To truly know if you have been called for ‘missions’ in a distant country …. you have to cross a border post with a vehicle full of ‘missional goodies’ … if you know what I mean.  The normal 3 hours in the sun with all the paperwork and carbon taxes takes its toll but there is always hope that it too will come to an end.  And then we know that after crossing the Zimbabwean border post there is a breather.  It’s a place so close to heaven …. that when I get there … I can smell heaven there.  Its the Lion and Elephant stay over.  It’s 110 km inside Zimbabwe and because we cannot reach the Mozambican border before it’s closure at 19:00 we always stay over to re-cooperate.  It has been serving us for nearly 17 years.  And if you ever travel our way … it’s a MUST!  

My wife is sleeping as I try to organize my camera watching a closing storm as I travel through the eastern escarpment of the Zimbabwean highlands.  At 120 km/h it’s not easy to capture a storm on camera and the only reason why I am not stopping is that home is still 450 km away.  I am carrying the usual cargo.  Bibles, evangelism material for a few hundred pastors …. and food of-course.  I also just realized my super expensive rubber on the vehicle has been cut – so on the trip I need a little bit more faith as usual.  But this is Africa (TIA) and nothing to get too exited about.  The only good news with the closing storm was that there were little or no police or road blocks on the road.  
Here is a few pics of the road:
Few things are so magnificent in Africa as an African thunderstorm.  It thunder, lightning and huge train drops … all simultaneously.  So utterly delightful!  Still traveling through Zimbabwe.

 MEANWHILE BACK AT THE BASE:

Nothing like FORD power.  One of our bridges washed away during the rains and getting through extreme mud areas was difficult.  Well maybe not that difficult as the Ford showed.
As always we had a team ready to tackle the ‘washed away’ bridge.  The bridge is crucial to get to our bush schools.
What you don’t see in this picture was all the government teachers which I was carrying.  They all got off due to the steep embankment.  By the way …. as you realize by now that I am a FORD fan – this vehicle is turning 24 years old this year.