We’ve had a wonderful last week with the one day children’s Christmas event last Wednesday and then our final meeting for the year with the women’s groups this Tuesday, when we had a Christmas celebration and a time of reflection on 2023.

This day was similar to one of our days of a VBS. We hosted 129 children, ages 6-13 (50, ages 6-9 and 79, ages 10-13). Since the women would be running everything, we went over the entire day with them in the couple weeks leading up to the day. They all volunteered in various capacities. Some stepped up to help during the lesson time, when they hadn’t done that in the past, which was good to see their willingness.

I (Andrew) picked up the women early who were cooking and preparing lunch and took them to the church (We have been very blessed to be able to use a church that is between where we live and the high density area for our children’s programs). A traditional Christmas meal in Zimbabwe is chicken and rice, so that’s what we served for lunch.The day before, these women helped prepare vegetables at our home and Mai Innocent prepared all the potatoes and carrots. She and Yolanda made chicken stock from scratch.

They cook over an open fire, so they got that running and got going on lunch. The caretaker of the church filled large containers of water in the days leading up to the event, so there would be water to cook with, wash dishes, wash hands, and use for the toilets. This is city water and not good to drink. We carted several containers of water from our home, which is clean to drink. This time, instead of using cups, which need to be washed between uses and children inevitably share, we decided to give everyone individual water bottles. This would allow each child to have water with them the entire time and when they needed more, they could refill from our containers. We thought this would help from a health and safety perspective, but would also save time not washing cups. One of the women volunteered to write the children’s names on the water bottles, so they wouldn’t lose track of whose was whose. This job proved to take much longer than expected, which made handing out the bottles take longer. But now we know for another time.

We rent a bus from a local high school in order to transport the children from a pickup point in their neighborhood to the church. The bus takes 2 trips to be able to take all the children and women. I typed up a registration list of the children, so that one of the women could make sure each child getting on the bus was registered.

After the bus dropped off the first group at the church, the children had some time to play on the jungle gym and in the yard, while the women who came with them set up the craft room, with the tables, chairs, and materials for the crafts and also the sanctuary with chairs for the singing time and older children’s lesson time.

Once everyone had arrived, we began the morning with everyone together in the sanctuary. One woman gave an introduction and welcome and another one gave announcements and prayer for the day. This was the first time they did this. We had explained to them that if they show excitement and enthusiasm, then the kids will be excited. The women did not disappoint! They did a great job! We could tell they had practiced what they were going to say and delivered it very well.

Then we sang upbeat Christmas songs, using a projector with music, words, and fun motions. After the songs we showed a 10 minute animated video of the Christmas story. However, during the final song, it began to rain. It was a very hard rain, which made hearing the music impossible. This meant they wouldn’t be able to hear a video, so we improvised and took some time to hand out the water bottles. Meanwhile, the cooking ladies tore some black garbage bags to make ponchos. They had a room to work in, but the fireplace was outside, so they did their best to keep the food going.

After the video, they broke up into 2 groups, 6-9 year olds and 10-13 year olds. This was their lesson time, when the women read the Christmas story from the Bible, had a Q&A time for learning, and practiced a memory verse.

The ladies who were involved with the lesson and verse memorization did great jobs! They were enthusiastic. They knew ahead of time what they were going to say. They kept the children’s interests. There were different women leading different aspects of the lesson, some of which had never taught or helped during a lesson time in a VBS before, but they stepped up and did really well!

Lunch was supposed to be right after this, but it wasn’t ready. It was only ready an hour and a half after the scheduled time. This is when it was helpful that Yolanda and I were there. The women knew what to do for their individual jobs, but if something unexpected happened (like the food being late), they didn’t know how to improvise. So we had them get started with craft time, and when lunch was finally ready, they stopped where they were in the craft and then finished it after eating.

