Look Up!!

Fog lay heavy over the large parcel of land between Staff Housing and the main campus at AU, giving it a very surreal appearance.

This pictures only one of six paths that stretch across this 6-7 long block area ~~ one leads to the farm, one to the health clinic, one to the agriculture building and main campus, one to the sports field, one to staff housing, and one to the Chapel! 



During this school year I have walked at least one or two of these paths 5-6 times during a day!

Part of the path is rocky and uneven, part of it is smooth and well trodden.  Part of it is hilly, and part contains obstacles such as large tree roots and deep ruts.   Isn't this like our lives?  Sometimes rocky and uneven, sometimes smooth and well trodden, sometimes hilly and sometimes filled with many obstacles?

Too many times I've found myself looking down ~~ watching carefully where I walk in order to avoid the sharp rocks, the ruts and tree roots!

But recently on a bright and sunny day I looked up!!!  Little did I realize that all this time I had been walking under some power lines, very well hidden by the acacia trees ~~ can you see them in this picture?  We may not always be able to see God, but God's POWER is always available to us!

Now each day I am reminded to LOOK UP and to connect to the POWER that heals, guides, loves, forgives, and saves!  And may it be so for you. 

We Celebrate the Skill of our Bus Drivers!!

Africa University has received accolades in many different arenas.  Even our bus drivers participate each year in a contest that tests their skills and abilities in maneuvering the big AU buses that transport us to Mutare, on choir and field trips, etc.

Last year our driver, Jacob, was one of three from Zimbabwe who were so good they were invited to an international contest in Poland.  Recently I had a wonderful conversation with him about what all he experienced during his time in Poland!

Here Jacob (r) and Douglas (l) are being congratulated by Dean Beauty from the Faculty of Theology.  Sorry for the poor picture quality, but you can see that Jacob is holding the winning trophy from their participation here in Zimbabwe.

Having driven a school bus when I was teaching at Vashti School (Thomasville, GA), I was very interested in all that he shared.  Of course, the bus I drove carried about 35 passengers, while these buses hold twice that, so you can imagine their size!!

Jacob said that during the three days of the contest in Poland it was very rainy and cold, making it difficult to see and to keep his hands warm!  Not only that, but he had to adjust to driving one bus where the stirring wheel was on the left, just the opposite of the ones here!!!  A little disorienting to say the least!  Then, they had to drive around cones without knocking any of them down!!  And back up within just a few centimeters of the curb behind using only their side mirrors!!  I can't even do that with my car, let alone a huge bus!!

Language was a very different and difficult issue in Poland, but fortunately, his English got him through the worst!

We celebrate the skill of all our bus drivers, and appreciate that they get us where we need to go safely and with a smile!  When I see the kinds of roads they have to navigate ~~ with deep ruts, 8' bushes growing right up to the edge of the road, very narrow, and sometimes very steep either up or down ~~ I marvel at their ability!  All of this in addition to watching out for all, including very small children, who walk along the sides of the highways, day AND night!  And in some places, wild and free roaming animals bigger than the bus!!

THANK YOU bus drivers for your great skill and judgment!!!

Just Imagine . . . !!!

Just imagine what it would be like to have your backyard look out on a wildlife preserve, and be able to chat with its inhabitants!!!

A couple of Sundays ago after church in Mutare we were invited to visit the family who has this privilege!!!  And they were willing to share it with us!!

 This is the mother elephant who comes around about  once a week just to say "Hi!"








The homeowner is throwing some food pellets through the fence for her to get her to stay around a bit longer!

And soon her son came moseying through the bushes to join her!  He is on the left and is bigger than his mother, so tried to push her out of the way so he could get some of the "goodies," too!!

They are such beautiful animals, and live peacefully in this preserve right in Mutare!!

What a treat!  Wish you had been here to share in this very neat experience!!