​We have been trying to play catchup with the blog ever since the mission team left over a month ago. Our internet has been rather terrible, which delayed us in getting out the 3-part blog concerning the 2-weeks that the team was here. In turn, we are needing to update you on what has been happening since then, since life doesn’t stop and neither does ministry just due to technical difficulties. On the plus side, our internet seems to be a little better. We also upgraded to a faster speed, which happens to be the same price.

​Supporting a Teacher
 
Grace is our Shona teacher’s sister and the daughter of the lady whose home we meet in every Tuesday. Grace is a teacher and has volunteered with HBF each time we have hosted it. Originally, Grace taught at a high school, but she was moved to first grade about a year ago and was once again moved to second grade. She was overwhelmed with the change and felt very under-qualified to make such a drastic shift in teaching. She has kept in contact with me during the school term and has shared some of her struggles in teaching. She works in a very rural environment with no electricity or running water. She has to walk a couple miles to draw water from a well and even then, it’s not very safe for drinking, so she buys drinking water. She has one small room that she lives in, for sleeping, cooking and bathing, but she feels very blessed to have a job in this economy.
 
Grace told us how she wishes she could teach art to her children, since at this young age they learn best in this outward expression, but explained how she only taught Math, English, Shona and Content since the school has no supplies. Her kids never color, draw or cut because they don’t have paper, crayons, scissors and other such supplies.
 
One of the ladies from the team left us with a little money to put toward some school supplies for Grace and this got us thinking – how could we best come alongside Grace and equip her with the necessary resources and supplies so that she can most effectively teach her class of 55 students. Her classroom doesn’t have enough desks or chairs for all the students and books are on VERY short supply. She only has a few hand written charts up on the walls and a simple blackboard.
 
We knew we could probably give each of the kids a back-to-school pack, as we have done for HBF before, but knew that this would not help Grace as a teacher in the long term. Therefore, we chose to give supplies to Grace, the teacher, so that her kids will always (or for the near future) have the necessary supplies in the classroom.
 
Therefore, with the funds from a kind lady (that was given to the mission team) we covered the cost for many printings. We printed charts, signs, the alphabet, numbers, words, teacher charts and binder helps, worksheets for math and English and much more. The charts and wall helps will brighten up her classroom and assist her kids in everyday learning. Grace also came over to our house and together we made phonics books, labels, covered multiple containers to hold things on her desk and printed out a teacher’s binder full of resources for her to use both now and in the future.
 
We knew it wasn’t practical to print out worksheets just for this present class, but that she would need these same resources next year. So we gathered plastic binder sheets and dry erase markers (60+ of each) that will allow the kids to still fill out the worksheets, but also allow Grace to reuse these same sheets for years to come (note: having a printer and making copies are not resources available to Grace in her rural setting). She was so excited for this concept and what it would mean for her future as a teacher. We also printed out worksheets for her own use that she could duplicate on the blackboard, etc.
 
Although the funds were all spent after this, we decided it was not enough. More needed to be done. So Andrew and I raided our donation supplies and personal office supplies to see what else we could part with and bless her with. We were able to gather rulers, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, crayons, and other such supplies for her to keep and hand out to children while in her classroom (we made sure to give her extra supplies for when next year students arrive). We also gave her some teacher supplies like, glue sticks, scissors, teacher stickers, tape, red pens for grading, a binder with tabs, etc. We also had some extra coloring pages available from HBF and previous years, so we handed all of those to her as well. We had a few fun items like glitter, blank paper, craft templates, color by number sheets and fun teaching tools for her to use.
 
Grace excitedly wrapped containers in coordinating colors in which to keep all her supplies and made cute little teaching tools with some supplies we had at the house. She could hardly contain her excitement and kept going on and on about how great her classroom was going to look and how useful everything would be for teaching the kids. Ironically she seemed most excited about the crayons and craft supplies that would allow the kids to be kids and have some fun in the classroom.

