Dear Friends and Supporters,

We have arrived in Zimbabwe and thank you for your prayers for safety and comfort during the long 37 hours of flights and layovers. In the last 3 weeks, the lockdowns in Southern Africa have tightened, and we face the issues of COVID once again with a curfew, stores closing early by 3pm, and mandatory masks when one leaves their residence with threats of fines and/or imprisonment. We had also heard of a possible 10-day quarantine mandate for foreigners entering the country by air. We have both had the COVID virus, have been vaccinated and have proven antibodies to the virus. We are also involved in healthcare, so we believe that we may be exempt from government quarantine during our stay.

We look forward to our ministry for the next 7 weeks in Zimbabwe, and we know that God will lead us and use us in ways that we cannot imagine or understand, as He has done before. Steve will be teaching trainee doctors at the Richard Morris Eye Hospital, will consult patients at the Mater Dei Hospital, and a clinical study comparing cataract surgical techniques may still take place if our doctor colleagues are able to organize and arrange the appropriate patients for the study.

As always, we look forward to the fellowship that we will have with friends, and also the encouragement that we will bring to so many who are in desperate need and who have no hope with both physical and spiritual needs.

Thank you once again for remembering us in your prayers. We look forward to sharing more as we enter a new phase of our work and ministry in Zimbabwe.

Blessings to you,

Steve and Jane Beaty – Eyecare To The Needy, Inc.