For lunch, we had chicken stew with vegetables and rice. Everyone really enjoyed it and with about 90 pounds of chicken, each child had multiple pieces. Later in the week, one of the 6 year old girls was having dinner at home with her family. She was only given one small piece of chicken (which is normal). She exclaimed to her grandmother, “At church [VBS], I got to have more than one piece of chicken!” Her grandmother replied, “Well then you can go back to church and eat there if you want.” (said in a silly manner)

We had two different crafts, one for the older group and another for the younger group. Both of them involved coloring and cutting, but when completed, they also each explained the Christmas story.

The order of pictures on the crown tells the Christmas story, and similarly, when rotating the wheel, the pictures also reveal the Christmas story.

The women who led the craft times did a good job. If the children finished early, we had paper ornaments, with the different names of Jesus, for them to color. Just like for our other children’s events, this is most likely the only time during the year these children will get to color with crayons, use scissors, or do any other type of arts or crafts.

After the craft was over, it was time to get on the bus to go home. We sent the children home with a snack, a parents’/guardians’ letter, and a fun nativity handout for them to complete. The kids had a blast and learned a lot! They treasure our VBS times, and this day was no different. We know the things they are learning sticks with them. During lunchtime last week, a 7 year old said she wanted to tell us her memory verse. We assumed she was talking about the verse from Luke they had just learned an hour or two earlier. However, she recited a verse she had learned at VBS from August 2022! It’s so wonderful God’s Word is sticking in their hearts!

Overall, the women did a great job in each of their assigned areas! They were enthusiastic, hardworking, and gave their best for the children. However, it was clear that they are not ready to run an event like this on their own. They are capable doing their individual jobs, but time management and improvising when something unexpected comes up are still things they need to improve. However, the event was certainly a success and was a blessing to the children!

This week, we held our end of the year Christmas celebration with both women’s groups together. This was a wonderful time of getting together, lighting the next advent candle, having a Christmas Bible reading, eating a special lunch, and reflecting on God’s blessings from this past year.

The ladies really enjoyed and appreciated learning about the advent candles and what they mean. Yolanda also introduced them to advent Bible readings for this month, which they have been going through on a daily basis.

Since we already had a chicken stew at the children’s event the previous week, we served a hearty beef stew and vegetables with rice and coleslaw (coleslaw is considered a special salad and often served at Christmas time). We don’t often serve meat so when we do its extra special. The ladies were sure to have their plates piled high and enjoyed it thoroughly. 

We also gave them each a small gift bag with several items inside. However, before Yolanda could give them their gifts, they wanted to give Yolanda 2 cards. They all signed it and said they are continuing to pray for her upcoming surgery. The second card had both of our names and was a Christmas card. It was very sweet of them to do that, especially because giving cards is not common in Zimbabwe. They thanked us both for all we do for them, naming specific things that each of us does. They thanked our friends (who are all of YOU). We have explained at different times that all the things we do for them doesn’t come from us, but comes from our friends in the US. But most importantly, they thanked God, because they know that ultimately, all things come from the Lord. So they were grateful to Him the most

The women all shared how the Lord has been working in their lives throughout the year. They spent a couple hours sharing their hearts and pouring out all that they have learned and God has taught them and what each of the groups mean to them. The women shared with so much vulnerability and sincerity and there are many stories to share - some of which we hope to share either at a later date or next when we are stateside in person. It was a blessed time together and a great way to end 2023 with both groups! 

Below is a picture from the end of the day. Unfortunately, we didn't think about getting a group picture until after half of them left. So this is only part of the group.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas, as you celebrate Jesus' birth! What a blessing and gift!

