Dear Friends,

We are safely in Zimbabwe now after a 3 day journey, 2 COVID PCR tests, long layovers, half-empty flights, and airports that now look almost like ghost towns. The highlight of our journey was arriving in Bulawayo on my birthday and walking through what is normally the gauntlet of the customs area with no one manning the stations. We found out later that the customs officials have abandoned their post because they “are too afraid to touch the passengers’ bags for fear of catching COVID.” This was another amazing sign that God was walking with us and leading us here to bring encouragement and blessings to so many who are destitute and desperate.

Our first night here in Bulawayo was interrupted at about midnight by an infestation of ants that had crawled up my arm and awakened me by their stinging bites. Needless to say, I was more agile at midnight than I normally am when I’m fully awake. We finally drifted off to sleep at about 4 am to be awakened by a friend at our gate at 10:15. I’ve never slept that late in my life!

Zimbabwe is in lockdown, which means that the businesses here must close at 3 pm to allow people to return home before 6 pm. If caught after curfew begins, one risks having their car impounded and spending a night in jail. We will not be able to start our eye camps until the lockdown is lifted, but I’m hoping to see individual patients at one of the local hospitals or even at our house. We continue to pray for this embattled country and also for our beloved USA, and we ask for your prayers as we embark on another term of work and ministry among the people of Zimbabwe.

Blessings,

Steve and Jane Beaty