Stateside Update

I (Yolanda) am writing the blog this time :-) Although ministry has continued here in Zim, we have also been planning for our short 10 week furlough stateside. We intend on doing quite a bit of traveling and hope to see as many of you as possible - in person. We are still in the process of finishing up our schedule and waiting to hear back from some churches. Needless to say we want to keep you updated on which areas we'll be in and when - at least at this point and some things could still change. The following dates are flexible within a couple days, depending on travel.

March 9-11th - Wheaton, IL
March 12-16th - Shreveport and Bossier City, LA
March 19-23rd - Penn Yann, NY
March Easter - with family in Wheaton, IL
March 29th - April 4th - Minneapolis
May 9-13th - Boise, ID
May 14-19th - Eugene, OR
May 27-30 - IL

We plan to meet with individuals during the week and churches during the weekend. We have several other states on our radar but are waiting to hear back from them, these are merely dates that are penned into our calendar at this point. If you are in one of the locations above and would like to get together with us please send us an e-mail and contact us as we would love to get together with you. After this short trip, we plan to be in Zim for up to 2 years before returning again.

We've gathered a list of items in ways that you can tangibly and practically help us if you so wish.

Items we need/would be helpful:
- donate air miles to JM2Z for some of our travels (these are not tax deductible)
- donate towards a car rental (we no longer own a car in the states), for closer churches this is a more affordable option than flying
- gift cards for gas
- gift cards for restaurants and fast food (think cheap and affordable food chains, no fancy restaurants)
- donate hotel points (we may need to stay in between locations)
- a pay as you go phone line
- pay as you go recharge cards
- Starbucks gift cards (these are perfect locations for free wifi when traveling and we like to meet at coffee shops when meeting with individuals)
- Staples gift cards (there's always a few extra printings we need when stateside)

Any gift cards can be sent to our stateside address:
506 W. Indiana St.
Wheaton, IL 60187

There's also the option of e-gift cards as well - miles and points will be done online.

These are just a few ideas to help us accomplish what we need to do while in the US. By having some of these expenses covered it frees up more JM2Z funds to go straight to ministry needs in Zimbabwe - helping women and children.

The ladies have been doing so well. After they finished their door snakes (see pic left) they were so excited. We also had a time speaking about what it would look like to start selling items for a supplemental income. We discussed how to purchase necessary materials, how much to charge for items and how to reach that amount. We also discussed how all of this would be accomplished. This was a great discussion time and hopefully the start of our micro-enterprise developments.

This week, the ladies learned how to make fabric flowers. They learned how to use them for mending purposes, as well as making something look pretty. They got really creative in coming up with ideas on the many uses these flowers can have - as a hair accessory, shoe accessory, sewn on top of dresses, hats or purses etc. They got so excited by their ability to make a couple of the flowers within a few hours - seeing a finished product in such a short period was very encouraging to them. Each of the ladies brought some sort of item that needed a flower on it - a little girl's dress with a rip, a stained onesie, a plain adult dress, a pillow case, etc. A couple of them even sewed a flower on to the clothes that they were wearing! Unfortunately, I never got any photos of this because I forgot my camera, but I can assure you they were beautiful.

When it doesn't rain we meet outside under a tree. The ladies put out blankets and towels to sit on, but insist on carrying a chair for me - this is in typical Afrian culture where the guest receives the best and a place of honor - always seated higher than others who are present (see pic below). 

Many of the ladies fondly call me "Muroora" which means daughter-in-law. They call me this because I serve them juice, clean up at the end of a session or do some other task that to them seems "service-like." In the Shona culture, the daughter-in-law is probably considered the least valuble family member and her primary goal is to serve her husband's family. This may be tilling in their fields, cleaning the homestead, cooking the meals, fetching the water, fetching firewood, making the fire and any other tasks that need doing. She is expected to serve everyone else first and partakes last of what is left. Andrew was concerned at first when I was called this, thinking that maybe I was not respected in the group, but in the contrary as a Christian I am honored to be seen as the one who is serving - Phil. 2 comes to mind. I have seen a change, however, in this area in recent weeks. I used to sit on the ground with and among the ladies, but more recently they insist on me sitting on a chair in front of them. When I said, but I am "Muroora" they said, "no, you are Ticha!" (teacher). Of course whenever I do anything in a serving capacity, I'm still referred to as Muroora but nevertheless, I have become "Ticha." I'm unsure whether I have been promoted in their eyes or if my role is determined upon my job at the time... not sure yet.

When we gather, I take coloring pages and crayons for all the little kids who come with thier mothers. There can be anywhere from 6 to 10 children each week. I try to also take a bag of jiggers (a type of corn chip) and a freeze-it (a frozen drink, similar to freeze pops) for each child. Doing these small things keep the children busy and allow the moms to focus on the session for the day. I always take the time during the afternoon to go see the children's pictures and shower them with compliments, which instantly results in big toothy grins and giggles. All the kids are under 5 and half are merely toddlers, so no doubt when I go to gather all the broken scattered wax crayons from the ground, they are generally sticky and wet...I try not to think what they are covered in :-)

Loving these mommies and these babies is very precious to me. I feel so priviledged that God has called me to be His hands and feet. Seeing these women and children with the eyes of Jesus humbles my heart and challenges me to do more...just a little more, for just one more person...just one more grubby, sticky hand reaching for a crayon, and just one more slendor, uneducated and yet humble woman watching and listening to me with such intrigue and hunger for more knowledge.