​Tuesday Ladies
 
The Tuesday group of ladies have moved on from sewing to crocheting. Their last sewing project was making a case for their new glasses, which each of them received. They also made a case for each of the Wednesday group women as well. Crocheting is a new skill for them, so we have spent the first few weeks going over basics, such as slip knots, chain stitch, single and double crochet, slip stitch and making a magic circle to crochet in the round. Each of the ladies made the first basic granny squares until they could move on to start with a pattern to make beanies (winter hats) for kids. With cooler weather coming and winter fast approaching, the ladies will make beanies for children who are less fortunate. They are very excited for this endeavor and to have the opportunity to be the change within their communities. For every 4 beans they make, they are allowed to make themselves something. They hope to make themselves a crocheted grocery bag (a pattern that was left by the mission team). They have taken such great pride in their work and only making the best to give away, that they have undone and redone their work multiple times to ensure the best quality. 

​Shona Bibles
We have saved the best for last. We are sooo EXCITED to share with you that we finally picked up 25 Bibles a little over a week ago. The Bibles we have are just a reprinting of a 2005 edition and we will wait to make a larger purchase at the end of the year with the most up-to-date revised edition. Nevertheless, this 2005 edition is great – nothing like it has been available in Zimbabwe for almost a decade, so to have it in hand is a phenomenal blessing. The revised edition will be printed on better quality paper, will have more helps available and some maps as well – we eagerly await that one, but for now, this 2005 edition is like gold to us.
 
We purchased 22 Shona Bibles and 3 Ndebele Bibles (the other primary tribal language). Although we work in a Shona region of the country, I have personally been asked for Ndebele Bibles a few times – they are even more rare than Shona Bibles. Rather than purchase them directly from South Africa, we chose to purchase them from a distributor in Harare, which just made it more feasible this time round due to transport, taxes and paperwork. The distributor also sold them to us for $15 a Bible, rather than the regular $22 a Bible for which they usually sell them. We are hoping to purchase the revised Shona Bibles for $5 apiece (which we were quoted). However, we are unsure of taxes and that price can easily increase due to other reasons.
 
We know that several individuals and churches have given towards Bibles, and to YOU we say a very BIG thank you.
 
This past week we handed out the Bibles to each of the ladies groups, along with a handmade bookmark made from a dear friend in the US, with Shona words. This extra special touch was appreciated by the ladies. When we handed out the Bibles, the ladies were ecstatic. Immediately they broke out into song and thanksgiving to God. A few ladies began to tear-up with emotion and one of them said beaming, “This is the happiest day of my life. I now own a Bible.” When I drove the ladies back home I mentioned that it was my birthday and one of them responded, “I will never forget your birthday, because it’s the day that I received my first Bible. Now I OWN a Bible.” I welled up with tears as I heard the ladies speak about God’s Word with such reverence and appreciation.
 
At the end of the day, Andrew asked me what the favorite part of my birthday was (he treated me in the evening to dinner and homemade gifts) and without hesitation I replied, “Handing out gifts to others… more specifically handing out the Bible and making it available to some women for the first time ever.” Just thinking about it now makes me choke up with emotion, remembering very clearly the awe and amazement on the faces of each woman as she opened the cover and paged through the Bible, which she was able to read in her own language with great clarity and ease.
 
Immediately, we had our first “official” Bible Study, learning how to use and read God’s Word. This edition has some useful helps in the back and we will spend several weeks just browsing through these helps and becoming acquainted with how to use them effectively.
 
This past week, I gave my first devotional to the ladies while each one was able to see the Word in her language for herself. We dissected 1 Timothy 3:16-17, expressing the importance of the study of Scripture.

​Please pray for me (Yolanda) as I teach, through God’s Word. Pray for guidance, boldness, patience and humility as I handle God’s Word with care and due diligence. Also pray for open hearts, open ears, open eyes and open minds as we delve into the Truth each week. Pray that God’s Spirit will do the leading and that I may be a willing vessel. This is an exciting time and although it has been a long time coming, it has made it that much sweeter, that much more appreciated and that much more anticipated with excitement. May His Name be glorified!

