We have 3 grocery stores in town. I (Andrew) usually prefer the one right on the edge of town because there are less people, which means shorter lines. I can get in and get out. Yolanda prefers the one in the center of town because there is a wider selection of products, but sometimes you wait in line to check out longer than you were collecting the items in the cart. A couple weeks ago, Yolanda was going to the store and I suggested she go to my preferred store because I had recently been there and was able to use my credit card (we now decide where to shop, based on which stores take card and which ones only take cash). I even told her not to bother to take cash because you won't need it. She went to the store, asked the manager if the card machine was working. He said it was, so she walked up and down the aisles, putting items in the cart, waited in line, got to the front, gave the person her card, and the machine didn't work. Since I had told her that she didn't need cash, she didn't have any way to pay. The prospects of having to leave to go to another store and fill another cart with the same items she had just spent lots of time doing at the first store made her a tad less than happy. But, she got in the car and drove to the grocery store in the middle of town. That was God's plan.

Yolanda parked the car, got out, and was greeted by a young boy, who looked to be 8-10 years old. He asked if she would be willing to buy him a couple notebooks for school. She said that she would and asked him to wait there until she came back. So Yolanda started doing her shopping, turned around, and the boy was standing there silently, but as if to say, "Don't forget about me." She added his notebooks to her cart and she kept going. When she was finished she got in line and the boy showed up next to her again, but this time holding up a ruler, pencils, and erasers, asking if she could buy these as well. She said that instead of these, she had some supplies at her house that she could give him (we still have back to school packs left over from last year's VBS that we will hand out at this year's). He had very limited English and Yolanda was struggling to tell him why he needed to put the items back. He looked sad, but obediently returned the few items.

​Once Yolanda was done shopping, she handed the boy his books. At this point she was still contemplating how exactly she would get the other school supplies to him. If she told him to wait he may not believe her and leave, but if she took him with him would that be safe (we have road blocks between town and our home and there could be questions as to why he's in her car). Long story short, Yolanda ended up bringing him to our gate and I met them with a back to school pack and paper and plastic to cover his books. When he saw this his face lit up. I've never before seen a child be so happy to receive school supplies. He told us, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Yolanda said, "Thank Jesus." Yolanda took him back to where she found him and he thanked her again and said, "May God bless you." Yolanda didn't get his name or age, partially because she was struggling to communicate with him and understand him.

The following week, there was a knock at our gate. Western told us there was a small person looking for us (not sure why he didn't just say child :-) The young boy was standing at the gate. This time I (Andrew) went out and greeted him, but clearly could communicate with him even less than Yolanda. I took him a snack and drink and sent him on his way. 

Then just a few days ago, he showed up at our gate again, but this time with 2 more boys. Yolanda joined me as we visited with them for a bit. Of course we gave them some fruit, cookies, and juice as well. This time we found out that his name is Rugare, which means "peace" (A Shona mother gives a baby a name based on what she is feeling during her pregnancy). He also told us that he is 15 years old. At first we thought we misunderstood and Yolanda asked him again in Shona how old he was, and again he said he was 15. It was obvious that he was receiving very little nutrition since we mistook this 15 year old for an 8-10 year old.

We were also able to find out that he lives in the high density area, a few miles farther than where the ladies meet for our sewing/crochet groups and women's gatherings. It would have been quite the walk for these boys since we lived on one end of town and they lived the complete opposite end. Just like the previous two times, Rugare was carrying a badza (hoe) with him, which he uses to work in a garden or field. We also found out that the reason he's always carrying his badza is because after a full day of school he walks around town looking for work and sometimes tills peoples fields or gardens. Often one can see crops and vegetables right beside the paved road, as folks have made gardens for themselves. We found out that the 2 boys accompanying him were his brothers. His two brothers, Jacob (13) and David (12) also had badzas but their's were hand made from some sort of metal. They had been working a job after school and stopped on the way home (even though our house is not on their way home). As they ate their snacks we asked them if they knew that their names were from the Bible, and they said yes. Yolanda asked them if they knew the stories of David and Jacob. Again, they nodded. She asked them to tell her, but immediately David said to Jacob, in Shona, "You know I can't speak good English." To which Jacob responded, "This one understands Shona, go ahead and tell her the story." He shyly smiled, probably not believing his brother that this white woman would understand anything he said. Anyway, he went on to say that, David was a good man and that he was a king. Then his brother said, "And Jacob was also a good man. He was a brother. He did not have lots of hair." Their statements were brief but I complimented them on their knowledge.

