Chickens Update
A week ago today marks 5 weeks from when the women received their day-old chicks, which means they needed to be selling them this week. We've been praying for healthy chickens and for enough customers for each of them. Thankfully, they have all been making sales! Although most still have some left, but are doing their best to finish selling the final ones. As you can see below, they have grown quite a bit in 5 weeks! Gogo Dondo (pictured with me and the lady who hosts our Tuesday groups) wanted to give Yolanda and me one of her chickens as a gift. She was very proud of her chickens and they looked to be very healthy. I'm such a city boy, I'm not sure if I've ever held a live chicken before :-)
I told her that I could put it in the back of the truck as is, but she insisted on putting it in a plastic bag. As you can see, she poked a hole in it so the chicken could put his head through. I felt like I was getting a to-go bag at an African KFC. Yes, Zim does have a few KFC's, but no this is not how it is. The restaurants look, and the food tastes, exactly as they do in the US, but the image of this bird in a to-go bag was humorous to us :-)
I told her that I could put it in the back of the truck as is, but she insisted on putting it in a plastic bag. As you can see, she poked a hole in it so the chicken could put his head through. I felt like I was getting a to-go bag at an African KFC. Yes, Zim does have a few KFC's, but no this is not how it is. The restaurants look, and the food tastes, exactly as they do in the US, but the image of this bird in a to-go bag was humorous to us :-)
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We know that for most people, chicken is a special meal. It's not an everyday one. So we decided to bless Western and Elizabeth with it. I got in the truck, put the chicken behind my seat, and drove home. When I told them about the chicken and gave it to them, I asked Western if I could watch as he slaughtered it. You can see him getting his knife ready below. Since they would eat it that evening, I asked Elizabeth if I could have a small taste. Yolanda wasn't up for having any, since she had seen it alive. When Elizabeth brought a small piece later on, it did taste really good!
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Since we've been focusing so much on the women doing chickens the last several weeks, when they came over on Wednesday, we went around the room and checked in with everybody on how their businesses are doing. They shared both successes and setbacks. Everyone brainstormed and discussed as a group on how they can overcome the few setbacks. This group is definitely helping them feel a strong sense of community and comradery. From this, they went into their Bible study, which summarized Mabasa (Acts).
The previous week, we had a teaching opportunity. We had a strange weather day, which gave us a huge double rainbow. I had never seen such a complete and full rainbow before, and of course the picture doesn't do it justice. The next day, we asked if the ladies had seen it and many had. I asked if they knew about God's promise to Noah after the flood and the significance of the rainbow. They hadn't heard that story before, so we got to share with them about one of God's promises.
Twins Update
Yolanda has been sick the past 2 weeks and so she was very jealous when we visited Mai Maka's twins this week that she was unable to hold them. When these pictures were taken, they were 3.5 weeks old. They are still so small, yet have so much hair!
When we first visited, just days after they were born, they hadn't been given names. This time, Mai Maka shared with us what she named them. One is Anesu, which means "God with us" (God is implied in the name) The other is Anotidaishe, which means "God loves us." Of course we can't tell them apart yet, so we don't know which is which in the pictures below.
When we first visited, just days after they were born, they hadn't been given names. This time, Mai Maka shared with us what she named them. One is Anesu, which means "God with us" (God is implied in the name) The other is Anotidaishe, which means "God loves us." Of course we can't tell them apart yet, so we don't know which is which in the pictures below.
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Residence Permit
My residence permit, which allows me to live in Zimbabwe expires in May. Immigration validates them to last anywhere between 1 and 2 years at a time. We have been blessed that my two previous permits were good for 1.5 and 2 years, respectively. We have never had any problems. We have heard stories of other people where it's taken them 6 months to complete the process and they needed multiple interviews and whatnot. We have always gotten mine back within 2 weeks of application.
If they deny it, then obviously that means I can't live in Zim anymore, so while we are always optimistic, we still feel a bit of stress until that permit is firmly attached inside my passport. We are able to begin the renewal process 3 months before it expires, so we began a few weeks ago.