​Finally!
​
We are glad to finally be sharing with you about last month's VBS! This blog has been almost more than 2 weeks in the making. Our Internet has been atrocious the last few weeks. Technicians have come out to the house several times, each time with a different reason as to why it's not working. I was on the phone with them recently letting them know the Internet was down again, he asked for my phone number, and told me, "Oh, there's a loose connection here." So he plugged it back in. Whatever wires he connected allowed the Internet to start working. I sat down, began some work and it was off again 5 minutes later. One day last week, phone and Internet services were down for everyone in all of Chinhoyi and Harare for the entire day! Needless to say, we wish we could change companies. However, this is the only phone and Internet provider and you can guess who runs it. We have been desperately trying to get this update to you - thanks for bearing with us.

The Daily Schedule
​
Now on to VBS! We averaged about 85 kids each day. Since it was school vacation, we were able to rent a school bus that would pick them up each day in a central location in the high density area (near where they live) and drive them across town to the church where VBS was held. The schedule for the day began with all the kids lined up outside in their age specific groups. Each kid got a name tag (new this year), and each age group would use the restroom, since some kids would be waiting for quite a while at the pickup point before the bus arrived (we found this out the hard way on day one, after a few accidents). Then finally everyone would file into the main sanctuary, singing praise and worship songs (English and Shona). This was followed by a children's cartoon video showing what would be covered in the Bible lesson (the last week of Christ). After this, children would be sent outside to play on the jungle gym or play with the soccer balls and get rid of some of their energy. This allowed enough time for all the ladies who volunteered to cook for us to finish up lunch for the 100+ people. Although we had a schedule, we also knew we were still in Africa which means that when lunch isn't quite ready, we improvise, maybe we start our first lesson or we extend the outdoor time, other times lunch is ready early (this only happened once) and so we eat first and then have outside time - flexibility is key and having the day run like a well-oiled machine looks a little different.

​Needless to say, we were so incredibly grateful to the ladies who volunteered their days to cook over an open fire, that we certainly were not going to complain. Lunch, each day, consisted of a nutritious and balanced meal and a cup of juice; anything from sadza (the staple here - cornmeal base), stew and greens, to the very special rice and chicken stew on the last day (this is often considered the Christmas meal and we wanted the last day - celebrating Jesus' resurrection and ascension - to be special). After lunch, we broke up into age groups for a back-to-back Bible lesson/Activity/Craft and then snack time.

During the Bible lesson the kids would recite their memory verse and learn the new one for that day - they would hear the Bible story, do puzzles, word searches, color in pages and any other fun activities their teachers had in mind. This year, kids also got a sticker if they were able to recite their memory verse correctly. Every kid ended up with multiple stickers on their name tag by the end of the week and they were so incredibly proud to show them off.

​During the craft time, the kids made something tangible to take home that related to the story of that day. The first day, one of the 6 year olds whispered in the teacher's ear and asked if she could take her donkey home (the craft for the Triumphant Entry) to show her family. She promised to bring it back. We laughed and explained to all the kids that their crafts were THEIRS and they got to keep them and take them home and show them off to whoever they want. The excitement and squeals of that first day and realization was so wonderful to see. Of course every adult they showed their craft to would ooh and aah over their works of art and the kid would beam and smile from ear to ear with pride.

​Activity times were always lots of fun, with organized games - everything from pin the tail on the donkey to typical African games (similar to duck, duck, goose) and water balloon fun to finish it all off. Even simple games that are often played at birthday parties in the States were a huge success with the kids, musical chairs being one of their favorites.

​Snack time always meant a drink of some kind, milk, juice, or water and cookies or fruit.

​After snack time, was the final rotation of the activities and crafts. Then parents letters were handed out and all the children's paper items and crafts. Name tags would be returned and everyone would line up to get on the bus where they would sing worship songs all the way to the drop off point.

The parents got to enjoy some drinks and cookies at the end and lots of photos were taken with volunteers, etc. The bus took all the children and adults back to their location, but not before most people asked when the next HBF will be held.

​In the weeks since HBF, we've had mothers send messages of thanks and praise for the great week. We've had pastors send messages, thanking us for the emphasis on Jesus (one church had all their kids recite their memory verse in front of the whole congregation and other churches had kids perform a play of all they learned of the week). We've also seen several children who attended and they keep asking what the dates are for the next one.

