More goings on in Zim

Hello blogsters! I had planned on updating once every other day. But since now I know that there are those of you who check many times a day for updates, I will try to write every day.
Today's happenings included another session of VBS. The Lord again blessed it abundantly. What we have done with the lessons is we have split the Parable of the Sower into four teachings. The first was about the seed that fell on the path and was snatched up by birds. The second was the seed that fell on rocky soil and was scorched by the sun because it had no roots. The third, taught today, was about the seed that fell among thorns and were choked out by said thorns. Tomorrow (finally!) we will teach on the seeds that landed on good soil. This has been a very effective scripture to teach. We have been able to teach the kids to read the Word often (so that the devil does not snatch it away like the birds), to always have faith (so they have roots in the Lord and will not be scorched), and to follow this passage in Romans 12: "... do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds..." (so that they will not be choked out by cares of this world, as the plants were choked out by the thorns).
The kids have also been learning a new memory verse and a new song every day. I must tell you, teaching new songs over here is amazing. The Shona are a very musical culture, so they pick up songs extremely quickly. We have taught the children four songs now: "Praise Ye the Lord," King of Kings and Lord of Lords," "Be Excellent," and "I Can Do All Things." The latest of the four goes exactly as the memory verse for the day, Philippians 4:13. We taught them another song to go along with the theme for the week. So it is really five new songs they have learned if you include that one. The song is called "Sow, Sow, Sow the Word" (cum "Row, Row, Row Your Boat").
Another event of the day was visiting another children's home. This one was more rural than most of the other ones we visited. Very few of the children there spoke English. What better way for me to practice my Shona! While here, we did a small skit on the parable from VBS and Glenn Miller also shared a Gospel message. It was really a huge blessing to visit these children and know that we were making a real difference in the lives of the young and innocent. I'm sure you will see from pictures (if I ever manage to get them on here), that the kids are very enthusiastic to greet us, marvel at our cameras, and hear whatever we have to say. What an exciting opportunity to share Jesus with them in a very real way!
Apart from those things, today was made up of small tid-bits of interestingness (new word!). We browsed a marketplace a little. A few of us bought small things. Of course, being the only white people in town, all the vendors flocked to us (historically in Zimbabwe, as in most of Africa, the white people have always been the ones with the most money). I was wearing Converse basketball shoes. I must have had a dozen different offers to trade them. They love brand names here in Zim even more than we love them in America. I simply said that I will still need my shoes for awhile and that maybe I would trade them later. We left the market with more cultural knowledge and certainly some mild amusement. But not nearly the amusement I got from explaining American things to people who have not heard of them. Tonight I had the privilege of explaining drive-thru windows to Girakai, one of the workers at Hands of Hope. He said that one could make a lot of money in Zim by introducing it. He had never heard of any such thing. He was also quite amazed to hear that the tallest building in the world is almost one kilometer tall!
Ok guys, that's all I have for you today. God bless and thanks again for all of your prayers.
--AJBrady