Generosity - LTLA Update - March 2025

 

Greetings LTLA Friends, As we approach Easter, we celebrate the extraordinarily generous nature of God. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are the recipients of God generously extending his mercy and grace to forgive us of our sins. We see God's generous character in creation and throughout the pages of the Bible. Two weeks ago, our team explored in greater detail God's generous nature and were trained with tools to disciple people in the area of generosity. Generous Church, an organization committed to inspiring and empowering believers to live generously so they can impact their communities, provided two facilitators from Kenya to conduct a two day seminar on Biblical generosity with our LTLA team. They were trained in using the Stations of Generosity Bible study, which uses song, hand motions, drama, testimonies, and facilitated discussions to explore God's generous nature with those whom we are discipling. The facilitators were encouraged by the team's preparation and excitement to engage in the training as they had examined this topic prior to the training. As our team is personally impacted by God's generosity, it is our prayer that their example of generosity will have a multiplying effect among those they are discipling. This week, from April 3-6, the Love Zimbabwe Festival will be taking place in Chinhoyi. Three LTLA team members along with some young people from our Chosen Generation group have been participating in preparation activities for this event. Kubamba, a ministry from Kenya that focuses on reaching young people for Christ, has been providing training in using drama, dance, and digital media to share the Gospel. Marvelous and Tatenda, LTLA team members, received drama training and participated in one Gospel drama at a downtown clean up campaign where many responded in receiving Christ. Prestege, another LTLA team member, received dance training and will participate in the festival with the dance team.  These team members are excited to use these skills they have gained in our ministry efforts with youth and young people. They are also excited, together with young people from our Chosen Generation group, to share Christ during the Love Zimbabwe Festival. Would you join us in praying that many, young and old, will respond to the great news of Jesus Christ? And pray for the critically important work of discipleship that will take place with those who respond to follow Christ. So, March was a good training month for the LTLA team. We look forward to how the Lord will continue to minister through them as they use these trainings in their evangelism and discipleship efforts. Below you can see photos and a video from the Biblical generosity training along with photos from the downtown Chinhoyi Cleanup Campaign for the Love Zimbabwe Festival. Grateful for your partnership with us in prayer and financial support! Mike Sulc Life to Life Africa

LTLA team members learning the hand motions associated with the Stations of Generosity Bible study.

LTLA team members working in groups during the Stations of Generosity training.

A Generosity diagram shared during the Stations of Generosity training.

LTLA team members acting out the good Samaritan story during the Stations of Generosity training. Other team members are singing, "Love is not love until you help somebody, until you give it away, and you know that love."

Prestege (in the center) participated in the Youth Praise &  Worship Bash during the downtown Chinhoyi Cleanup Campaign for the Love Zimbabwe Festival.

Tatenda (kneeling) participated in the God's Love drama during the downtown Chinhoyi Cleanup Campaign for the Love Zimbabwe Festival.

God Hears - LTLA Update - February 2025

 

Greetings from rainy Zimbabwe, When arriving here last week, Shelton, LTLA Community Ministry team leader, informed me that the crops needed rain. Well, the Lord heard the prayers and has answered bountifully. We have had a lot of rain and we were blessed the other day with the reminder of God's faithfulness as a brilliant rainbow graced the sky over the Life to Life Africa Community Center as seen in the photo below.

Rainbow over the LTLA Community Center.

There was concern in Chinhoyi that the rains would miss this area as it seemed like the southern part of the country was getting all the rain. But God heard their cry and has provided timely rain. When it rains, there are even more power cuts which affects pumping water in the city. That is affecting our operations for the Critical Care Center ministry to preschool orphans.  Twice per week, we are transporting water in containers from our Community Center where we use a generator to pump water from our well when there is no electricity. These challenges are leading us to consider drilling a well at our Critical Care Center as well as installing solar power at our Community Center and our third ministry location where we serve the other side of town. With support from Hopevale Church, that location has a well and we have solar power at our Critical Care Center.

