We are thankful for an upcoming break with Christmas this week and going to visit Yolanda's father for a few days. However, even though the past couple weeks have been tiring, they have been fruitful, exciting, and fun.

The sewing seminar was in mid-swing when we last wrote. Coming in, the ladies had zero sewing skills and they learned quite a bit in just a few days. They learned several different stitches and even though they weren't experienced enough to tackle the door snake, Yolanda guided them through the sewing of small purses with a button. They were very happy to walk away with something tangable. The ladies begged and begged Yolanda to have another sewing seminar. Yolanda said she was willing, but would need at least 10 of them to sign up. All 28 signed up, so needless to say, there will be another one in January.

This was meant to help meet a practical need, by teaching women a skill that they can not only use at home to mend clothes, but that they might also be able to use it at some point to help earn an income. It also turned out to meet emotional and spiritual needs as well. First of all, Yolanda opened the afternoon in prayer. Later on she heard two of the women speaking in Shona. One said that she didn't know that white people prayed, because she thought they didn't need it. She said that it makes her think that she needs to pray more. The other woman asked if she goes to church and she said no. So she offered to meet her by her home and walk to church with her sometime, and then they swapped numbers. Second, two other ladies were talking and one said how thankful she was for this opportunity to learn, but she wished that she had a job, even if that meant she would be unable to attend this week. The other lady said that her husband was out of work and they commiserated together. The second one asked if she could pray for them and so she did.

At the end, everybody thanked Yolanda for her time. One woman was especially grateful. She was so thankful to learn new skills and couldn't believe that a white person would take time three days in a row, all afternoon to teach them and even give extra help "to someone like her," as she was struggling to learn the stitches. She also couldn't believe that Yolanda would be willing to do it again next month, thanking her again and again. Below are the ladies with their newly made purses.

Last Saturday's lunch put on by our Shona teacher was a success again this year. Several women began cooking the meal at 5:00am. By mid-morning they were finished and took all the food to the location. 150 people arrived for the event, including a group of children from an orphange (who are on their own to cook during the weekends, as the staff doesn't work then). First, there was a church service, which included nearly an hour of singing, followed by an hour plus sermon, delivered by her pastor. Then there was more singing. Finally, there was lunch, which we helped serve. This would be the only meal of the day for those who attended, since they don't have the means. She wanted to make sure to meet a physical need for a day, but also wanted to make sure they heard from God's Word first. The meal included sadza (the staple diet), rice, potatoes, beef stew and cole slaw. She provided almost all of the food, but others provided what they could. Yolanda and I were thankful to be a small part of it this year in person, as JM2Z was the catalyst for it, although it was our Shona teacher's own idea and decision to initiate.

What a wonderful week we had! This past week was filled with much activity and little sleep, but it was so worth it. We weren't sure how many children there would be. On the first day, there were about 50, but we averaged 75 for the week, with over 80 on one day. People talk, and so after people heard how the first day went, new ones came on the subsequent days. The facilities were a blessing and worked out really well, having all of the space we needed. We started the afternoon with worship time and singing. This was the first time we used our projector and were thankful for it. Then, everyone had a snack and drink. It was at this time they recited their memory verses from the previous day. After this, they broke up into their 4 age groups and had their Bible lesson, craft, and games. Some had heard of the Bible characters (Noah, Moses, Abraham, Samson, and David), but many hadn't. They were very attentive in hearing the stories and learning of their faithfulness to God.

The first day, I was thrown off when only 1 out of 20, 6-7 year olds knew English and I had to get Elizabeth to translate for me (I was going to have another adult translate, but she said she couldn't understand me, even though she speaks perfect English). Yolanda worked very hard creating lessons and crafts, usually until 2, 3, or 4AM. I went out to make copies each morning and round up snacks or odds and ends that we needed. We did plan ahead, getting some things in South Africa and planning weeks ago, but with the sewing seminar and it being our first time, some things took longer to set up than we thought. The blueprint for the week was great and can be done in a fresh way, with a new theme next year. JM2Z's Toyota Hilux came in very handy transporting the children, as they all lived several miles away in the high density area. Until this week, we didn't know we could fit so many in the back :-) Everyone piled in and were very excited to do so. The children were enthusistic, cooperative, engaged, and couldn't wait to come back each day.

On the last day, we invited parents/guardians to join us for a ceremony. The children performed their 2 favorite songs for everyone. Then, they all received a certificate for coming for the week (which was a big deal to them) and each received a back to school pack (which had been donated a couple years ago by a high school student). They included school supplies they would need for the upcoming school year, starting in January; pencils, pens, eraser, pencil sharpener, ruler, pencil case, crayons for the younger ones and a mathematical set for the older ones, as well as some paper, plastic and tape that they use, in order to cover their books. All in all, it was a productive week. We are certainly grateful for our 4 volunteers and the ability to use the facilities. Below is a video to give you a better idea of how it went.

We pray that each of you has a blessed Christmas with family and friends. We are so thankful for all that has happened this year in the life of JM2Z and for the partnership you have had in it. Without you, reaching these women and children for Christ's Kingdom would not be possible. Thank you for your interest in helping to spread God's love in the area of Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe and change hearts for eternity.