We wanted to make sure that the process is still the same as it was two years ago, so we did our homework and contacted an immigration official who recently retired. According to him, everything was the same. They have a website, but there's no information posted and they have a phone number, but nobody answers. We knew their location in Harare had changed, so when we had our paperwork together, we made the trip to Harare and went to submit it. The woman said it looked good, but asked if we could submit copies of three other documents, as well as fill out an application. These were items we have already submitted to them, so we asked why they needed it again. She said that all their files were still at their old location, so they would need duplicates of these. This of course meant another trip, since we live nearly 2 hours away.
So we made a second trip later in the week and handed in the papers. We paid our $300 and were told to wait so that we could have our interview. They have only been at this location for 4 months, so they are still getting organized and have yet to bring any chairs in the waiting area. Eventually, she came back and led us down a hall, up a dark flight of stairs, and down another hallway where there were 6 doors. She knocked on one, no one was there. She knocked on the second one, again no one was there. Finally someone was inside the last office and this was the correct one. However, we were told that the people who would conduct the interview were out, which meant we would have to come back a third time, but they would call us to let us know when.
We needed to go to Harare the following week, so even though we hadn't received a phone call (and we didn't have a number we could call for them) we went back to immigration. We went straight to the office where we had been the last time and thankfully our file was still on the desk. Since we had driven from Chinhoyi, the lady said she would quickly find the people to do the interview. She left, but once again the only thing in the big office was a desk with one chair behind it. At the old location, we had become accustomed to seeing piles and piles of files. The interviewers came in and Yolanda and I were interviewed separately. Since my permit is based on our marriage (just like Yolanda's residence permit for the US is based on our marriage), they asked questions that spouses should know of one another and then make sure that our answers agree.
Everything was fine and they told us that someone else would be deciding on approval of the permit after reviewing all the information. We should receive a phone call in a week or so, which should have been this week. We are waiting to make a trip to South Africa to get supplies for next month's VBS. However, we can't go until this permit is approved or they won't let me back in the country. We are praying that it is approved and comes back soon!
Stateside Visit and Preparations
We are in the process of preparing for our visit stateside in this Fall/Winter. We are planning our schedule and looking at a US map to see all the different places where we will be traveling. As we get closer to the time, we will need YOUR assistance. We'll need access to a vehicle in the different locations that we'll be visiting and traveling to (these may mean access to multiple vehicles depending on the location). Visiting stateside means increased expenses for travel, food, accommodation, conferences, etc. Knowing that, we will still have on-going expenses in Zimbabwe while we are gone. Once again our friend Janeece, who is a missionary relief worker, will come and stay in our home while we are away. She will keep up with the day to day running of ministry here on the ground, paying bills and even doing Bible studies, etc. Having access to a Missionary Relief Worker is a phenomenal blessing to us, especially since our entire team is Andrew and me (Yolanda).
Please will you pray for us as we are already planning engagements for the Fall and Winter. Please pray that God will open new doors and opportunities for us to share JM2Z. If you would like us to come share in your small group please contact us. If you are connected to a church in some influential way please be a voice on our behalf. The needs are many and it's essential that we increase our monthly support. Will you pray for God's provision? Will you pray for God's comfort for the many "no's" that we encounter in our line of work? Will you pray for protection for our immune systems as we travel?
Until then, we are preparing for what is happening right now and in a few weeks time right here in Zimbabwe. We are determined to be present while working with the women, to continue to guide and advise as best we can when it comes to their different businesses. We also have been praying much for our next VBS (HBF) in April. Our theme this time will be, "How to become a Christian." Our finances are limited so we are working hard to make this VBS as cost effective as possible. We thank you in advance for your prayers.
When you get an opportunity will you write us a few words of encouragement? We love receiving mail but even just a note on here or an email would be greatly appreciated. We especially want to hear about what's happening in YOUR lives, with your families.