Pray with me as I pray for these women's lives, their hearts and their souls.

See the slideshow below for more pictures of the ladies sewing.

As I write this blog, we have updates on more praises and requests. Yolanda's sewing group is going very well. The ladies have been learning quite a bit and have been thoroughly enjoying themselves along the way. So much progress was made on their door snakes last week, that Yolanda told them they should be able to finish them this week. They were so into it, that they all wanted "homework" and took their work home. So who knows, they may show up tomorrow with them already completed. After Yolanda initially taught them the basics, she asked the ladies to explain it to each other because if you can teach it, then you really know it. She wanted them not to just get through this project, but in the big picture, to be able to use their skills at home or to be able to earn an income. The following week is when the crochet group will begin.

Yesterday, we received a phone call from immigration informing us that the renewal of my spousal permit was approved and that I can take my passport for them to apply the stamp. This allows me to continue to live here for about another year. We won't be sure of the length of time until we see the stamp, but my last one was valid for 18 months. We have heard that one year is standard, but it just depends on who is working your case.

It is such a blessing that Yolanda's Zimbabwean citizenship has allowed me access to live here and my U.S. citizenship has allowed Yolanda to have a U.S. green card (valid through 2025), allowing her free travel in the U.S.  All of the hours of paperwork, hoops to jump through, interviews, and fees can seem endless, but it is so worth it. God is in control and we have not had any hassles or problems in this area, unlike the horror stories we have heard from others in similar situations. Much to be thankful for. Since Yolanda also needs a visa to enter England, we completed all those steps (including listing dates and locations of any foreign travel for the last 10 years and all visas she has received in that time) last week, so that we will be able to visit her mother for a few days in transit to the U.S.

We are returning to the U.S. for 10 weeks at the beginning of March. We will fly from Harare on March 3, visit Yolanda's mother, and then arrive in the U.S. on the 9th, returning to Zimbabwe at the end of May. We will be visiting each of our supporting churches to update them in person. Our desire is to also visit with as many of our individual supporters as possible. This means traveling from New York to Louisiana, to Minnesota, to Oregon, and other places in between. Even though the schedule will be tight, we are excited for the opportunity to reconnect with you face to face and share more details of how YOU have positively influenced these women and children in the past year.

One of the prayer requests we wrote about last time was for rain. We have continued to see rain in Chinhoyi about every other day. The grass, trees, and plants are all very green. However, also like we mentioned, that has not been the case throughout the rest of the country. The livestock has been suffering without corn to harvest for cattle feed. These cattle are many people's livelihoods, but they are running out of food for them. Many have been forced to cut their losses and sell them before they die for a quarter or an eighth of the price they are worth. Meanwhile the people are not faring much better. We just read an article from Yolanda's hometown about the lengths people are going to in order to scrape together enough money for food. Girls are reportedly selling themselves for sex for as low as 50 cents per sex act. Not 50 dollars; 50 cents. That's one bottle of water. Whether they have chosen this out of desperation or their families are forcing it upon them is irrelevant. The suffering is immeasurable. With the unemployment rate swelling above 90%, people feel like they are running out of options. In addition, drinkable water is at a premium for most people, due to the minimal rain and unsanitary city water. There was another recent article calling water the "new gold" in Harare.

A different, but related, issue that is ongoing is the takeover of farms. Zimbabwe used to be the third richest country in the world agriculturally (behind the U.S. and Australia), and exported food to other African countries to provide food aid. In 2000, a new land redistribution program began. White farmers were kicked off their land by men with weapons (sometimes police), not allowed to take anything with them or sometimes one carload, and of course not compensated for their property. 90% of farms were overtaken within the following several years. The land was not looked after and the result is now the need to import most of the food that is consumed in the country. These land invasions (which are deemed "legal") are continuing and there have been multiple instances within the last couple weeks. One case involved a widow and the other a family, but both have owned their properties for decades. The widow was informed by armed men that she was to leave. A few weeks prior a woman (wife to the man taking the farm) came in the house and began making plans to redecorate. The other farming family, had police trucks show up to their house. The police proceeded to load up the furniture, handcuff the husband and drive through the night before releasing them. Not only are the farmers homeless and jobless, but all of their employees are now as well. One of the farmers had a full crop ready for harvest, worth six figures, but now all is lost. The widow has employees who have worked for her for 38yrs, 24yrs and 18yrs - now these families will also suffer.

During these times it is such a comfort to know that God is in control. But how easy is it for us to say and so difficult for the individuals going through it to comprehend at the time. Please be in prayer for the hungry, thirsty, jobless, homeless, and oppressed. JM2Z cannot possibly help all of these people, but for the women and children within our realm of influence, we pray that God would use us (the collective us) as a vessel for them to see and experience who He truly is.