Report on the Leader to Leader Mission Trip to Zimbabwe

In August 2019 The Tide ministry conducted a Leader to Leader mission trip to Zimbabwe. The primary purpose of the trip was to host a seminar for church leaders from the rural areas of Zimbabwe. The Itinerary also included a dedication service for the new studio we constructed in Zimbabwe and participating in the annual General Conference meeting of the BIC Church in Zimbabwe. A unique aspect of this trip is that we had three Lancaster Bible College students as members of our team. It is incredibly encouraging and exciting to see young people engaging in the Great Commission, and we are grateful for the writing and photography these young ladies provided for this newsletter and other publications. – Don

My trip to Zimbabwe was nothing short of amazing. We saw God work in every aspect of our trip overseas! Our team consisted of 12 individuals: myself, Hannah and Moriah (LBC Communication Students), Mark (Director of Development for The Tide), John (Chairman of the Board of Directors for The Tide), Pastor Ken and Raina, Dan, Jayne, John (All from Cedar Grove Church in PA), and Don and Becky (Director and Office Administrator for The Tide). The entire team felt like family, and I feel so blessed to travel with these new friends!

The Brethren in Christ Church in Zimbabwe worked on building a new facility to host the Zimbabwe radio ministry known as Amagugu Evangeli. The Tide ministry funded both the construction, and the new broadcasting equipment for the studio. The building was finally completed, and our team was blessed to be a part of the dedication celebration. The church celebrations were filled with joy and gratitude as the people were excited for this new opportunity of outreach in their community. The economy is very poor in Zimbabwe, so the people are facing many challenges. Yet there is hope.

During our time in Zimbabwe, we participated in a Leader-To-Leader conference. Over 100 pastors, deacons, and other church leaders joined our American team at the Matopo Mission High School for a 3-day seminar. None of the pastors are paid for their role within the church, because the economy is poor. Therefore, many of the leaders are bi-vocational and took vacation time to attend the conference with us. The people were all eager to learn and grow.

Before we departed the beautiful country of Zimbabwe, we participated in a Zimbabwe Brethren in Christ General Conference, where Pastor Ken served as the conference evangelist. Over 1,200 individuals came to the Matopo Mission to learn and participate in the conference. It was an amazing experience, especially when the Gospel message was presented, and over 100 people accepted the invitation to a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support. You are truly so special to me, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue following God’s calling for my life.

Emma is a student at Lancaster Bible College where she is majoring in
Communications with a goal to eventually serve God through working
with non-profit organizations like The Tide ministry. This article is based on a letter Emma wrote to thank the many people who made financial contributions to send her with The Tide team and prayed for her while she ministered in Zimbabwe. We share it here because it expresses so well how all The Tide team members feel about our time in Zimbabwe and those who made it possible for us to be there.