouraging in the Lord. Four months ago, he suddenly collapsed and just this month was diagnosed with inflammation in his spine. He has struggled to walk but is persevering with the Lord's help. We pray that God’s grace and power will continue to flow through Tatenda in his weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:8-9) 

 

Training Ministry Men (L to R): Zviko, Simba & Tatenda

 

Mildred is working with three ladies, Marvelous, Prestege and Stella. Marvelous and Prestege have been involved with LTLA since they were in high school, and both have graduated from university. Stella plays a motherly role in Mildred’s life and she is a humble woman who fears the Lord. Stella’s desire is to share the Gospel with widows, as she is a widow herself. Late last year, a widow whom she had discipled passed away and at her funeral Stella met this widow's neighbor. This neighbor gave a touching testimony of how the deceased widow was teaching her what she was learning from Stella. The neighbor is now being discipled by Stella. Pray with us that these ladies continue to be a light to many, sharing the good news of salvation through Jesus. (Acts 13:47) 

 

Training Ministry Women (L to R): Marvelous, Mildred, Prestege & Stella

Our family is doing well. With schools closed, our children are doing online lessons, which has created more family time. We ask for your prayers of protection and wisdom on how to be effective in these difficult times.

 

Blessings, 

Arthur & Mildred