Blog Archives

August Vacation Bible School

8/24/2017

Last week, VBS went extremely well! We had more children than we have ever had and they were so excited and learned lots about the fruit of the Spirit. We had 157 kids register and turned away another 60-70 (we even had to turn away some parents who showed up on Monday morning, wanting to drop off their children). With limited resources and volunteers we didn't want anyone to come and not be able to fully participate. The first couple days, we had about 120 kids and had 150-155 the last couple days. In total we ministered to 165 different kids. Yolanda and I (and the volunteers) were exhausted at the end of the week, but it was very worth it to work with these kids and plant some seeds in their hearts.

Some of the kids asked why VBS was only 1 week, when the school holiday lasts a month. Whenever we go to the high density area, there are usually some kids who greet us, "Hi Mr. Andrew. Hi Miss Yolanda." When they see our truck drive by, they run out of their houses, waving. This just shows how much they appreciate the week of singing, learning, making crafts, playing games, and eating snacks. Almost all of them correctly recited their memory verses each day (even a couple of the volunteers, from our Wednesday group, took parents' letters each day so they could memorize the verses). We heard of a boy from the April VBS, who went back to school in May and recited all 5 memory verses to his class. Now his teacher calls him "a little preacher."

We never know exactly how these seeds that are being planted will affect these children. We had an issue on the first day with a few of the 12-13 year old girls being very disrespectful, in words and actions, to our volunteers who were leading the crafts. It would have been easy to tell them not to come back the rest of the week. However, they are ones who came from the orphanage (out of 25 who did) and they were maybe ones who needed to be there the most. They have likely been abused throughout their lives in several ways and they are now realizing that once they turn 18, they will be thrown out of the orphanage, left to live on their own. The orphanage chose to hold one of the girls from coming the following day, but when she came on Wednesday, she showed up with a note of apology. We didn't have any more issues the rest of the week.

Below are some pictures from the week, followed by a short video. Hopefully you'll see the joy in the kids' and volunteers' faces as they participated in this opportunity that they would not be able to take part in if it wasn't for all of JM2Z's supporters! We are so thankful for the opportunity to teach them God's Word and provide a safe environment during their school holidays.

Our Wednesday group ladies who volunteered are showing our actions for peace, gentleness, and love (from left to right)

This family sells snacks across from the church, so we gave the kids some fun glasses

On the Tuesday evening, even though Yolanda was so tired herself, she volunteered to hold baby Western for an hour and a half, so that Elizabeth, who was exhausted to the point of tears, could get a break (this goes completely against the cultural grain, as someone would not volunteer to take care of a maid's baby, let alone wouldn't let the child live on the property)

Gluing fruit of the Spirit to a tree

Relay race with a pool noodle and frisbee

We picked up Yolanda's mom at the airport on Sunday, which was much more crowded than usual (it's never crowded). There were people everywhere and all the spaces were full in the parking lot. This was because all flights to and from South Africa were canceled (except for Yolanda's mom's) Saturday and Sunday, due to Zim's head lady (I'm being vague) causing an incident while she was in South Africa recently. The two countries grounded each other's flights. You can do a google search if you want more info on what that was about.

Two ladies (on the right) who work at the orphanage helped with snacks

The kids wore their best clothes for the ceremony on the last day

Putting together a memory verse puzzle

These little ones took pride in collecting all the cups after snack time

Singing about the fruit of the Spirit

This little guy was very animated throughout the week

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Winter Happenings

8/2/2017

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Children

It has taken longer than usual to write this blog. The Wednesday group is at our house today (obviously, since it's Wednesday) and since they are here all day, they don't bring any of their school-aged kids. Three year old Tinotenda and one year old Tayana are the only kids who come. Sometimes Tinotenda will keep himself busy outside, just playing and being a boy. I also give him coloring pages to do. Other times, he gets bored and this is the scene at my desk (to the right). Well, what can I say to that face? So then I take a break from my work and I play with him, playing a game of soccer or, like below, we improvise a game of badminton with a balloon and fly swatters.

Meanwhile, Tayana has the playpen that we bought in which to play. However, a lack of toys has made us get creative. Rice in a plastic egg and bottle tops in a plastic bottle make for fun sounds. I also made a "busy board" for her to play with, including a zipper, rings, wheels, a spinning piece, and a tube in which she can roll a golf ball down into a cup.

Tuesday Group

You can see a ball of t-shirting fabric in the woman's hand and the bag she is making on her lap

Since the Tuesday group ladies just finished making winter hats to give to children, it's time for them to be able to make something for themselves. Yolanda has taught them how to finger crochet with t-shirting material. It is quite inexpensive to purchase t-shirts from people who are selling big bales of clothes, which is good because our supply of yarn has run out and it will still be a few months before we go back to South Africa again to stock up on things. They cut t-shirts into strips and that is what they crochet. They also do not need to use their crochet hooks, which is why it's called "finger crocheting." This is positive, because even though each of the ladies has a crochet hook, they are able to pass this skill to somebody else by teaching them and that person, who probably doesn't have a hook, doesn't need any tools. They can just use their fingers.