The children dressed each day in their "Sunday best" - which meant the best clothes they owned. One little girl wore the exact same dress every single day, because it was her only church dress. One of the little boys (seen above) wore a little suit. We had to be sure to tell parents not to send kids in their "Sunday best" when we planned to have water balloons be a part of the activity time. 

Rugare and David (seen above) showed up unannounced at the church on the first day - word must have spread and they decided they wanted to attend. Rugare was technically too old, but since we figured he would barely keep up with the 12-13 year age group, we allowed him to stay. We hadn't invited them originally, since we knew their English skills were lacking and the week would be hosted in English. Nonetheless, there were several non-English speaking children, and we buddied them up during lesson times and they followed along the rest of the day. Rugare and David wore either the sneakers we bought them from SA each day or their new school shoes we recently purchased them. They also wore a button-up shirt and slacks - the nicest clothes they owned. They generally showed up late, after we started the first rotation each day, because they had to finish up necessary chores first, then walk the 1.5 hours to the church. They always showed up drenched in sweat and exhausted, most probably running to get there as soon as possible. We had them clean up and dry off in the restrooms and drink a cup of water before having them join their age groups.

The last 2 pictures are of the craft on the last day, which was a great success with the youngest age group - Jesus ascending into heaven. Take note of the "best" clothes for the ceremony day. If kids had even something nicer than "Sunday best," this was the day they wore it, knowing full well they would receive a certificate.

Volunteers

We never could have accomplished the week without the amazing volunteers. Of course we had the team from the US, BUT also all the ladies who helped from the Tuesday and Wednesday groups, who selflessly gave of themselves to serve these children each and every day. Considering how difficult it was hosting VBS/HBF the first time around, we were pleasantly surprised by the willingness of the many people who offered their services this time. None were asked personally, but rather a plea was put out to the 2 groups and one-by-one they individually volunteered to help. Each and every volunteer tirelessly helped to teach, cook, clean, fold, cut, prep, set-up, lead, interact and serve the children over a 5-day period and for that we are so incredibly grateful!

​It goes without saying that the mission team was a phenomenal help and support both before and during the week. Their willingness to serve wherever was needed was clearly evident and their love for the children were without question. There was no job too small, too menial, too dirty or too insignificant that they weren't willing to do. They led by example as other volunteers watched on. Their own selflessness was a beautiful example to the many ladies who will continue to serve in HBF for hopefully years to come. The children absolutely loved each member of the team and giggles, laughter and good times were often heard outside as they mingled with the kids and were swarmed with questions, hugs and even mini dance-offs.

​At the end of the ceremony, we were sure to highlight our volunteers and give them each a card of thanks and a little gift of our appreciation.

Making a Difference, one child at a time

There are soooo many stories we could share of individual children and how this week impacted them, but space and time do not allow for that. We would, however, like to share just a few.

​After the ceremony, we heard various stories from parents and guardians about what their children were telling them. One parent told us how excited their child was each day and that after the second day, gave the parent a huge hug and told them how much they loved their new school. The parent, being confused, asked what they were talking about and the child was quick to say, this HBF school was the best school they had ever attended. They also said if this were school they would never need a holiday (vacation) because it was that great. The parent quickly had to explain that, unfortunately, HBF was not their new school but that they would get many more chances to attend HBF during the year.

I, (Yolanda) did a few object lessons during the week. Object lessons are great for kids to understand and visualize a complicated concept, such as atonement. One of the object lessons addressed each child's self-worth. We expressed how God created each person perfectly and with infinite value and because of this value, God sent His only Son to die on a cross due to the price of our sin. We discussed how God speaks to our hearts and whispers, "You are important and you are valuable and I love you." During the object lessons, the younger children often oohed and aahed over the tangible experiment they saw before them.

