Trauma - LTLA Update - June 2026

 

Greetings LTLA Friends, "A continent in trauma... Even a cursory look at the history of Africa will admit historical trauma across the continent...The prolonged and intergenerational nature of such trauma entrenches its impact deeply within societal structures and individual psyches... This means that many people in Africa live in a constant state of survival... These experiences leave deep emotional and psychological scars that affect both hearts and minds... and the daily struggle for survival erode(s) a sense of hope and security... Many suffer from anxiety, depression, and trauma-related stress, unable to process the loss and grief they've endured."  This assessment from the Awakening Africa Report, published by the South Africa-based Mergon Foundation, accurately describes the challenges that the Life to Life Africa team faces in Zimbabwe. The report also presents ministry to youth, women and the development of Christ-centered leadership as key strategic opportunities which are a focus of our ministry efforts. We will glean further insights from the report to help guide our ministry plans. You can download the Awakening Africa Report by scrolling to the bottom of the page at the following link: https://mergon.co.za/awakening-africa-report-insights-for-kingdom-mobilisation/ The report highlighted the need for trauma ministry in Africa, which is something we certainly have seen in our ministry efforts. I have shared with you in recent months about Tatenda, an LTLA team member, who recently has transitioned out of a residential Christian counseling program to help him heal from trauma in his life. The week after his release he participated in the Trauma Competent Care Training that was delivered by Hope's Promise, a ministry in Mutare doing similar work as LTLA. Simba, who leads our ministry efforts in Mutare, joined in this training and shared the following report from the training: "It was a life changing opportunity for me. I discovered that I had so many traumatic events in my life as a child that I need healing. The training helped me reflect on my past and open things that I thought were water under the bridge. They helped me realize that my past can affect my future if not resolved, that my past does not define my future and that Christ can help me heal from my past trauma."

Tatenda (left) and Simba at the Trauma Competent Care Training.

Tatenda's mother had him out of wedlock and she died when he was young, leaving him to be cared for by her mother. He was not accepted by the rest of the family, and when his grandmother passed away he was essentially left without a family. The LTLA team has become his family as they have been ministering to him since his late high school years. Simba also lost his mother at a young age in Mutare at which time his father abandoned him, leaving him to be cared for by his mother's sister in Chinhoyi. LTLA ministered to him through high school and his college years after which time he was trained for ministry when he felt called to invest in the lives of young people as was done with him.  As we minister to people in these circumstances, Isaiah 61 is a guiding passage of scripture for LTLA. We know from Luke 4 that Jesus read from that chapter and declared, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:21) It is Jesus who, "bind(s) up the brokenhearted, proclaim(s) freedom for the captives, release from darkness for the prisoners, proclaim(s) the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, comfort(s) those who mourn and provide(s) for those who grieve, bestow(ing) on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." (Isaiah 61:1--3) Thank you for partnering with us as we lead the brokenhearted, captives, prisoners, those mourning, grieving and despairing to Jesus for healing and to become "oaks of righteousness." (Isaiah 61:4) Mike Sulc Life to Life Ministries, Africa Director We were blessed to have a mission team from The Navigators Mid-America region serve in Chinhoyi for a few days this past month. Here are some photos:

Caleb & Sarah, from The Navigators Mid-America region mission team, taught a lesson on Jesus as the light of the world to this group of youth at the LTLA youth Bible study.

Blake & Julia, from The Navigators Mid-America region mission team, hanging out with LTLA high school youth after leading their Bible study.

The Navigators Mid-America region mission team with the LTLA Training Ministry team.

Quiet Determination - LTLA Update - May 2026 sent

 

Dear LTLA Friends, Before I provide an update on May activities undertaken in Zimbabwe, I would like to pass along a story shared with me by Shelton Nhundu, LTLA Community Ministry leader in Chinhoyi: "Every other Saturday at 5:00 AM, while most people are still asleep, Mr. Sunday gets up with quiet determination. His legs are weak and painful so he leaves his home a couple hours early in order to arrive in time for the LTLA Men of Hope meeting.  Walking is slow and difficult, yet he still makes the journey to our men’s Bible study fellowship. No excuses. No complaints. Just steady, faithful commitment. In a world that often chooses comfort over conviction, Mr. Sunday shows us what real devotion looks like. His body is limited, but his love for Christ and hunger for God’s Word drives him to endure. He refuses to let weakness keep him from fellowship with the Lord and his brothers. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) Mr. Sunday carries his cross with every slow, painful step — and he does it willingly. Let his example stir our hearts: Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Don’t let limitations silence your faith. Show up, even when it’s hard. Mr. Sunday’s faithfulness is a powerful sermon without words. May God give us all a heart like his — one that presses through pain and inconvenience just to be with Jesus and His people.

