Zimbabwe Trip

Where It All Began

In November 2025, something unprecedented happened: the first-ever skateboard park in Zimbabwe opened in the small town of Victoria Falls. What might look like concrete and steel is actually a gathering place—one filled with laughter, scraped knees, and wide-open hearts. JSAW’s mission was simple and bold: bring a team, teach skateboarding, and share the hope of Jesus with kids who had never seen anything like this before.

JSAW's Team

Our team of eight riders raised funds to cover the full cost of a 10-day international trip. For several team members, this was their first time traveling outside the United States—and for many, their first mission trip. Two of the guys had previously served on international JSAW mission trips, helping lead and mentor the rest of the team.

Mission trips are a core part of JSAW’s disciple-making process. They give riders the opportunity to serve cross-culturally, share their testimonies, clearly communicate the gospel, and grow in their faith in ways that simply aren’t possible at home.

The Road to Victoria Falls

On our way to Zimbabwe, we stopped in Cape Town, South Africa, to spend time with our friend Chris from Inspired to Become. Two years ago, JSAW partnered with their ministry to help build a skatepark there, and last fall we provided an action sports ministry grant to supply 50 skateboards for their skate Bible study clubs. We watched the sunset at the beach, shared a meal, slept for a few hours, and then headed back to the airport for our flight to Victoria Falls.

Once we arrived, we were immediately introduced to Zimbabwean reality: heavy rain—almost every day. Massive downpours would roll in without warning, flooding roads and turning the red dirt paths into lakes. Then, just as quickly, the clouds would disappear and the sun would come out blazing hot. By the end of the week, every one of us was sunburned. Locals laughed and told us we looked “pink.”

Add in learning to drive on the wrong side of the road, navigating giant puddles, and dodging monkeys roaming freely through town—and it was clear we were far from home.

How the Skatepark Was Born

Our primary connection in Victoria Falls was Robby Kimmel. A few years ago, Robby traveled from Minnesota to Zimbabwe with an organization called Matter to deliver medical and school supplies. During that trip, he introduced skateboarding to kids in Victoria Falls—and they instantly fell in love with it.

Robby has now lived in Victoria Falls for the past three years and has played a key role in building the Vic Falls Skate Club and the Push Project to give kids in Zimbabwe access to skateboarding. This past fall, he led the charge to build the country’s first skateboard park, Samkele Skatepark, creating a permanent space for kids to skate, gather, and build community.

Faith Taking Root

We also spent significant time with Albert, a local skater and leader of the newly formed Christian Skaters Zimbabwe ministry. After attending a leadership development school in South Africa hosted by our friend Chris in Cape Town, Albert began leading weekly Bible studies at the skatepark—combining skateboarding, discipleship, and outreach.

Carrying More Than Boards

We arrived carrying boxes filled with skate gear made possible by generous support from Powell Peralta, Preacher Skateboards, and several local riders who donated gently used boards. In total, we delivered:

• 57 skateboard decks

• 10 complete sets of trucks

• Wheels, grip tape, and hardware

• JSAW stickers and t-shirts

There are no skateboard shops in Zimbabwe, and all equipment must be imported. The Push Project now owns and maintains all of this equipment so kids can continue skating long after our team left.

Mornings in the Schools

Most mornings, our team visited five different schools, speaking to over 500 students. We shared our testimonies, presented the gospel, taught about skateboarding, and invited students—and teachers—to come check out the new skatepark. Most visits were school-wide assemblies, and one school allowed us to go classroom by classroom to connect with students more personally.

Afternoons at the Park

In the afternoons, we hosted four days of skateboard camp at the new park, with 40–50 riders each day. We taught skills like tic-tacs, drop-ins, 50-50s, and ollies. It was loud, chaotic, and full of joy.

Some days camp started under dark clouds and pouring rain, only to be followed by blazing sun an hour later. Kids would skate through puddles, dry off, and keep riding. Many were learning to skate for the very first time—often barefoot, without helmets, and sharing a limited number of boards.

One of their favorite games is sending 40 kids racing in a circle around the park before launching out of a quarter pipe. Boards flew, ankles got clipped, crashes were frequent—and somehow everyone just laughed and kept skating.

Ministry Between the Moments

Outside of scheduled programs, we prayed with local shop owners, talked with people we met on the streets, and shared Jesus wherever opportunities arose. As a group of Americans carrying skateboards through a small Zimbabwean town, we definitely stood out—and that opened countless doors for faith conversations.

A Day We Didn’t Plan

One afternoon, local leaders told us to hop on a bus and trust them. We traveled outside the city to visit Jafuta Foundation, located in a nearby village. What we found there was a beautiful picture of dignity, sustainability, and hope.

Jafuta provides education for children and meaningful jobs for local adults—teaching skills like sewing clothing and feminine hygiene products, crafting handmade bracelets from poachers’ wire removed from protected forests, and creating earrings and other goods. They even host a skateboard club that meets regularly, using skateboarding as another point of connection and community.

From there, we were taken to the home of Blessing, a major supporter of The Push Project and the owner of a local safari company. Blessing welcomed us with extraordinary generosity, treating our team to a four-course meal overlooking the surrounding landscape and Victoria Falls.

As the sun set, a drumline and DJ arrived, and the evening turned into a celebration filled with music, dancing, and laughter. Blessing honored our team, spoke life over us, and blessed us in ways we didn’t expect. It was a humbling reminder that ministry is always a two-way exchange—we came to serve, and instead found ourselves deeply encouraged by African hospitality.

A Day of Celebration

On our final day, we hosted a skate contest at the park with over 100 kids in attendance. We opened with prayer and an a cappella worship song, followed by David sharing his testimony and a clear gospel message.

We then split riders by skill level for lessons before judging a contest with 25 competitors in beginner and advanced divisions. Prizes included skate gear, stickers, and clothing—and the energy was electric.

Life Between Sessions

Our team stayed together in an Airbnb, cooking meals, sharing daily devotions, playing cards, stretching sore muscles, killing giant spiders, swimming, and trying to sleep through jet lag. It took a couple days, but we finally learned the power outages we kept having were because we were using up all our electricity by using the electric stove!

One night, while driving through town—still getting used to the opposite side of the road—we came face-to-face with a massive elephant standing in the middle of the street. Moments like that reminded us daily that we were guests in a place far bigger and wilder than ourselves.

Wonder Beyond the Park

We took one day to visit Chobe National Park in Botswana for a safari and river boat tour, seeing elephants, hippos, giraffes, birds, and antelope up close in the wild.

We also hiked along Victoria Falls, getting soaked by the mist, discovering new plants and insects, and taking in one of the most awe-inspiring natural wonders on earth. Two of the guys bungee jumped off the bridge over the Zambezi River, and a few of us walked across into Zambia just to add another country to the list.

The Long Way Home

On the way home, flight cancellations due to weather rerouted us through Johannesburg and Amsterdam. While on a 5 hour layover in Johannesburg, we met up with Storm from Christian Skaters Africa, skated a rooftop skatepark at a local mall, shared a meal, and encouraged one another before jumping on our next flight.

Grateful & Expectant

This trip reminded us why we do what we do. God is moving through skateboarding in powerful ways around the world, and we’re honored to be a small part of what He’s doing in Zimbabwe.

If you support JSAW—through prayer, giving, or encouragement—this story belongs to you too. Because of faithful partners, kids in Victoria Falls now have skateboards, mentors, and a place to hear about Jesus week after week.

We’re excited for what’s next, and we invite you to continue standing with us as we follow where God is leading.

If you would like to give to support JSAW's Worldwide programs including mission trips and grants to support action sports ministries in Africa and around the world, you can make a donation here.