On the last day, after the ceremony, a gentlemen came up to thank us for the week. He was on the board of the orphanage (where 20 of the kids live) and wanted to express his gratitude for HBF. He explained how he had assumed it would just be something for the kids to do or somewhere for them to go, during the school holidays. He confessed how he never had high expectations for the event, but was pleasantly surprised to learn how much the kids were in fact learning each day and how excited they were to share about their memory verses, Bible lessons and fun activities throughout the day. He also explained what difficult situations many of these kids came from. He spoke about abuse, trauma, hunger and many other things that no child should have to experience and go through. He said that some of the younger children have been trying to break through for over a year, but have received little response and yet after just a few days at HBF these same kids have seemed to blossom. He relayed a particular story of one of the little girls who came up to him during the week and said to him, "Do you know that I am important?" He said yes, and she continued, "Do you know that I am valuable?" He nodded once again, "But do you know that God loves me soooo much?" she says with arms stretched wide open, and again he said yes. She continued, "God says I am perfect and He loves me very, very much and that's why He sent His Son Jesus to the cross." And at that, she jumped off his lap and went to play. He told us how he just stared in amazement, shocked by all this little girl had said, shocked to hear that she finally got it, and that she had said all that she said with such assurance, such faith and such undeniable belief in who she was and whose she was.... maybe for the first time ever. He briefly hinted at the trauma this child had already faced in her short 6 years, but that she beamed when telling him all of this, a look he had never seen on her face before. As he told us this story, tears pricked our eyes and right there was all the information we needed to be reminded that all the hard work, all the late nights, all the money spent, all the stress of getting the week sorted.... it was ALL worth it, if only for this one little girl.

​One of the ladies from the US team told us about a little boy who sobbed during the video cartoon on the fourth day, when Jesus hung on the cross. We intentionally wanted one day where Jesus died and the next day where Jesus resurrected. The little boy cried huge tears, as he engrossed himself in the story, the story he had closely followed all week long and now, this Jesus, He was dead. The volunteer went to him to give him a hug and assured him that tomorrow was coming, and the story was not yet done... he soon would smile and the celebration of the next day would be worth those little tears, as the full knowledge of the resurrection would be known and understood. I am reminded of such child-like faith, of the purity of such intense tears and pain of knowing your Lord is being crucified and then of such pure joy in the knowledge of His resurrection and ascension. It is just another reminder of seeing Easter through fresh eyes... a child's eyes.

 My Right-Hand Guy

​​In the last blog I discussed the many things that the mission team was doing, as well as my (Yolanda) own role. I did not mention what Andrew had been doing. Rarely is my husband an on stage kind-of guy, although, he was up front during HBF, leading worship along with Jase and me.

​Andrew is the one who keeps the wheels rolling. He made countless trips from our home/ministry base to the church where we held VBS/HBF, as well as to town and back, and to the high density and back. He was constantly running off print copies, picking up something that was forgotten, making a run for fresh produce for lunch that day and picking up all the volunteers in the morning before the bus would arrive with all the kids.

​Not to mention he stayed up with me until very late each evening as we finished prepping last minute items. He also got up before me each morning and started packing the car with all the supplies needed for that day.

Andrew had a designated role in activities and games and prepped accordingly for them, as he and Jase led that part of the rotation each day.

He was the one who made sure we had firewood for cooking for the week and morning tea and snacks for the volunteers before kids arrived. Needless to say, Andrew was and continues to be my right-hand-guy. Without him, I have no doubt VBS/HBF would never have been as much of a success as it was.

​Once HBF/VBS finished up, his work began with gathering receipts, categorizing all the expenses, taking note of costs and supplies and of course assists me in putting away the countless number of boxes that seemed to be strewn all over our home once the mission team had left.

​My husband being the one constant, allows me to fulfill my role that is often relational and up front. Although, Andrew HATES to be the center of attention, nor does he like any public appreciation, it's important for me to note his role that is vital and essential in making JM2Z be a success in the many areas in which we serve.

Thanks

​We also wanted to mention two of our churches and share our gratitude. We shared in previous blogs about the generosity of Santa Clara Church, but we would also like to thank Westview Christian Church in Louisiana, for donations they also sent along with the mission team. Thank you so very much for the little boys' shorts and other items. It's also important to mention that Barrington Community Church in New York, generously gave funds last year for this VBS. Their funds went toward some much needed supplies. It goes without saying that we could never accomplish what we do here on the ground, without the phenomenal support of churches and individuals. Thank you for your continued generosity!