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."" - Luke 2:10-11

As you may know, Yolanda has endometriosis and adenomyosis. These conditions cause her to have severe pains (contractions) at various times, along with many other side effects and symptoms (a quick google search would list them for you if you’re truly interested). She has had to deal with this for years and has done a remarkable job living, working, and just persevering through it. There are several symptoms (the combination of which, keep many women who have these conditions in bed for days at a time), but these flare-ups (pains) have been the toughest part for Yolanda. In recent years, this pain has been kept at bay, but it is worse now. Most recently, in mid-November, there was a particularly tough weekend, where Yolanda had a flare-up for several hours on Friday. It dissipated, but began again on Saturday afternoon, lasting into the night. The pain was extreme, severe, debilitating, and unrelenting. After trying many different pain remedies, it got to be 4:00am, but it was not letting up. I was finally able to convince Yolanda to go to a private ambulatory facility to get an injection for the pain. The pain finally let up at 5:00am. The previous week, Yolanda had her annual physical and the suggestion of a hysterectomy was given by the doctor. The doctor had suggested a hysterectomy 6 years ago, but the pain had drastically improved with supplements, so we declined at that time. However, the increased pain throughout this year and the more recent severe pains have made it clear that a full hysterectomy is the best option at this time. No, this surgery won’t cure endometriosis. There is no cure. But it will get rid of these severe abdominal pains, as she won’t be able to have contractions.

We had an appointment with the surgeon the Monday after the weekend of the horrible pain in mid-November. She prescribed some stronger pain meds to use. Even with the meds, the pain did not leave until after 2 weeks. It did become less severe, but it didn’t fully leave. We wanted a January surgery, so that we could get through our VBS (or HBF - Holiday Bible Fun) before Yolanda would need some time to recover. However, with her pain ongoing, she couldn’t imagine waiting until January, so we asked the surgeon if this could be done ASAP.

Yolanda went in to have a pre-surgery CT scan, just to make sure there aren’t any irregularities, i.e. tumors, etc. Upon completing this test, the doctor indicated that all was well, but mentioned the gallstones she saw. Gallstones? This was news to us! But yes, Yolanda also has multiple large gallstones. Her gallbladder is not inflamed, however, so this is unlikely to have contributed at all to her pain and may have been there for years with possible other symptoms that we have overlooked.

So, when having one surgery, why not make it a double? ;-)

Yolanda’s surgery date is staying put for January 10. This will be a double surgery, performed by 2 surgeons, one doing the full hysterectomy and the other removing her gallbladder. While each of these procedures are “routine,” in that these surgeons perform them regularly, they described this double surgery to us as a “major surgery,” due to the fact that it will take about 6 hours to complete and there will be quite strong pain afterward, during the recovery process for several weeks, at least. In addition, Yolanda’s body doesn’t heal well, as experienced back in 2017 when she had her last laparoscopic surgery that should have just been an overnight stay, but instead turned into a 5-day hospital stay. This poor healing could be due to her endometriosis which often acts as an auto-immune disease, although not categorized as one.

• We are thankful that Yolanda’s pains are not constant at the moment, though they are still more common than not and she basically deals with an on-going never-ending dull ache, which she has learned to just live with. 
• We are thankful for having the top gynecological surgeon in the country and being able to be at a modern (relatively new) private hospital in Harare.
• We are thankful that Yolanda has not had a gallbladder attack even though the doctor was shocked with how large one of the stones were.
• We are thankful to see a faint light at the end of the tunnel for this pain and even possible relief from some other symptoms (chronic fatigue, lower back-pain, etc).
• We are thankful Yolanda has been able to keep up with our regular weekly women's groups in the meantime.

 

• Please pray for Yolanda, as January 10th cannot get here quickly enough.
• Please pray for peace, as there is anxiety when you hear the words “major surgery” and  “painful recovery.”
• Please pray for patience as the recovery will be long and Yolanda is one who wants to get back to work as soon as possible (in our line of work there’s always something that needs doing, and often everything feels most important or essential).
• Please pray for peace, as there are normal emotions that accompany this type of surgery at any age (the gynecological surgeon has also stressed her mental well-being after this procedure as she will experience a flood of hormones, etc).
• Please pray that our health insurance will cover this. While we are hoping that it will, we are still waiting to hear from the insurance company regarding the situation and medical offices in Zimbabwe are slow in response which is not appreciated by our American insurance company.