Mr Sunday (right) with Lunga, LTLA Men of Hope leader, who meets with him at his home on Fridays.

Thomas Gilbert, Life to Life Ministries president, provided a very good summary of the work of LTLA after his visit to Zimbabwe in May. You can read that summary at life2lifeafrica.blogspot.com and here is Thomas sharing about the Student Leader Training he facilitated during his visit: "This was definitely the highlight! First of all I got to see Simba (Mutare Ministry Director) and his wife Pamela as they attended and brought some key Manicaland State University students. Additionally, I got to spend time leading these students and students from Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) in ministry topics that are important to me. We not only did studies, but we applied them together. We focused on 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12. Verse 8 is a clear verse about the power of sharing your life with people (hence: Life To Life Ministry). We had 3 areas of study from the verses: 1. "Shoko"! (scriptures) v3 "not in error, impurity, deceit" (2 Tim 2:15) How to write your own Bible study How to lead a Bible study group Bible Interpretation exercises 2. Sharing! v2,4 "boldness to speak the gospel" How to share our faith regularly & relationally Apply: pair up and share with students on campus or along the road 3. Security! v4,6 "not pleasing men, but God" The 2 components of ministry as illustrated by the mother v7 love & the father v11 truth, require the minister to have a secure I.D. in Christ in order to put the needs of others before yourself. It takes security in Christ to love like Christ did in John 13:4 and to share truth like the Proverb 27:6. These 3 pillars are essential to all ministry. It was awesome to see people get excited as we applied these things, especially when we shared our faith on campus at CUT and broke out into small groups to write a Bible study on our own. For some it was their first time attempting to write a personal Bible study. The student with whom I went out on evangelism said, 'I'd like to do this more often!'" Thank you for your investment through your prayers and financial support in the work of LTLA which is making disciples of Christ among the old and the young in Zimbabwe! Below you will find photos from the Student Leader Training and the good harvest of broccoli from the LTLA vegetable garden. I am pleased to report that it was a really good harvest for corn this year for the families we serve which will enable them to feed their families for 4-5 months!  Joyfully in Him, Mike Sulc Life to LIfe Ministries, Africa Director

Student leaders from Chinhoyi and Mutare learned how to share their faith at the Student Leader Training. They then paired up and went out to share the Gospel on the campus at Chinhoyi University of Technology.

Student leaders broke into groups of 4 and were assigned a chapter of the Bible and tasked with writing their own Bible study. They did great!

Student Leader Training group photo.

Diana (left) and Gogo Mildred displaying the broccoli harvest from the LTLA vegetable garden.

Thomas Gilbert, LTLA Reflections

 

Thomas Gilbert, Life to Life Ministries president, provided the following reflections about Life to Life Africa after his trip to Zimbabwe in May: "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." 1 Jn 3:17-18

Zimbabwe ministry: Origins & Vision Our Life To Life Zimbabwe founder Ron Shimkus' inspiration came from these verses and we continue to be inspired by them today. With a background in university campus work, Ron was compelled by Christ's love to help those in poverty in Zimbabwe. "If we don't help, who will?" was his attitude. So Life To Life Zimbabwe took aim at not only reaching and equipping young students for Christ, but helping those in need. The needs in Zimbabwe remain great: food insecurity, living conditions, trade and skills development, accessibility to education, assisting the orphaned and widowed, challenges with depression and drug abuse. I'm so grateful to be connected to and play a small part in encouraging and helping our ministry teams in Zimbabwe. Our leaders and team members in Zimbabwe are incredible people. I have great confidence in them because I know their hearts, knowledge and application of the Bible, abilities in ministry, and their commitment to minister like "Uncle Ron" in both deed and truth. Our goal is to demonstrate Christ's love to people, share about Christ, the source of our motivation, and empower those who are interested in knowing and growing in Christ so they can become ministers to others themselves.

Gogo Mildred speaking about training and helping others gain a new skill. Learning something like sewing can become a source of income for widows and those in need.

What happens on these trips?  "Nguva Yakwana" make the most of our time. The Training Team (led by Life To Life Zimbabwe Director Arthur Nhau) focuses on primary through high school, CUT, young adults in the community. They meet as a team every Tuesday and Thursday at the ministry center for team devotion and team training. They also have Bible studies with the various groups throughout the week and one on one equipping and ministry training for the spiritually hungry. Friday we have the Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) Bible study. The Community Team (led by Shelton Nhundu) meets together every Monday and Wednesday at the ministry center for team devotion and team training. Throughout the week they work their assignments in the community demonstration garden or other skills training projects like sewing. Some CT members teach and nurture the little ones (newborn to pre-k) at the Critical Care center. On Fridays the team goes out to do follow ups with people who are receiving farming or other skills training to check on them. They also go out and share their faith and do Bible studies. The elderly women and men have the opportunities to attend Bible studies on Saturdays. So while I am there I go pretty hard on leading all of the various team devotions and team trainings which often take the form of interactive Bible studies (that's our style). I also try to get intentional one on one time to encourage as many team members as possible, lead Bible studies for the various ministries, share the gospel with students and meet with some of our students one on one.

