July get away--Victoria Falls

Major left on the 11^th of July. We left the mission at 4 a.m. and got to town and went our separate ways to get errands done before he had to be on the plane. We had no time even to sit down for lunch! We left for the airport at 4:30 p.m. and left him by 5:30 p.m. We stayed in town until Saturday the 13^th as Ben and Karen Pennington from Masvingo came up on Thursday with Marcia Kay Thomson to get her final chemo done on Friday. So we were able to visit and go out to dinner 2 nights together while in town. On Friday night Zebedee Togarepi, a fellow missionary from Chiredzi, joined us with his wife for dinner. We went to a new steak place where you pick out your steak at the meat counter and then it is cooked for you! His wife left the next day for the US to visit their son and grandchild for a few months in Illinois.

Saturday morning we had a wonderful tea with our visitor, Jonathan’s, mom who invited us over before we left town. We enjoyed meeting her, her father and her mother-in-law who live with them on the campus of St. George’s school in Harare. We arrived home in the afternoon and had time to put away all the groceries, get some laundry in the washer and cook dinner.

On the 18th, 5 of us from work, Dr. Cheryl Kellert, Dr. Shield Kajese and his wife No, and Janelle Frayne (our visitor) and myself drove to Harare after work to fly the next morning to Victoria Falls. The national airlines had a special for July and we decided to fly to the Falls for a quick weekend away. It was the Kajese’s first time to fly and the first time for Dr. Kajese and Cheryl to see the Falls, so we had a great time.

We all walked the Falls on Friday mid-day and then had lunch together. Then Cheryl, Janelle and I took off on a Zambezi River Cruise. We were the only ones on a large boat and we enjoyed the cruise up the Zambezi where we saw lots of birds, buffalo and monkeys. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset with the palm trees lining the banks of the river! What a sight! There is nothing more beautiful than an African sunset, right?

The next morning Janelle went off to Raft the Zambezi. Cheryl and I went downtown and did a bit of shopping and then came back to the hotel for some spa time of body massages and pedicures. That evening we met up with the Kajese’s and their friends for dinner at the Boma. Here you eat everything from warthog, kudu, impala, buffalo, chicken, steak to croc tail to Mopani worms! It is all you can eat and we ate! There is also a traditional dancing show, and a drum show where everyone bangs a drum and a dancing party. We had a wonderful time!

On Sunday morning Janelle went off to ride elephants and Cheryl and I went to have tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel. When we were on the way to the hotel—right across from it, is the train station and they have a one car train that now does a train trip over the Falls Bridge. It was about to leave and so we decided “lets go!” We thought this would be a fun way to see the Falls from the Bridge and travel on the train. When we got across the bridge the train stop and our guide said “everyone off and up to the top to sign the indemnity forms! “ Cheryl and I just looked at each other and said “what indemnity forms?” We climbed to the top and the lady said sign the forms and we said “for what?” She said for the Bridge Walk. We were a bit relieved it was not for the Bungee Jump, but still not sure what we got ourselves into!!

They started with a one man play of the guy who designed the bridge and we got all the information about the bridge. The man was dressed up in the clothes from 1903 when the bridge was begun! After the play they strapped us in our gear and off we went with two clips to strap us on a rope in case we tripped! It actually was a wonderful time. We walked under the bridge and then over to Zimbabwe side and then on top of the bridge back to the train. We saw the Falls from the Zambia and Zimbabwe side and also saw a bungee jumper go under us! Wow—it was great! Isn’t it amazing how God causes us to do things we never dreamed of doing? However, if it was the bungee jump we were both saying NO!

We did finally end up with lunch at the beautiful Victoria Falls Hotel on the veranda looking at the bridge and the mist of the Falls. What a sight it is!

We flew back home on Sunday evening and finally left for home at 8 p.m. We were home at 12:45 a.m. and then to bed finally and up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready for work! Cheryl and Janelle slept in but I had to be up to cook breakfast for Jonathan and then a busy day at work!

Major has been gone 2 weeks and we are really missing him. He emails us and tells us about all the great company and food he has been with! Are we jealous or what? We have managed to do his job and ours so that is a great accomplishment—only 9 more weeks to go!

The truck went to Harare today to pick up Major’s daughter from boarding school, as school closes today because of elections next Wednesday. Please pray for free and safe elections and for God’s will to be done in the person chosen to lead the people of Zimbabwe. Pray that the country may get stronger and better and that Zimbabwe will be a country where the leaders care for the good of their people and care to do God’s will.