We had a great time last Saturday morning for the 5K. We could not have asked for nicer weather! The park where it was held was perfect, with the 5K course being on trails and grass. Everyone enjoyed the scenery that the park provided. JM2Z was blessed by the park district which waived the park rental fee, and the t-shirt company we worked with generously provided us with free t-shirts. We also had three companies sponsor the event, which covered much more than our expenses.

We were thankful to have several volunteers who helped get things set up, as well as direct the participants at various sections on the course, so that no one went the wrong way. When the run/walk got underway, the participants formed good camaraderie with one another, having fun as they completed the course. After it was over, there were food and drinks for everybody. We also had a couple prizes to hand out. The one who raised the most money was awarded tickets to a Chicago White Sox game, which had been donated. Then there were two gift cards to a local running store that were given out randomly.

We also had people participate virtually, from other locations. One example was a couple who has a three year old. They walked the 5 kilometers at the three year old's pace :-) So even though it took nearly two hours, the parents patiently walked along side their son, and had fun doing it. Thank you to all who participated from near and far, those who gave of their resources, spread the word about JM2Z, gave of their time, and ultimately are helping serve women and children in Zimbabwe!

Wow, we have been very busy the last couple months. Lots has been going on here in the U.S., but we are so thankful for Janeece, who has been taking care of everything for us in Chinhoyi. She is in contact with us multiple times each week, sometimes daily, giving us updates and asking for decisions that need to be made. In thinking about the break in attempt that occurred while we were there, she was able to purchase a young lion cub that we can have stay in the yard, and as it grows it will obviously be more of a deterrent for future burglars than any kind of a guard dog. Ok, the part about the lion is a late April fools, but I was just seeing how carefully you are reading this :-)

Back to reality: Janeece really has been in close contact with us, and is extremely organized and has been a huge blessing for us. In addition to taking care of the regular ongoing bills and being a presence at the house, she has overseen multiple construction projects, kept up with maintenance, started a vegetable garden (which will be for us for food, but also herbs for the natural medicine aspect of JM2Z), made multiple trips around crazy parts of Harare, and of course, things have come up that aren't planned. For example, the alarm system in the house, which we updated back in October, has just begun working correctly within the last couple weeks.  The backup battery wasn't working properly, the alarm was going off at random times, and the timing wasn't set correctly for when she was entering or leaving the house. Even though workers had been out several times, they weren't getting the job done. However, just recently, adjustments were made and the system seems to be working correctly, although there have been issues with the security company either calling or not calling when they are supposed to. Thankfully, Janeece has not had any safety issues and she feels very comfortable there. Another example of an unexpected issue happened the other week when a truck was dropping off a load of bricks. It started backing up, and backed into the closed front gate and outer stone wall. The driver blamed the poor brakes and no rear view mirrors for the accident. Needless to say, a section of the wall needing rebuilding and the gate (which completely fell over) needed hanging and welding. It was difficult getting them to cover the cost of repairs, and it took them quite some time to finish the job (like leaving the gate to hang by metal wire for a couple days), but we are glad to know that it's done now. We are very thankful Janeece is serving JM2Z in this way and is so capable of handling each issue she faces.

Last month, Yolanda and I drove down to update our supporting church in Louisiana. We decided to delay the trip by a day due to a forecast of freezing rain. However, our 9 hour drive to Memphis (where we would stay the night with friends) turned into a 12 hour drive because of snow, sleet, and ice covering the highway. I guess waiting the extra day didn't help :-( When we left the following day for Shreveport, all of the roads in town were still covered in snow and slush. Memphis does not have any plows or snow removal equipment. So we had to take it slow early, and because we had 3 times where we where completely stopped on the highway for 20 minutes each for accidents, our 6 hour drive was longer than anticipated. In any case, we arrived safely at our destination in Shreveport, and were thankful to see our friends we were staying with. We were thankful to be able to visit with the church's mission board and everyone else who was at church on Sunday. It was fun catching up with friends, supporters, and prayer warriors who we hadn't seen in a year and a half. The last time we were there, we requested individuals to consider giving toward the well which we completed last July. We told them the cost of it would be $6,500. They were generous and gave us a good start toward it. Later in the year, they had a hail storm, and there was damage to the church building. The construction company that did repairs for them wanted to tithe from the money they made and give it back to the church. The church decided to give the entire sum to JM2Z, which totaled $6,800. When the well was completed, the final bill we received was $6,800 exactly! How amazing is that? Through the generosity of the construction company, the church, and the Lord's provision, the total cost of the well was covered. We are now able to have clean water. Of course, while we were there, we updated the church on all that we did during those 6 months, but that was a special thing to share with them for sure.

Our 5K Run/Walk is coming up on April 18 just outside of Chicago. If you are interested, you can participate whether or not you live nearby. It will be a fun way to help women and children in Zimbabwe. Go to www.jm2z.org/5k.html for details and to register. If you would like to participate, but are not in the area, when you go to the 5K page, click the link called "Virtual 5K." There is information there explaining how you and family and friends can participate from your location!

One of the reasons we came back to the U.S. was to renew Yolanda's expiring green card. We filed the forms as soon as we were allowed to. A week later, we received a reply that the green card was automatically renewed for one year, and now we are waiting for the 10 year green card to arrive. Yolanda has already done her fingerprinting and biometrics, and all we can do now is wait for it in the mail. We have also filed her paperwork for a UK visa for when we stop over at Yolanda's mother's house for a few days on the way to Zimbabwe. She went through with her fingerprinting for that, and her passport and visa should be back in a few weeks.

Our plan for leaving for Zimbabwe is the first or second week of May. To maintain my spousal residence permit in Zim, I need to be back by the end of May. Our preference is to be gone for 2 years, but because of all the red tape, it might be 11 months. Yolanda's green card only allows her to be out of the U.S. for one year, unless she files a request form saying that she's a missionary; and that would allow her to be gone for 2 years. However, we can't file that until we have her new green card. So, if her green card doesn't come back in time, then we will return to the U.S. in 11 months for just a brief time. Either way, we are confident that God's timing is perfect and know that our plans are in His hands. We are excited with what we hope to accomplish during the next 11 months (or 2 years) in Zim. We will let you know about our goals for that trip.

Yolanda's final master's class is going well. She has been working on writing many papers throughout the semester, some short ones, but several others of 15-20 pages each. She has spent lots of time at the library, checking out 10-15 books at a time. Even though she is feeling a little stressed now with only a few weeks left in the semester, she is thankful for the opportunity she has had to earn a Master's of Divinity, and really how much it has equipped her to help provide emotional support to women, through her specialization in Pastoral Care and Counseling. Being able to have education is certainly a blessing, especially since the counseling aspect is such a big part of JM2Z.

We hope you have a blessed Easter weekend with your family and friends, as we remember Jesus' sacrifice and celebrate His resurrection and all that means for us!