Both the Training Team and the Community Team pictured together

A "churched" Nation: Great Opportunity for life on life ministry training. Many people don't have a relationship with Christ, but many attend church. I'm reminded of how churched Zimbabwe is. You get a "I follow Apollos. I follow Peter. I follow Paul." (1 Cor 1:12) feel. Some churches even have their own colors and uniforms. The churches will give you preaching and admonition from the Bible. That's pretty much it. What is missing is the thing that is our mission, to train and equip the average person to minister and give people opportunities to ask questions and grow through group Bible studies. So this is a great opportunity. We can equip and help people grow and the individual's can help strengthen the church group with their stronger relationship with Christ. One pastor asked "Gogo" Mildred (who works with our Community Team), "What have you been doing with the ladies at my church?!" "What does Life To Life do?" The ladies he was referring to were memorizing verses, studying the Bible on their own, and sharing the gospel with others. The pastor couldn't believe it. There are challenges to ministry in Zim, like anywhere else, but I see a great opportunity to help Zimbabweans go from "churched" to walking closely with Christ and ministering to others.

Listen to Faith talk about how God used the Mutare ministry to transform her from a “church goer” to someone with a strong relationship w/ Christ.

All Nighter - LTLA Update - April 2026

 

Greetings LTLA Friends, The term "all nighter" could refer to an all night study session or party for young people. Those do happen in Zimbabwe but another common "all nighter" are the all night prayer sessions that churches in Zimbabwe conduct with their young people. We see Jesus spending time praying late into the night (Matthew 14:23) or early in the morning (Mark 1:35) and in Luke 6:12 we learn that he spent the night praying. So it is something for us to consider doing as followers of Christ. This past month the LTLA Training Team in Chinhoyi hosted an all night prayer session for the Chosen Generation, our young adult ministry. There are certainly spiritual benefits in the life of each person and there are collective benefits of further fellowship as well as encouragement for the whole group. The all night prayer begins at 9pm and ends with bread & tea at 6am with the following activities interspersed through the night: praise & worship, devotionals, topical discussions along with prayers of adoration, thanksgiving, confession, intercession and supplication. Would you pray that these activities with the young people in Zimbabwe will bear much fruit in and through their lives? Mirriam is one of the young people being impacted through our Chosen Generation group. She grew up in Chinhoyi under the care of her grandmother and is now being trained to be a preschool and elementary school teacher. She is growing in her heart for the Lord with consistency in reading, meditating on and memorizing God's word. She showed commitment in returning from school to participate in the all night prayer session. Last year, while she was in Chinhoyi for her internship at a local elementary school, she helped us with the preschool age kids at our Saturday morning youth Bible studies. Join us in thanking the Lord for Mirriam's growth and as we pray for her to mature into a laborer for Christ.

Mirriam.

Another young person who is growing in his relationship with Christ is Shalom. He graduates this semester with a degree in logistics from Chinhoyi University of Technology. He has been involved in our campus ministry the past few years and has been living at our ministry center the past two semesters. We selected him to live there as he demonstrated personal spiritual growth and since living there has shown to have a servant heart as well as being responsible and trustworthy. We have invited Shalom to consider a ministry internship with us so we will appreciate your prayers for God's leading in his life.

Shalom.

In other encouraging ministry news, Zviko, who leads our campus ministry work in Chinhoyi, got married on April 18 to Vicky. We rejoice with them and are excited for Vicky to partner with him in life & ministry. Please join us in praying for Zviko & Vicky as they establish a Christ centered home to be an example to the younger generation to whom they minister.

Zviko and Vicky.

We are also encouraged to share that Tatenda, LTLA Training Ministry team member, has done well the past three months at a residential Christian counseling program in Mutare. On Monday he will leave that counseling program and will live with Simba & Pamela, who lead our work in Mutare. Would you pray with us for Tatenda as he transitions out of this residential program and for Simba & Pamela as they support him through this transition?

Tatenda (left) and Simba by the entrance to the Christian residential counseling center.

Please also pray for Thomas Gilbert, Life to Life Ministries president, who arrives today to Zimbabwe to encourage the teams and provide some teaching among the young people in our ministry in Chinhoyi and Mutare. Thank you for your faithful support in prayer and finances! Mike Sulc Life to Life Ministries, Africa Director