Zimbabwe...Here I Come!!

OK, so it's "Blog-Official"!!

I've been praying about if for some time and have heard confirmation...I'm heading to Zimbabwe this summer! And, despite the slow leaking of the news to a few friends and family here and there, I haven't made it public information yet, but, with the arrival of my new, renewed passport in the mail the other day, I've decided that it's time to make my plans known :-)

My new passport!

(and of course my old one that I requested be sent back to me. It's, unlike the new one, filled with entry stamps, customs checks and visas to Brazil, Canada, Kenya, the Bahamas, and Senegal)

So, the trip. First of all ...Where is Zimbabwe? it should be no surprise that I'm heading back to Africa, but this time to the south!

If you know your climatology, you should be thinking; "but Kari, isn't it cold during the summer in the southern hemisphere?" and the answer is: YES!

Zimbabwe, in late July, can run anywhere from the upper 50s to the lower 70s during the day and dipping way down to the 40s or upper 30s at night! I will still be packing my long skirts, but this time, I will also have jackets, longer sleeved shirts, and no flip-flops this time! (OK, I'll probably still bring one pair; I'm a southern girl at heart)

I'll be around Bulawayo, though I'll most likely fly into it's capital, Harare. So, I'll be way down south near Botswana, South Africa, and Mozambique.

Finally, What am I doing there? Well, the answer to that question, I don't quite know. Basically, I'm going down to work with some friends of mine. D and T moved down there about a year and a half ago. They've been involved with all kinds of things; beginning contact with an unreached people group, helping start a medical clinic, leading volunteer teams, and with the recent economical "crisis", distributing food staples to the needy people. And I will be spending a month there helping them with whatever they are up to at the time, learning about Zimbabwe and it's people, learning from the workers down there, and, of course, sharing who He is with those who don't know.

D and T were team leaders on my first trip to Africa (Kenya) back in 2007. They are the first two on the left.

So, there it is; heading to Zimbabwe, shouldn't be too surprising; Have you ever known me to be one to stay in one place for too long?

As the trip approaches, I will be in communication with the workers down there to see what they may need as far as supplies, or simple comforts from home. Let me know if you would like to be involved in collecting those things for them! Other than that, I invite you to begin speaking with me for the people and my time down there. Stay tuned; more to come!!