If they deny it, then obviously that means I can't live in Zim anymore, so while we are always optimistic, we still feel a bit of stress until that permit is firmly attached inside my passport. We are able to begin the renewal process 3 months before it expires, so we began a few weeks ago.
We wanted to make sure that the process is still the same as it was two years ago, so we did our homework and contacted an immigration official who recently retired. According to him, everything was the same. They have a website, but there's no information posted and they have a phone number, but nobody answers. We knew their location in Harare had changed, so when we had our paperwork together, we made the trip to Harare and went to submit it. The woman said it looked good, but asked if we could submit copies of three other documents, as well as fill out an application. These were items we have already submitted to them, so we asked why they needed it again. She said that all their files were still at their old location, so they would need duplicates of these. This of course meant another trip, since we live nearly 2 hours away.
So we made a second trip later in the week and handed in the papers. We paid our $300 and were told to wait so that we could have our interview. They have only been at this location for 4 months, so they are still getting organized and have yet to bring any chairs in the waiting area. Eventually, she came back and led us down a hall, up a dark flight of stairs, and down another hallway where there were 6 doors. She knocked on one, no one was there. She knocked on the second one, again no one was there. Finally someone was inside the last office and this was the correct one. However, we were told that the people who would conduct the interview were out, which meant we would have to come back a third time, but they would call us to let us know when.
We needed to go to Harare the following week, so even though we hadn't received a phone call (and we didn't have a number we could call for them) we went back to immigration. We went straight to the office where we had been the last time and thankfully our file was still on the desk. Since we had driven from Chinhoyi, the lady said she would quickly find the people to do the interview. She left, but once again the only thing in the big office was a desk with one chair behind it. At the old location, we had become accustomed to seeing piles and piles of files. The interviewers came in and Yolanda and I were interviewed separately. Since my permit is based on our marriage (just like Yolanda's residence permit for the US is based on our marriage), they asked questions that spouses should know of one another and then make sure that our answers agree.
Everything was fine and they told us that someone else would be deciding on approval of the permit after reviewing all the information. We should receive a phone call in a week or so, which should have been this week. We are waiting to make a trip to South Africa to get supplies for next month's VBS. However, we can't go until this permit is approved or they won't let me back in the country. We are praying that it is approved and comes back soon!
Stateside Visit and Preparations
We are in the process of preparing for our visit stateside in this Fall/Winter. We are planning our schedule and looking at a US map to see all the different places where we will be traveling. As we get closer to the time, we will need YOUR assistance. We'll need access to a vehicle in the different locations that we'll be visiting and traveling to (these may mean access to multiple vehicles depending on the location). Visiting stateside means increased expenses for travel, food, accommodation, conferences, etc. Knowing that, we will still have on-going expenses in Zimbabwe while we are gone. Once again our friend Janeece, who is a missionary relief worker, will come and stay in our home while we are away. She will keep up with the day to day running of ministry here on the ground, paying bills and even doing Bible studies, etc. Having access to a Missionary Relief Worker is a phenomenal blessing to us, especially since our entire team is Andrew and me (Yolanda).
Please will you pray for us as we are already planning engagements for the Fall and Winter. Please pray that God will open new doors and opportunities for us to share JM2Z. If you would like us to come share in your small group please contact us. If you are connected to a church in some influential way please be a voice on our behalf. The needs are many and it's essential that we increase our monthly support. Will you pray for God's provision? Will you pray for God's comfort for the many "no's" that we encounter in our line of work? Will you pray for protection for our immune systems as we travel?
Until then, we are preparing for what is happening right now and in a few weeks time right here in Zimbabwe. We are determined to be present while working with the women, to continue to guide and advise as best we can when it comes to their different businesses. We also have been praying much for our next VBS (HBF) in April. Our theme this time will be, "How to become a Christian." Our finances are limited so we are working hard to make this VBS as cost effective as possible. We thank you in advance for your prayers.
When you get an opportunity will you write us a few words of encouragement? We love receiving mail but even just a note on here or an email would be greatly appreciated. We especially want to hear about what's happening in YOUR lives, with your families.
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