Ok, the title may be misleading. We aren't experiencing any of these things here, but keep reading to find out what we are doing :-) December is a busy month for JM2Z. Yolanda is teaching a sewing seminar for 28 ladies this week. It is today, tomorrow, and Thursday. In typical Zimbabwean fashion, we received a text message last night at 1:00AM saying that the location where the seminar was supposed to be is double booked for this week, so we will need to find a new location. Obviously that was a stressful message, but thankfully we found a new location this morning and someone was able to drive all of the ladies from the original location to the new one, as it was several miles apart. Then we found out they wanted to charge us a fee per child for the week, and this is for a location with no electricity, no running water, no ceilings, and in some places no roof. We found out it came to their attention that we are white and with that knowledge, the assumption that we have lots of money. Needless to say, we will now also be having the VBS for the children at this new location next week. Praise God for providing this for us! She is teaching basic sewing to beginners. This will enable them to mend clothing, when it is especially expensive to purchase new clothes. Yolanda is teaching them various stitches and patterns. By the end of the week, the goal is that they will each have made a door snake, stuffed with sand. In the U.S., we put it inside the front door to keep the cold air out in the winter. These ladies will be able to use it to keep the snakes, mice, and other critters from coming in under the door. Yolanda just returned from the sewing seminar and said that everything went very well today. The women were excited to be there and eager to learn. However, their sewing skills are quite lacking, so it is good that they are attending, but at this point, making a door snake may be beyond their skill level for this week. Therefore, the ladies have requested a second seminar in January to apply their newly learned sewing skills to make a door snake. In the meantime, they are stumbling through threading the needle, thread knots, and the first four basic sewing stitches. Nevertheless, their determination and enthusiasm for a new skill is quite apparent and multiple ladies vocalized as such.

Next week (Mon-Fri) is our VBS. We have about 60 children signed up (which is as many as we thought we could handle with limited resources and volunteers), but you never know how many will actually show up; maybe 20 extra or quite a few less. So we are planning for either way. The event is free for all children who attend and we have been targeting underprivileged children, because there are a few other events like this, but all are expensive and these children would not be able to afford them. This may be the first time that they would have experienced something like this. We are very excited as this will be the first time that JM2Z hosts a VBS. We are looking forward to sharing God's Word with them as we look at Old Testament heroes, as well as some fun and constructive activities, crafts, and snacks while they are on school holidays.

Last weekend, we were in Harare and received a message from Elizabeth that our second security light pole had fallen over (again due to termites and the wood not being treated properly). We ordered new poles weeks ago and they hadn't come yet. However, they did arrive this week (properly treated) and we will also be adding termite poison in the ground this time with the cement. That Sunday, Elizabeth had done her laundry and left three blankets on the clothesline overnight. When she got up in the morning, she realized that someone had climbed over the wall and stolen them. It was very disappointing for them. Yolanda took Elizabeth to the police station to fill out a report (because if we call them, they will not come to the house; they will either have no vehicle or no fuel). Yolanda let Elizabeth explain what happened to the policeman, since it was her things that were stolen. However, he was giving her the runaround for awhile and since Yolanda understood his Shona, she jumped in. She let him know that she knew that the things he was writing down were not the things Elizabeth was telling him. So he corrected it as it should have been, but not without Yolanda getting several headaches. After 2.5 hours of questions and waiting, Yolanda asked the policeman what will a police report do to help catch the thief. He replied, "Nothing." But he said he had to send another policeman home with Yolanda and Elizabeth so he could see the scene. For a few minutes, three guys argued about who would go, because none of them wanted to. Eventually one agreed, got in the car, and spent about 7 minutes looking around in the yard. Then of course, we had to drive him back.

This brings us to the heightening of the wall, which was one of our objectives for this year. It adds that extra bit of security and will make it more difficult for someone to come over the wall. We were finally able to purchase enough cinderblocks to get started. We are adding two rows to the top around the whole yard, which will take the height of the wall from about 6.5 feet to 8 feet. At a later point, we will add razor wire on top, but it is too expensive to do that all at once. A big truck delivered sand, which is used to mix with the cement. When the truck was turning into our driveway, he ran into the wall next to the gate, knocking a section over. The truck did not look very roadworthy and it didn't even have any brakes; he was using the handbrake to slow down. Of course the driver blamed the guy directing him and the guy directing him blamed the driver. Eventually after a long discussion (Which Yolanda had to translate for me, since they were speaking in Shona so I couldn't understand. As usual they were surprised when a white woman understood what they were saying :-) they agreed to pay for a bag of cement, new blocks and labor for repair. Earlier this year when we were in the U.S. and Janeece was here, the same thing happened in the same place when they were building the domestic quarters even though it was a different truck and a different driver, yet perfectly capable of being able to fit in the gate. That section of the wall has certainly taken a beating. As we wrote previously, the house's owner is paying for half and JM2Z is paying for half. In a country where jobs are hard to come by, we are glad that we can provide work for these men who are trying to support their families. One of them has a wife who is pregnant and due any day now. This will be their third child and he is very stressed about how they will be able to afford living expenses when food, rent, and school fees are so expensive. JM2Z's focus is on women and children, but we are thankful that God has used JM2Z during this period to provide some work for these men. When the work is all done we plan to throw a big lunch for all the workers and bless them with new work suits. These guys work hard, and by being good providers for their families they are part of making Zimbabwe a better place. We want to bless their efforts, and by doing so, make a stronger community.

Please also pray for this Saturday. You may remember that last year just before Christmas, after hearing Yolanda speak at a women's gathering, our Shona tutor was motivated to provide a full meal for whoever would come. About 150 people attended (including people from a retirement community and an orphanage) and was really what JM2Z is aiming for in helping women become self-sustainable for their families, but also the community. She took it upon herself to put up the cost and help support people who needed it for a day. She also got other people excited about it, and even though they may not have been able to contribute financially, they were willing to give their time to help make it a success. This Saturday, she is doing it again. Yolanda and I are helping out because she needs extra hands, but this is her event, not JM2Z's. We are excited to see it in person this year. We want to make sure that this event stays community run and that we are merely available for advice, extra hands, or small donations, similar to what others could give. It would be great if this could be an annual event and that it will exist whether JM2Z does or doesn't. Being able to see this small microcosm of JM2Z's mission is very exciting.