We will post a video next week with many more pictures of the children and events from during the week. It is uploading now, but has already taken hours, so it will have to wait a few more days to post :-)

Second Day of Team's Arrival

You've already read about the complications when the mission team arrived in Zimbabwe. We decided since it was already dark that we would grab a bite to eat and then head home. The road between Harare and Chinhoyi is not one to be driven on after dark, so we rarely ever attempt to do so, but this was a unique situation and we were all ready to get home, not least of all the team who had been traveling for 2 days already.

​Day Two was a day to finally unpack all 6 bags of donations. We had purchased some personal items as well, such as vitamins and such that they kindly brought along for us. We were amazed by all the donations, but not at all surprised by the generosity since the Church always steps up when called upon - the beauty of being part of a much greater family that expands worldwide.

​As we 3 ladies unpacked, attempting to do some organizing and packing away, the guys worked on a few other projects. Jase got straight to work sanding, removing hinges and screws and prepping the play pen for little Talia, who  comes every Wednesday with her mom. Jase worked on the project for a couple days to get it all painted and ready. The heat quickly got to him and I think the whole team was surprised how draining the heat and humidity would be. They came from cold temperatures and entered high heat immediately, not to mention jetlag, lack of sleep and swelling ankles and feet. Nevertheless, everyone's willingness to get stuck in was amazing and much appreciated.

​Jase had the play pen ready during the first day of the sewing seminar, but little Talia was completely out of her comfort zone and the tears spilled freely any time her mom left her in it. However, now, almost a month later, she is becoming much more accustomed to it and feels comfortable playing in it for longer periods of time. This really allows her mom to work on sewing, paper beads, designing jewelry or taking notes during the devotional time. African moms are already more than capable of multi-tasking, but sitting still and keeping your 9 month old on your back for several hours is not ideal for either mom or baby. Below is the completed play pen with a few pillows and makeshift toys.

​Antelope Park

​The following day, we left early in the morning to head to Antelope Park for an overnight. It's a 4 hour drive from home and we wanted the team to be able to experience some of wild Africa. Once there, they immediately took part in several tourist experiences, such as riding elephants and walking with lions, etc. Andrew and I took advantage of resting in the tent (also kindly covered by the team). I felt guilty at first for not bringing work along, but after several weeks of planning and not much sleep, it felt great to just take a nap and go to bed early. Little did we know that this one overnight would be much needed to see us through the next 2 weeks of non-stop busyness.

​Sewing Seminar

​Back in December, I (Yolanda) told Andrew that one of our goals this year should be to start an actual sewing class that allows the women to learn sewing on machines. At the time he asked a million questions about where, how, when, etc. - my husband is a contemplative thinker, who sees the potential hiccups and pitfalls and I'm a visionary, who likes to dream big and put plans into action. Needless to say, I started looking into where we could purchase 3-5 sewing machines for affordable prices. Soon into the new year, we noticed several secondhand sewing machines being sold at affordable prices. Over time, we purchased these sewing machines online through FB, since they were being sold in Bulawayo (several hours from us). We had worked it out to drive back from SA via Bulawayo and my cousin kindly picked up all the sewing machines for us. We purchased them using ecocash (mobile money) and soon were on our way to teaching the ladies how to use them.

​We purchased the machines for $35-$100 each, a great price considering some secondhand machines were selling for $180 and new ones in SA were over $250. We have not yet recouped all the funds we spent buying them, so if YOU would like to donate to our sewing fund that would be much appreciated.

​At the time, the mission team was coming to assist with VBS, but we wanted to make full use of them while they were here and use their skills as best we could. Hence, the sewing seminar was created. I was in communication with one of the ladies who would teach the classes. In the meantime, we had all the sewing machines serviced, gathered our fabrics (which we bought last December) and ideas were being shared via e-mail. Nan, who would be teaching the classes, also gathered some necessary supplies like patterns, tracing papers, scissors, thread, tape measures and such. We also made a quick run to town the day before to get a few more scissors and backing and a few more supplies - thank you God that we were able to find everything we needed last minute, in small little Chinhoyi and at a reasonable price.

