Life is Hard

Life is hard in this broken, sin-stricken world. That is old news, but it was impressed upon me once again on my most recent trip to Zimbabwe. With the confirmation of my brother's cancer diagnosis the day I arrived, and experiencing the challenges of life in Zimbabwe, I was reminded daily that things are not the way God intended them to be on this earth. At this time of thanksgiving, we are grateful for the hope that Jesus Christ will restore all things (Acts 3:21). 

Thank you for your prayers for my trip. It was a blessing to allow God to speak to me from his Word in order that I would have his words to share with young and old. I had the opportunity to talk with high school students and the Men of Hope about the heart of God for people. I shared about the great losses, the great searches and the great celebrations found in Luke 15. With the LTLA team, I introduced them to the principles found in The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman. Most of these principles, found in the life and ministry of Jesus, are already being reproduced in their ministry efforts. (The principles are: Selection, Association, Consecration, Impartation, Demonstration, Delegation, Supervision, & Reproduction.) 

It was encouraging to look into God's word with college students and with post-high school young adults who are asking tough life questions. Pray with us that these young adults will read the Bible on their own and find the Lord in the midst of an uncertain future. Pray for the men on the LTLA team, who experience a lot of stress from the pressures of providing not only for their own families but for their extended families (this can include siblings, cousins, parents, and in-laws) in an extremely depressed economy. Pray also for Tatenda, LTLA Training Ministry team member, who continues to struggle with back and leg pain as well as with difficulty walking. He collapsed in April and was diagnosed with transverse myelitis in August. 

Credit is being given to a Zimbabwean scientist for discovering the Omicron variant to Covid-19. Pray that this variant will not cause great loss of life and that God will grant much grace to the LTLA team if they enter into another lockdown. Lastly, please pray for good rains to begin falling in Chinhoyi. The families we serve, especially the 56 new families under our care, are eager to plant corn in their prepared plots when consistent rains begin. 

Thank you for your prayers for my brother, Mark. He continues to point people to Jesus as he battles brain cancer. Here is a short excerpt from one of his Caring Bridge posts: "I am challenged to just trust God in what he is doing in me and my family right now to grow our character to become more who he intends us to become. Is it hard? Does this future concern me? Certainly, but knowing God is in control of this experience for my good, even if I don't yet see the beneficial results, gives me tremendous peace and comfort! I urge you from the bottom of my heart to experience the words of King David in Psalm 34:8, 'Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed (happy, joyful, full) is the man who takes refuge in him!" 

In this broken world, let us turn to Jesus to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Mike Sulc 

Life to Life Africa 

 

 

 

Mike with the Chikonohono High School Bible study group. 

(The LTLA Youth Bible studies have been split into two groups,

Chikonohono and Cold Stream groups.)

 

 

Loading up the kids in the LTLA truck after youth Bible studies.

 

 

Mike sharing with the Men of Hope.

 

LTLA Communtiy & Training Ministry teams sharing in small groups about their 

experiences in following the principles found in The Master Plan of Evangelism.

 

 

Tatenda, LTLA Training Ministry team member, was very happy to receive 

a laptop that will help him complete training assignments.

 

 

I was able to visit the Chinhoyi landfill where LTLA is ministering 

to people who are making a living collecting recyclables.

 

 

I Saw Children at the Landfill

 Dear LTLA Friends, 

As you consider ministries to support on Giving Tuesday or during this Christmas season, I am sharing with you the Life to Life Africa year-end newsletter. Thank you for your interest in our efforts to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. Here is the newsletter that highlights how LTLA has the opportunity to impact families living at the Chinhoyi landfill: 

 

“It broke my heart to see people living at the landfill.” 

“I saw children running to the trash trucks as they were dumping their load at the landfill,” reported Mr. Chigwida, one of LTLA’s Community Ministry team members. Shelton Nhundu, the Community Ministry team leader, traveled to the landfill not far outside of Chinhoyi to investigate this situation. “It broke my heart to find people living at the landfill,” says Shelton. “The children Mr. Chigwida saw were Mr. Gwara’s grandchildren. His grandchildren were abandoned by their parents into his care. He lives at the landfill to provide for his family by collecting items to recycle. His income amounts to $1 per day.” It was not a difficult decision for Shelton to add Mr. Gwara’s family to the group of 56 new families LTLA is serving in Chinhoyi. 

 

7 of the 10 grandchildren who live with Mr. Gwara.

Earlier this year, in June, the Community Ministry team assessed the needs of the families we served and determined that 56 of the 100 families no longer needed our assistance. It was encouraging to see that we were able to help so many toward self-sustainability. In July and August Shelton, along with fellow team leaders Gogo (Grandmother) Mildred and Ottilia, conducted interviews with prospective families. LTLA team members then visited each family to examine their situations and verify their needs. Along with Mr. Gwara’s family, there were three other families living at the landfill who we added to our care. 

 

Mr. Gwara by his makeshift house at the landfill outside Chinhoyi.

The LTLA team began distributing food to these 100 families (56 new, and 44 remaining from last year) every other week starting in September. They have also provided sustainable farming training to them and are inspecting their corn plots this month for planting read- iness. Soon we will provide them with seed and fertilizer for planting, which is to be done on November 25 for an optimum harvest. Members of the newly-added families have begun to attend the Men and Women of Hope discipleship meetings, and the children are attending the youth Bible studies. Shelton also plans to take LTLA team members with him to the landfill to minister to the four families we are assisting, as well as others living there, since they feel stigmatized due to their desperate living conditions. 

 

View of Mr. Gwara's home, situated at the top center of this hill in the landfill.

Would you help us minister to Mr. Gwara’s family along with the other families living at the landfill? We are trusting God to use us to transform their lives along with the other 96 families we serve with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are grateful for your faithful support in prayer and finances over the years for our ministry efforts in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe! Our operational budget is $12,000 monthly which also includes the LTLA Training Ministry led by Arthur Nhau, LTLA Director in Chinhoyi, that is preparing laborers for God’s Kingdom work. Thank you for considering how you can partner with a special gift or monthly commitment (see details below). 

 

Gratefully in Christ, 

Mike Sulc 

Life to Life Africa 

 

 

You can contribute by mailing a check payable to: 

Life to Life Africa PMB 344 10151 University Blvd Orlando, FL 32817