There is much more we could say on this topic and what Yolanda has been experiencing, but ultimately we wish to just inform you as our friends and partners in ministry of a personal element that has affected ministry life for her/us. Yolanda is not one to complain so you’ll rarely hear this side of things from her/us, but we feel it vital to not only inform you, but also request prayers on our behalf as we navigate the upcoming weeks/months. 

Due to Yolanda’s current poor health and the cholera outbreak (see below section), we made the difficult decision to postpone HBF this December. We say postpone, as we will host the Psalm 23 themed event in April with all that has already been planned. However, we still feel it’s important to have some form of outreach to these children and, therefore, have planned to host a One-Day Christmas Event, next week Wednesday (December 13th). Yolanda has frantically been planning and organizing this event over the past week. This event will be simplified and scaled down in nature compared to HBF. Since we did not know if Yolanda would have just had surgery, everything is planned assuming the women will host and lead everything by themselves and Andrew’s presence. Of course now we know that Yolanda will be able to be present (although she may have a flare-up at any point and time) so although she will attend, she is planning on allowing the women to take the lead in all areas. This is a wonderful opportunity for the women to step up and fulfill larger roles of responsibility. 

The day will focus on the Nativity story, which will include a Bible reading, Christmas carols, prayer, a fun craft, and a delicious Christmas lunch. The day will be shorter than HBF days and will not involve all the activities we usually do. It will, however, have a wonderful outreach and emphasis on Scripture and teaching opportunity for kids to learn how to share the Christmas story with others. We know without a doubt, no matter what, the children will have a wonderful day filled with learning and fun. The women are a little anxious taking the lead, but we also have full confidence in their abilities.

We already know that the day may not flow as seamlessly, that lunch may not be right on time, and that things may not be taught or explained as we would, BUT we also know this is an opportunity for us to step back and be flexible. It’s also an opportunity for the women to do things their way with more freedom, even though there is a schedule in place. They will need to think on their feet if lunch isn’t on time, how to occupy 130 children. We have complete faith in them and are excited for how this event will go and know it will be a huge success!

​Please be in prayer for the children who will be attending and the women who will be leading it. We will send the kids home with a parent/guardian letter as normal, explaining everything the children learned, so that it can be an outreach for the adults too.

Below is a picture from today's women's group gathering. In the middle of the room, on the floor, you can see some candles. Yolanda has introduced them to the advent wreath, lighting a different candle each week. This was brand new to them, so they found it really interesting.

A local news source stated the latest epidemic, “Municipal health authorities have confirmed an outbreak of cholera in Chinhoyi, where water shortages, overflowing raw sewers, and uncollected garbage are commonplace.” Last recorded cholera numbers were well-over 5,000 infected, back in October. Cholera is a treatable disease, but it is severely complicated due to the lack of water and poor infrastructure in high density communities. 

Cholera is spread through contaminated food and water as well as infected human feces. One of the points of spread within the capital has been in high density areas where raw sewage flows and children play soccer with their makeshift balls made from grocery bags and rubber bands. These balls roll into sewage and then kids pick them up and keep playing and it spreads like wildfire. 

Posters warning residents of cholera have been distributed and hang on trees and walls, such as the above one. But again, hygiene is the number one preventable cause of cholera and clean water is essential for this need. Being able to wash fruits and vegetables, being able to wash hands with soap and water, and consuming clean drinking water - is all it would take to limit the spread of cholera. Unfortunately, this has been almost impossible for most in high density areas where clean drinking water is not easily accessible. 

