"Behold your little ones!" Tinashe and his family

"I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness."

 John 12:26

    This beautiful photo in the "dark" describes it all by the children's intense faces watching our lesson of Jesus Christ coming to the temple in the Book of Mormon and blessing the little children. "Behold your little ones!" We loved teaching his family about Jesus's love for them.

We had the opportunity to go and teach and meet Tinashe Chanyandura's family. Tinashe invited us to come to meet his wife and children last week, so we told him we would come after work on Friday, Sept. 29th. Even though Friday is "early day", meaning the workers get off by 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. it took until 6:00 p.m. to arrive at his home in Glenview. Tinashe had also been able to attend a one-on-one English Connect Class in our Visitor Center Friday afternoon with Sister Turley. The Harare town traffic was very congested and I almost got an ulcer as Bruce negotiated his way through the intersections without traffic lights working. It's a scary chaos of tolerant driving! We also had to go through the combi pickup zones, which is always crazy! We drove straight through the "belly of the beast" Harare's CBD (Central Business District) at rush hour traffic. We always pray every morning that we won't be hit or hit anyone! Our prayers are answered daily. After about 45 minutes we made it to Glenview. There we drove through the tuck shopping district (everyone sells their goods along the side of the road. The tuck shops are made with wood to make a small store stand. Next, we drove to the rural dirt roads to a newer development of cement homes. The Chanyanduras live in Glenview Section 4, which is the outermost part of the rural area.

Bruce and Tinashe at his home he built in Glenview. Two of his daughters, Nasha and Moforro. Nakatenda is the firstborn, age 11. The girls were adorable and well-behaved. You could tell Tinashe was a very good father. 2023.09.29

We arrived at their small home, which Tinashe actually built, right at dusk. It had no electricity (normal for the area) but Tinashe put on his cell phone torch. It had a central cement room (kitchen) with a small table and 4 chairs. There is no stove, sink, or running water. They told me they collected their water from a well on the property. Two bedrooms are bookshelfed at the ends of the home and the bathroom facilities are usually outside in a separate small structure. It was humble but nicer than most African village kumbas (homes where they stay). A "kumsha" is where they were born or raised, usually out in the bush or country. We were surrounded by children when we drove up in our truck. This often happens because it's the only vehicle in the town and we are the only white people many of these children have ever seen. They love shaking our hands and having a photo taken of us together. I wish we would've had some toys or treats to give out. I had brought some store cookies, which we shared.

 I asked our temple site friend, Tinashe, what he wanted us to teach his family. He said, "Teach them about Jesus." Bruce felt inspired to show the children the Book of Mormon videos on 3 Nephi 11 & 17. It shows the resurrected Christ descending from heaven to visit the Nephites in ancient America and also Christ blessing the little children. The kids were mesmerized! Neighborhood children were peaking in the doorway; so I invited them in to watch also. 

We were greeted by many neighbor children, who probably hadn't seen white people in a truck before. They loved taking "selfies" and seeing themselves in my phone photos.

Tatenda, Tinashe's wife, came home about 30 minutes later. She also works in a neighboring city. She's a sweet lady and we hugged as I greeted her.  We re-showed her the videos and the daughters watched them intently a second time. Tatenda and Tinashe told us they were ready to be baptized. They'd been to church a few times and taken some of the missionary lessons. We told them how much God loves them. They really felt the Spirit during the videos and we testified of God's love and how much Jesus loves the children. The gospel is all about love. Elder Anderson set up a plan to help them become baptized. They had been frustrated with the elders teaching them being transferred and changed frequently. Bruce called the elders in the area to arrange for the lessons.  They need to attend church a few more times and meet with the missionaries a few more times. They are converted! We offered to help them get their marriage license so they could proceed. We've been helping several couples with passport photos and a small fee if needed by the court. It was a wonderful night and a surprise for us. We didn't realize they were already both converted and wanted to raise their daughters in the gospel. The two older girls are also able to be baptized with their parents. What a blessing to be part of their conversion; but we know the Holy Ghost touches their hearts and manifests all truth unto those who ask. Tinashe was one of the first HZT site workers who texted me and thanked us for giving him the Book of Mormon. He texted Sister Anderson back on April 18th in his best English, "Hie I am Tinsshe Chanyandura, thanks for give us the word of god. I am blessed with your bible". Who would have guessed that handing out the Book of Mormon on the temple site would lead to this? God blessed both of us!