(L to R) Arthur, LTLA Director in Zimbabwe, with Tatenda & Letwin, transferring water from containers on our truck to containers at our Critical Care Center.

The challenges are ever present in Zimbabwe, even in the midst of the blessings.. It causes the LTLA team to be dependent upon the Lord on a daily basis. The LTLA Community Ministry team begins and ends the week in prayer as seen in the photo below. There were two team members absent, Itai due to the death of her daughter-in-law from complications in delivering her first child and the other due to a bad bacterial infection on a finger. Unfortunately, these situations are common in Zimbabwe where medical care is poor. Thankfully the LTLA Clinic doctor caught the bad infection on Otillia's finger.

LTLA Community Ministry team praying yesterday.

You can join us in prayer during the month of March for two items. First is the Love Zimbabwe Festival that will be held in Chinhoyi April 3-6. Many churches in Chinhoyi are collaborating with this evangelistic event. LTLA will provide some discipleship training as churches prepare to follow-up those who respond to the Gospel. Would you pray for lasting fruit from this festival?

Marvelous (left), LTLA Training Ministry team member, helped with translation and participated in this evangelism demonstration at the Love Zimbabwe Festival evangelism & discipleship training.

Secondly, we have learned of an opportunity to share the Gospel with a Mapostori group from Mutare, where LTLA team members Simba & Pamela are ministering. Mapostori is the largest religious group in Zimbabwe. They mix traditional African religion with some Christian teaching, but they typically do not allow their members to read the Bible. It sounds like God's Spirit is moving in this group as an influential member has been impacted by the truth of Christ. Would you pray that the door for sharing the Gospel with this Mapostori group remains open and that the leaders would turn to Christ? If the leaders receive Christ, they will have a big influence upon the members. Thank you for praying with us to our God who hears, Mike Sulc Life to Life Africa

Here are some additional photos:

Mr. Chigwida holding the first eggs from his hens with his wife and Shelton, LTLA Community Ministry team leader, along with him. He is retiring from serving with LTLA, so we have helped him establish an egg business to provide him retirement income.

The LTLA ladies continue with their sewing projects on Mondays. Shelton & Tinotenda's young daughter, Kunashe, in the foreground keeps everyone entertained with her jabering.

A full room of kids at the LTLA Critical Care Center.

Patricia busy cooking for the Critical Care children.

I was really encouraged by the interaction among the LTLA Chosen Generation group. These young people have good insights from God's Word.

There is a new batch of broiler chickens. The heat light was off due to a power outage, which is common when it rains. The frequent power outages have caused us to lose some of the chicks. We will try starting them inside a room in our triplex and put buckets with hot coals near their enclosure to keep them warm.

Mr. Lunga washing the feeders and waterers for the broiler chickens in preparation of new batches of chickens. We are planning to do batches of 50 every 2-3 weeks.

Unloading corn meal and cabbages for the LTLA food distribution.

The packed church for the Love Zimbabwe Festival evangelism and discipleship training.

Corn & Chicken Production - LTLA Update - January 2025

 

New Year Greetings! We are extremely grateful to everyone who made year end contributions to Life to Life Africa. Your support and that of our faithful monthly partners enables us to start another year of ministry among vulnerable people in Zimbabwe, where last year the inflation rate reached 635%, highest in the world. We ask for your continued prayers as we come alongside increasing numbers of hurting people who are struggling to survive with no hope in sight for an improved economy. Thankfully it appears like this year there is hope for a harvest of corn, the staple food. Last year the country experienced a severe drought, but there has been more rain so far this year, though erratic, and some farmers had to replant. With our new drip irrigation system, we have been able to ensure a good harvest of corn at our LTLA Community Center. The three plots for planting are filled with corn, as you can see in the photos below. We estimate that it will supply the corn meal needs for the LTLA Critical Care Center that feeds 30 pre-school orphans along with our team of 20 people for a year, as well as helping feed some of the batches of broiler chickens we are now raising.

