Off the Grid

One of the decisions that I made about my Volunteers in Mission trip to Zimbabwe was to go "off the grid" for the journey. I did not take a laptop computer with me, nor did I take my cell phone.
I had anticipated being able to blog while in Zimbawbe, but I actually did so only once. There are some issues about internet access there that are different than what I experience in the states.

For one thing, "dial-up" is the ordinary and routine way of connecting to the internet. It had been quite a while since I had experienced the waiting required of "dial up" access, so that was a re-learning experience. Even the "internet cafe" that I used one day was "dial up." It was priced at $1.00 for twenty minutes, but it took about ten minutes just to get to my Google home page and to begin to check e-mail messages.

Along with "dial-up," there is sometimes simply a "failure to connect" issue. There is no particular explanation or reason. You are just not able to connect to the internet at that particular time. There was no use fretting or fussing. You just waited and tried again later--sometimes the next day or the day after that.

In addition, there are random power outages that affect part or all of the city. There did not
seem to be any rhyme or reason to their occurrence. These outages were not related to storms or to anything in particular. They just happen, and you adjust to a new reality. There were at least three or four power outages, as I recall, during my time in Zimbabwe.

The ultimate reason for going "off the grid" was because I stayed with a host family rather than in a hotel. When I visited Zimbabwe in January 2007, we stayed at the Mutare Holiday Inn. That was convenient, and it offered time for taking notes. Living with a host family, however, was a much more valuable and vital experience, even though it reduced the time for any note taking or writing.

I was hosted by the Kennedy Masunda family. They live in the Fairbridge Park area of Mutare. Mr. Masunda is a local businessman, with two stores in Mutare and one under construction in Rusape. Mrs. Masunda is an active lay person (and also a Local Preacher). They have a daughter off at college in South Africa. They have two sons at home. They also have a full-time maid and a gardener. The Masunda family is active in the Streamview United Methodist Chuch, which is the partner congregation for my congregation, First United Methodist Church in Hutchinson. By Zimbabwean standards, the Masundas are relatively well off. I found them to be gracious, hospitable, understanding, and helpful.

The pattern of staying with a host family is one of the critical aspects of the Volunteers in Mission trip sponsored by CCIP-Zimbabwe and led by the Rev. Dr. Kennedy Mukwindidza. I originally had some reservations about this arrangement, but I have come to be a strong proponent.

My experience in Zimbabwe was much richer and fuller than it had been two years ago. Part of it was the opportunity to spend more time there. The other part was the opportunity to stay with a host family.

So, I was not able to blog as I had anticipated while in Zimbabwe. But I gained something far better--a friendship that blossomed and grew while I was there and one that continues to bless me now that I have returned home.

And a great deal of it had to do with going "off the grid."