They stand out in the crowd

We met the kindest people in Zimbabwe.  In several cases, it felt like people were trying to get us.  They wanted our money, they trapped us, they fined us, they begged from us or pressured us.  So when we met Lena and Bertie, their Christian kindness really stood out to us.  They live on a farm that their grandparents pioneered, taking it from wilderness to this state of gorgeous beauty. 

 There's our car with my birthday present that we towed.  The bright stickers are required by the government.  We were parked just to the left of their house.  I thought it looked like a landscapers dream come true. 

 Their grandparents lined the driveway with trees.  This family has been driven from their home 7 times so far.  Their employees tell them when it is safe to come back. 

 Their parents and grandparents are buried on the land.  Right now they employ 250 people. When these farms are taken over, all those 250 will lose their jobs, and the land will not produce any more whereas now they produce enough to export. 

 

You might think it's all about money, but Bertie says no, it's power.  They'd rather be in charge, and see their people starving then have the prosperity and not have control. 

 

About the money, we did think it was curious that Zimbabwe has and uses so many $2.00 bills.  We tended to do the American thing, collect them, but they wear them right out as you can maybe tell by this picture. 

 

 

But God is in control.  He has His reasons for the ones He puts in power.  He often uses oppressive governments to help people turn from sin and back to God.  We spend our lives helping people turn from sin to Jesus.  One nice side effect is that when enough people turn back to God, He will heal their land.  When Israel had suffered 70 years of captivity and finally turned back to God, He turned the Gentile king who still controlled them to favour them (Ezra 6:22 & 7:27,28).