From our first batch of 100 broiler chickens, we sold 60 and will use 12 for our ministry needs. We lost 28 but heard that some people lost half of their batches. There was a rush to produce day-old chicks in preparation for Christmas and it is believed that impacted the quality and health of the chickens. Our plan is now to begin with batches of 50 chickens every three weeks to ensure we have a steady supply and then increase the number as our market grows. We have purchased a large freezer where we will store chickens, as butchered and frozen chicken sells at a higher price. Most people purchase live chickens and butcher themselves. LTLA team member Tatenda, shown in the photo below, was our first customer buying two chickens. We sold the chickens for $6 each.

Tatenda holding the two broiler chickens he bought.

Freezer for storing butchered chickens.

Video of the broiler chickens nearing maturity and point of sale. Video Link: https://youtube.com/shorts/ehPoDXyh1q0

Thank you for your prayers for our corn and chicken production along with our ministry efforts among the vulnerable in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. By His grace, Mike Sulc Life to Life Africa

Life Changing Investment - LTLA Update - December 2024

 

Dear LTLA Partners, Since Thanksgiving, I have been sharing with you words of gratitude for Life to Life Africa from those to whom we minister. I would like to share a few more words of gratitude for the impact that your support is having in the lives of the next generation in Zimbabwe. Through your prayers and financial investment lives are being changed.

Tambuzai Perego

My name is Tambuzai Perego. My husband and I have been blessed to be discipled by the Life to Life Ministry through our involvement in the Women and Men of Hope meetings. We are growing in our relationship with Christ which is helping our marriage. Due to our financial hardships, the ministry has also cared for our two children as they attend the (LTLA) Critical Care Center where they receive two meals each day and are taught about God. They are also prepared well to begin school and our older child is now attending first grade. We are grateful to Life to Life for helping our whole family. The following two young girls are part of our Children of Hope ministry to those who live near and make a living collecting recyclable materials from the landfill just outside Chinhoyi.

Janet Mutsago

My name is Janet Mutsago. I am so grateful for Life to Life because two years ago I was not going to school and now with the help of the ministry I have been attending school for two years. I can now read and write. The weekly Bible studies have helped me learn how to pray and talk with God. The lessons on forgiveness and obedience have really helped me with my anger issues. I am so glad to see the positive changes in my life.

Margaret Banda

My name is Margaret Banda, I am thankful that Life to Life is paying for my school fees so I can go to school. The Bible studies have taught me more about God and how to be obedient. I am most thankful that I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior at one of the Bible studies. Below are words expressed to me by Tinotenda Kakusa in a handwritten letter he gave me on my last trip to Zimbabwe. Tinotenda is an orphan to whom we have ministered since he was in high school. With the help of a sponsor, the ministry has supported him as he pursues his mechanical engineering degree. Next year he will attend the Mutare Polytechnic where he will help LTLA team member, Simba, launch a ministry on that campus.

Mike with Tinotenda Kakusa

"I am deeply grateful to Life to Life in spreading the Word of God in Zimbabwe and serving people in need here. The impact of the ministry extended to me as I gave my life to Christ and have been challenged to grow as a disciple of Christ. I now have the opportunity to continue my education and to spread the Gospel with others. The guidance and mentoring I have received has been invaluable. As I reflect on the impact of the ministry, I am reminded of the profound difference it has made. The investment has sparked a fire in us that burns brightly and compels us to share the Word with others. Remember that the labor in the Lord is not in vain. You are shaping lives, including mine, for eternal purposes. Keep shining God's light into our lives and keep in mind that we are committed to carrying the torch forward. Thank you again for sharing the beacon of hope with us, Jesus Christ." Yes, thank you for your partnership that enables us to share the great news of Jesus Christ and to help those in need carry the light of the Gospel forward in this dark world. Mike Sulc Life to Life Africa