​Our dining room became the sewing room and our living room became the cutting room. It's fair to say our home was the center of operations and became a hub of business, teaching, learning and creativity. I had hoped to join the ladies in making a project, but final preparations for VBS took first priority, with less than 4 days before we would host so many kids all day, every day for 5 days.

​Below is a slideshow of photos that show the ladies making their projects and Nan teaching them all the basic skills.

​Servant Hearts

Meanwhile, Shelly and Jase were willing to do whatever was needed and required. Shelly cooked up a storm in the kitchen, learning how to make some traditional Zimbabwean foods and Jase cut out so many papers for crafts, memory verses and displays for VBS.

​Elizabeth was overwhelmed with the extra workload, but not for long because every one chipped in where needed, whether it meant washing dishes or even washing floors on hands and knees - it's a very humbling experience having someone else wash your dishes or floors for that matter. Once again I was reminded of the great support of the Church, Christians being the hands and feet of Jesus, doing the jobs that weren't "as fun" but just as necessary.

​Below is an array of serving hands and feet.

​Finished Projects

​The ladies were so excited to be sewing on machines and they could hardly contain themselves. When lunch was ready, Nan actually had to physically unplug the main cord so that everyone would stop sewing and take a break.

​The goal all along, was for each lady to complete a shoulder bag. It's never fun just sewing on scraps and not actually accomplishing something, but boy oh boy did these ladies accomplish something! They were so incredibly proud of their finished projects. We used authentic African fabrics, sourced in a fair market that resulted in brightly colored, beautifully handcrafted, yet perfectly imperfect, shoulder bags.

​I believe most, if not all, of the bags had pockets as well. They were all lined with complimenting colors and each bag was made from scratch. This may not seem like a major, feat but note that except for 2 of the ladies, none had ever used a sewing machine. Yet in just 2 days, each of them completed a bag from scratch.

​Yes, there are some flaws and yes, some ladies struggled more than others, BUT without a doubt each bag was beautiful, more so because of who created it than the actual product itself.

​The ladies from the mission team posted the bags on social media immediately and before they left to go back to the States, each bag had been sold. Ladies in the U.S. stepped up to the plate to scoop up these one-of-a-kind bags that were hand-crafted with so much care and love, where each and every stitch was made with pride.

​Thank you to all the women who bought these bags and we look forward to creating many more to sell. Each bag came with a picture of the lady who made it and her name, so very precious indeed. Below are a smattering of photos, showing the finished product and the pride in the smiles of the women who created them.

Tuesday Group

​I had previously organized with the Tuesday group that we would meet on Wednesday this week. The sewing seminar was hosted on Tuesday and Thursday, but on Wednesday the Wednesday group attended their chicken program, which you read about in the last blog post.

​I hesitated on Wednesday, whether we could afford to take the time to go, since I had made sure the ladies had a project to finish on their own. Nevertheless, I knew this was the only opportunity that the team (excluding Jase, since it was only ladies) would be able to actually meet the Tuesday ladies. Nan prepared a short devotional to share, explaining the spiritual warfare she and Shelly encountered before leaving for this trip. The ladies intently listened and were eager to make new friends. Everyone wanted a selfie and a photo with their new friends from America. We shared, we visited, we built relationships, we made memories and once again we acted out the beauty of fellowship that takes place between sisters in Christ. No matter where you are in the world, if you are a Christian, you have family. I experience this in America and I'm sure the team experienced that here in Zimbabwe.

​In closing, one of the ladies prayed in Shona; but as Nan and Shelly commented, she did not pray, she rather delivered a mini-sermon of sorts which was understood by our hearts as her passion obviously escaped with each word as it was said with increased loudness and zeal.

​VBS Prep

​Photos or words cannot express the work that took place before VBS - the planning, organizing, cutting, folding, packing, sorting, printing, copying, and discussing. In between the sewing seminar, meeting the Tuesday ladies, unpacking donations and even having a day of fun, it was still crazy busyness as we got ready for Friday.... because Friday was coming and those kids were going to show up, ready to hear about Jesus and ready to have fun.

​You'll have to wait for our third installment to find out all about that.