Traveling Ministry

"We are following the example of the Apostle Paul, in traveling to visit the fruit of our ministry, " shared Arthur Nhau, LTLA Director in Chinhoyi. Over the past month Arthur took members of his Training Ministry team to visit students in Kwekwe and in the capital, Harare. He went on to say, "It was a great encouragement to the students and to our team to be able to be together in person." 

Tinotenda, Richard and Natasha are attending Kwekwe Polytechnic. They were discipled through our youth and young adult ministries in Chinhoyi. It is our desire to see them impact their peers in college for Christ. So, on November 20, Arthur took Simba, Zviko and Tatenda (LTLA Training Ministry team members) with him to visit these three students in Kwekwe. Natasha invited a friend, Anesu, to join them as well, so she is already reaching out to those around her. Arthur's team brainstormed with this group on ideas of outreach activities to do with others. They also equipped them with tools on evangelism and leading Bible studies. Please pray for Tinotenda, Richard, Natasha and Anesu as they reach out to their classmates at Kwekwe Polytechnic with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

 

Anesu, Natasha,Tinotenda, and Richard at the entrance to Kwekwe Polytechnic. 

 

Tatenda (standing) teaching how to lead a Bible study with the LTLA students at Kwekwe Polytechnic.

 

Arthur taking a selfie photo of the Training Team guys with the LTLA Kwekwe Polytechnic students. 

(Standing L to R: Tatenda, Anesu, Natasha, Tinotenda, and Simba. Kneeling L to R: Zviko and Richard.) 

 

During the pandemic, the universities have brought back groups of students by degree programs for two week sessions, during which they receive all their lectures for the semester. They are then sent home to work on their assignments for the rest of the semester and brought back at the end to take their final exams. Needless to say, this has made college ministry very challenging. 

A very large percentage of students we minister to at Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) either grew up in the capital, Harare, or are living there now because of better job opportunities. With a lot of our CUT students currently in Harare, Arthur decided to invite all of them to meet the LTLA Training Ministry team at a park there. Twelve students joined them on Saturday, December 4. They were encouraged in both large and smaller group sessions to "remain in Christ" through spending time with Jesus in His Word. The LTLA Training Ministry team led sessions on the importance of reading, meditating on, and memorizing God's Word. It proved to be a good experience, so Arthur is planning to continue hosting such gatherings in this park in Harare. He plans to also invite alumni who now live there to join them in ministering to students and for personal encouragement to continue walking with Christ. Would you pray for the LTLA "traveling ministry" efforts as they seek to encourage fruit of their ministry to abide in the vine (Christ) so that they can produce spiritual fruit in their lives? (John 15:5,16) 

 

LTLA College Ministry students who gathered for encouragement at a park in Harare. 

 

Simba (far right) facilitating a small group with LTLA College Ministry students in the park in Harare. 

 

Zviko (3rd from left) facilitating a small group with LTLA College Ministry students in the park in Harare. 

 

Stella (who is in her 50s) recites the 60 verses of the Navigators Topical Memory System 

for the LTLA College Ministry students gathered in Harare. 

 

Thank you for your support in prayer & finances this past year! 

We ask the Lord's special blessing upon you as we launch into a new year. 

Gratefully in Him, 

Mike Sulc 

Life to Life Africa 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:20-23 

As we celebrate God's faithful love to us, in fulfilling his promise of salvation through Jesus, who is God with us, the Life to Life Africa team and my family wish you a very Merry Christmas! 

 

With His Love, 

The Life to Life Africa Team 

Mike, Julie, Johanna & Micaela Sulc 

 

LTLA Team (Standing L to R: Shelton, Diana, Stella, Mr. Chigwida, Brian, Otillia, 

Mildred, Letwin, Faith, Patricia, and Itai; Seated L to R: Zviko, Jane, Gogo Mildred, 

Tsungai, Marvelous, Mr. Lunga, Prestege, Tatenda, and Simba. Not in picture: Arthur)

 

 

Sulc Family (L to R: Micaela, Johanna, Julie & Mike

 

 

 

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 

 

 

Coveting Prayer - LTLA Prayer Bulletin

Dear Friends, 

Would you pray for me as I travel to Zimbabwe (especially in light of personal news below)? I look forward to encouraging and being encouraged by the Life to Life Africa team, as well as engaging in ministry with them, over the next couple of weeks. We will also reflect on the past year and ask the Lord to guide us in how he desires us to trust him in the year ahead. 

I ask that you pray for Prestege, an LTLA team member. She got married on Oct 16. Would you pray for Musa & Prestege to begin their marriage with Christ at the center of their lives as a couple? 

 

Musa and Prestege on their wedding day.

 My heart is heavy as I travel with the news that my older brother, Mark, was diagnosed on Saturday with two tumors in his brain. Surgery has confirmed that it is glioblastoma, the type of cancer that claimed my father at the age of 69. My brother is 64 years old. He has been pointing me to Jesus Christ since his years in college at Iowa State University, where he grew strong in his faith in God. Now as he enters this dark valley he continues to point me and everyone he encounters to our "living hope." (1 Peter 1:3) Would you join us in asking God to continue glorifying Christ through Mark's spiritual life and, if it pleases God, through physical healing?

Mike (foreground) sailing with my brother, Mark, this past summer. 

This picture appropriately displays how my brother set an 

example of navigating life with his eye focused on the source 

of the wind that gives us life.

 

Looking to Jesus, the healer of our souls and our bodies, 

Mike Sulc 

Life to Life Africa 

 

 

"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