​Of course we also gave Jacob and David back to school packs. It was also hard to believe that these brothers were 12 and 13 years old. Rugare told us how him and Jacob were both in grade 7 and David was in grade 6. Obviously Rugare started school late, most likely due to finances, and his younger brothers caught up with him. They all told us thank you for the snacks, but in addition to that, they began to till the soil around flowers that we have by the driveway. They were trying to repay us for what we gave them. Very sweet.

​After they left, Yolanda and I wondered how many children Rugare might bring with him the next time. We are all about creating self-sustainability, not dependability. But how does that work with kids? What happens when you want to teach them how to fish, but they don't have access to any water in which to fish, and you have lots of fish of your own? 

We are back to work after our 3 weeks of peaceful vacation time. We really enjoyed our time off and were blessed to be able to show my family around Zimbabwe. The highlight for me was going to Victoria Falls (my first time and Yolanda's second time). It is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, and for good reason. It spans over a mile wide and is 100 meters high (twice the size of Niagara Falls). It was given the nickname Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders), because the mist rises more than 100 feet above the top of the falls. Because of this, we had ponchos and were soaked by the end, as we walked through the rainforest, opposite the falls! We were excited to see several rainbows, which of course are reminders of God's promises. His creation is so amazing! 

As the cash crisis continues more stores and merchants are starting to accept debit and credit cards. Our phone, Internet, and gas station are among our bills that can now be paid by card. A different option, in which we can transfer money to our cell phone, and then transfer from our phone to a biller, is a way that we can pay almost all of our other bills, such as our security company and city taxes, etc. We are very thankful these options are available, since up until a few months ago, cash was needed for each of them. Even though we have some cash, we are thankful that we are able to conserve it and cover our expenses through other methods.

​The cash problem, combined with the increase of police road blocks (trying to get more cash), city workers, teachers, and soldiers not being paid the last couple months, and a new ban of goods that may be imported into the country have brought emotions to a high. People are fed up with what is happening. Zimbabwe is truly one of the most peaceful African nations. People here are generally placid and just take things as they come. However, now they are uniting and saying that enough is enough. A new movement has risen up, mainly through social media (can you believe that in Zimbabwe?), and is led by a pastor. He has put out a series of videos, calling for change, without violence. You may have heard about it. It was covered on worldwide news in the U.S. and U.K. I saw stories on NBC. Two weeks ago, he called for a "stay away" day, where people were asked to stay home from work, as a protest. For that day streets throughout the country were very quiet, companies and schools were closed. They said that if change didn't take place within a week, the following Wednesday and Thursday would also be "stay away" days. The Tuesday evening before that, the pastor was arrested. The next day, the courtroom was packed with 200 people and the street outside was filled with 2,000 people.  Once work let out for the day, 5,000 people gathered in the street in front of the courthouse. The people outside were wrapped in Zimbabwe flags. They were praying and singing throughout the whole day. Generally when someone is arrested in this type of situation, they are locked up, the key thrown away, and disappear, never to be seen again. When the judge asked who his lawyer was going to be, 100 lawyers stood up and volunteered to work the case for free! Eventually in the evening hours, the judge threw out the case and set the pastor free. This does not happen in Zimbabwe, where the higher ups arrest somebody and he is set free! God was definitely working! Within the last couple weeks, former Zimbabweans who now live in other countries, gathered at Zimbabwean embassies to protest in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia, to name a few.

​Since all of this has taken place so recently, we are not sure what is going to happen next, but one thing is for sure, people want change. Please pray for the nation as a whole. Each individual has so many needs, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Please pray that they would see God's hand at work in a very real way. Pray that if there are more protests, they would remain peaceful and that people would stay safe. If you would like to read more about the situation, you can click the following link to read a recent BBC article and see a short video http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-36776401

Please pray for these ladies as we are continuing on with this group and start new ones, as well. Please pray that JM2Z would be used to show them who Jesus truly is and that they would know Him personally, and also that they would be able to take a step forward economically, having their basic needs met through what they are learning.

​Look for Part 2 to come out next week :-)