ITMI's Charl van Wyk and ITMI's Mark Parris visited Gwayi River Mission Base in Zimbabwe in August 2022. This is Charl's report of the ministry operated by Cozmore Fungulani. It was originally published in Charl's email newsletter. This version of Charl's email was edited slightly for ITMI.
Your prayers and financial support have made an incredible difference.
Your prayers and financial support have made an incredible difference in the lives of many suffering Christians in the rural village of Gwayi River, Zimbabwe. Thank you!
Mark Parris and I visited our ministry base.
Gwayi River, Zimbabwe.
Your financial support has helped remove all the thorns and undergrowth on the mission base, clearing the boundaries for the installation of badly needed security fencing. Now, thankfully, wild animal predators are all that remains to be feared—which we prefer over the far-less-sympathetic human ones.
The borehole you blessed our Zimbabwean ministry base with is the gift that truly runneth over.
This has been an incredible asset both to the ministry and surrounding rural families, including children passing by to and from the school as well as to the busloads of weary travelers grateful for a place to quench their thirst with safe, fresh water.
“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” - Proverbs 3:27
Gwayi River Mission Base borehole, water tower and pump.
Cozmore remembers well the concerns of the drilling company the day they started. After a full day of drilling, they had not yet struck water. Faith fended off frustration, but the relief—and joy—on everyone’s faces was a beauty to behold on Day Two when water gushed from under the earth.
Excitement filled the air.
Such celebration might be difficult to understand for those of us who just turn on a tap in our home and receive fresh clean drinking water without ever doubting its availability.
Despite September not being the rainy season in Zimbabwe, our ministry base looks like an oasis in the middle of a dry jungle.
This water you—our partners—provided for us has made our base look like a beautiful park. The beauty is also life-sustaining. Our vegetable gardens, chickens, rabbits, and workers, share in this blessing.
Due to the sandy soil on our property, Cozmore and his team transport in river soil and cow dung, to help sustain our vegetable production.
Gwayi River Mission Base vegetables - food for the needy, orphaned, and widowed.
Electricity
The underground borehole pump is an independent solar-powered DC pump, which uses photovoltaic (PV) panels with solar cells that produce direct current when exposed to sunlight.
Another solar-powered AC system relies on sunlight to power our lights and other electrical needs.
And just when you thought that that must be enough, we have a diesel generator for tough work like welding, as well as to back up the solar when extensive cloud coverage slows energy production.
Thanks again!
Cozmore with the diesel generator provided by ITMI supporters!
The Mill
Our now 2-year-old maize milling and dehulling machines are working hard in the milling house.
The dehuller is designed to remove the maize from the cob, aka, the peeling process. And the milling machine is used for processing maize for safe consumption. These machines make an extremely helpful economic difference in the lives of many.
We also have an engine room, in which we store our batteries, invertor and water pumping system. It also acts as the bedroom to our caretaker.
Our chicken production—which helps feed the widows and orphans and financially supports the running costs of the ministry base—is in full production with 275 layers and 240 broilers.
The layers produce around 245 eggs per day.
Some latrines are more equal than others.
On another note, a while back, state health inspectors visited our ministry base and closed our milling operations until we supplied lavatories!
Cozmore explained to the officials that the visitors to our mission base come to mill their maize, not to use a toilet.
So, the community gathered together and built our outhouse.
I kid you not – the state bureaucrats came back to the base and accused us of having a lavatory door facing the wrong direction! You cannot even make this story up!
Welcome to the communist state, where some latrines are more equal than others.
Cozmore showed the “latrine commissars” our plans passed by their own department. One wonders what will be next.
Accommodations
A cottage for the accommodation of our caretaker is at roof level and ready for the roof structure to be installed.
At present, we rented a tent for hosting formal meetings and public outreaches. We envision the building of a permanent meeting area consisting of a roof and halfway walls.
May God be praised!
A cottage for the accommodation of our caretaker is at roof level and ready for the roof structure to be installed.
A tent hosts formal meetings on-site.
ITMI's Mark Parris encourages local Christian leaders to be humble shepherds of their flocks.
ITMI's Charl van Wyk inspired and reminded leaders of their Biblical calling to disciple the nations and the youth in their communities.
The cost and sacrifice required to be a missionary in Zimbabwe.
This might be difficult to grasp but Cozmore’s home is less than 4 miles from the Great Zambezi River. Still, the ailing water supply systems remain for the most part inoperable, and he has no water supply to his home during the day.
It is also illegal for citizens to remove water from the Zambezi River, even under these trying circumstances.
Cozmore gets up at 3 a.m., when water is available, to fill buckets and water his plants. He also grows and sells rose bushes as a “tent-making” project to provide his family with their monthly living essentials.
Missions is about people and sharing the great message of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God with those who have not yet heard the truth. Tired, worn-out, exhausted, dehydrated missionary families cannot sustain a workload without basic necessities.
For this reason, Mark Parris and I could not leave without helping Cozmore purchase a 2,500L water container for his home, into which he can pump water at 3 a.m. in the morning, and harvest rainwater.
A mere $360.00 will automate the pumping system so that Cozmore can sleep through the night, gaining the energy to minister, so that Zimbabwe “will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14
Hallelujah!
Editor's note: ITMI has already received the funding for Cozmore to automate the pumping system. Thank you for your commitment to stand beside Cozmore as he serves Jesus in Zimbabwe! There are still many needs to meet among those Cozmore reaches, so please consider supporting Cozmore's outreaches on a monthly basis.