They are working on hand crocheting grocery bags. The grocery stores in Zim charge a fee for plastic bags, so this will allow them to get their food without paying anything extra.

Bible Studies

Both groups are learning quite a bit from their new Bibles! In the back of their Bibles, there is a list of all the books of the Bible in order and a brief summary of each. They are memorizing the order of the books and what each one is about. They are taking them in sections: history, prophecy, wisdom literature, gospels, etc. Yolanda also gives them time to ask questions about the Bible, anything they have been thinking about. It could be anything they've heard at church, talked about with a friend, or anything that comes to mind. They have had really good discussions and it's obvious that they are really thinking about what they are hearing and reading. We make it clear that if someone (pastor, teacher, us) tells them something, they must not take their word for it, but they must check it out in the Bible and see what is true. This is countercultural, as it is not considered appropriate to ask questions of an authority figure (pastor, teacher, doctor). We will get into more content study with them later on, but first want to make sure they have the basics of navigating through their Bibles.

The woman (below) in white, on the couch, had heard Yolanda's devotional on Tuesday. Yolanda asked if she would want to be the one to teach it to the Wednesday group. She agreed and did a great job. It is always a good thing when they agree or initiate leadership/ownership within the group.

The Wednesday group, making flash cards for memorization for themselves and for the Tuesday group

Elizabeth

Elizabeth should be delivering any day. She has all the signs of getting to the end of her pregnancy. We started her maternity leave 3 weeks ago and will continue for 3 months. She has understandably been dragging and in lots of discomfort recently. When she has gone to the doctor in the last 9 months, we tell her to ask certain questions, but she never does (hence the end of the previous paragraph). Obviously Elizabeth not working has meant much more work on our part. I know this doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you arrive home after a women's group at 5:00 and then must spend 2 hours on dinner from scratch, followed by prepping food until midnight for the women's lunch the next day, it's hard to get rest and recoup for the next day.

Even though she has been to the doctor multiple times throughout her pregnancy, Elizabeth still didn't know exactly what is going to happen when she gives birth. We thought the doctor would have explained all of that, but Yolanda asked her about that and the doctor didn't explain anything. We had the Shona counselor (who has worked with Western and Elizabeth before) come to explain the whole birthing process. Needless to say, the counselor said it was a good idea that she came, because Elizabeth's eyes were bigger than saucers as she found out what is going to happen to her body and the baby's. Yolanda had previously explained a few of these things, such as her water breaking or contractions, but this was all new information to her. We are thankful for the ability to do what we can to help her through this process.

Wednesday Group

The chicken project is coming along, but we are trying to make a plan for the rest of the money that is needed to complete the startup. We recently loaned some money to the ladies in order for them to buy corn from the rural area and sell it to a company, so that they could provide money for the women who are needing to finish their chicken coops. The rainy season was so good this year, that there is an abundance of produce. One of the women had shown us a letter from the company, stating that it would buy as much corn from her as she could provide. This is the reason we decided to loan the money. They had a plan of what they were going to do, how they would transport the corn, and all the details. Even though the company said it would buy from the one lady, there must have been an offer to many people. We pass by the company every time we go to Harare and there are many, many trucks, waiting to drop off corn. We hear that they are waiting in line for 2-3 weeks. Thankfully, the lady in our group knows someone within the company and she was able to sell the full 5 tons of corn that they purchased from the farmesr, so they were able to get the money deposited in her account. She sent us the profit via Ecocash (mobile money on our phone). She is withdrawing cash to return the amount we had loaned them. These days, it is a long and slow process to withdraw cash from a bank (at most banks, the max you can withdraw in one day is $20 and it comes in coins). Right away, we sent Ecocash to each of the women so they could pay their builders for labor for their work.

You may have noticed how well-built the chicken coops are (from our last blog), especially compared to some of the women's homes. The high density area, where they live, has so much foot traffic, that if the coops were only cages or made with chicken wire, that the chickens would easily be stolen. It's important for us to set the ladies up for success, and be proactive in making sure the buildings are safe and secure, while also planning for the heat of summer with good airflow.

We are still in need of funds to finish the startup for their chicken businesses, so let us know if you are interested in being a part of the project. We are earnestly praying about the necessary provisions to help all nine women start their businesses. The ladies are getting anxious as another school term comes to an end and school fees are due with no means to cover those costs. Please help us help them!

Tayana loves Yolanda, but still isn't sure about me yet

At the 4th of July event at the American ambassador's house last month