Just in our group of Tuesday and Wednesday ladies, the women have dealt with extreme water shortages. They are guaranteed 2-3 days each week of no water whatsoever. We are talking about normal city water, which is unavailable due to poor maintenance of water treatment plants. In addition, water is only turned on and available from faucets during the middle of the night, during sleeping hours. The women must wake up regularly to see if the water has been switched on so they can fill all their available containers to last them for whatever period of time when no water exists. Of course there’s no schedule to follow in Chinhoyi and when the water is turned on and off is different from day to day. Some women leave their taps open with buckets underneath and wake up at the sound of flowing water (of course this is a risk). 

Some of our ladies have not had water for 2 full weeks. They must walk uphill to neighbors to source water and transport it bucket by bucket. Another one of our ladies lives in an area that hasn’t had access to water for a month and she and her community walk down to the river to fetch water. This water is brown and certainly infested with all sorts. Of course, she boils the water for consumption but boiling doesn’t change the color or smell of it. (Normal city water is not clean to drink either. It is  also discolored and needs to be boiled to drink. However, it’s not contaminated with cholera, like river water has been).

We offered to bring those who have had no water for an extended period of time some water from our borehole (well). They discussed as a group and decided it would not be wise for us as white people to constantly show up with something, especially something as precious as water. They felt this would negatively affect their position within their community. They do not want to seem favored, when so many others have to make the long hard walk to rivers and other water sources - they prefer to join them in that struggle. We admire them for their commitment to having a positive image within their communities in order to best be able to share the Gospel with others. 

This cholera outbreak is another reason to shorten our children’s event. Another missionary, who runs a private school in town, said they had a girl who had diarrhea at school one day. The health department went to the school to investigate, because if they found that she had cholera, they were going to shut the school down for some time. They also had a week-long event scheduled for this month, but decided to change theirs to one day.

Little Western, who is our groundskeeper’s and previous housekeeper’s son, just celebrated his graduation from kindergarten. In Zimbabwe, children attend ECD-A and ECD-B, which is 2 years or pre-school before enrolling in first grade. There was much excitement for this day. After some consideration, we made the decision not to attend. First, we didn’t want to draw attention away from his parents and second, we didn’t want to draw attention on ourselves, away from Little Western, in a large crowd in attendance, as being the only white people. It was a whole day event, as it was an all-school event with multiple graduations, songs, special awards, and certificates. Little Western immediately came to show us his professional photos and award he received, after graduation completed. He received an award for “smartest kid."

Mai Innocent, attended a 2-day training for cooking classes, kitchen hygiene, and kitchen etiquette last week. She was soooo excited for this opportunity! She traveled by kombi (20-25 passenger taxi van) to the capital and stayed overnight and learned so much. She had photos taken of her training and couldn’t stop sharing all about what she had learned when she returned to work yesterday.

She will return for 2 more training sessions and can hardly wait to do so (afterwards she will receive a certificate and chef’s hat for completing the course). We sent her to this training to empower her to be able to do more. We want anyone who works for us to grow in skills and abilities so they will never be without a job, irrelevant of their employment with us. We are very proud of Mai Innocent and her desire to want to learn more. Her skills are limited and she still struggles with some basic jobs, but we are encouraged by her willingness to learn.

On Giving Tuesday, we sent an email sharing a need for fully funding a van that we hope to purchase within the new year. As stated in that email, the van will be a 15-seat van, able to transport the women more safely and easily. It will allow us to transport the women to the capital when those needs arise rather than paying for a kombi to hire. It will also increase the number of individuals we can accept on mission trips without driving multiple vehicles. We have been praying and hoping for this van for several years now and are actively fundraising to meet this need. 

Our hope is that this need will be fully funded before the end of 2023. Therefore, all additional gifts given this month above and beyond regular monthly giving will go towards this need. We are thankful to have raised $5,467 so far! What a blessing! We will need to raise $25,000 in total. Therefore, we still need to raise $19,533. We know this task and goal seems daunting and unreasonable in the last few weeks of the year, BUT we have complete faith that God will provide. We know that our Father, owns cattle on a thousand hills (Ps. 50:10) and we know how valuable cattle are here in Zimbabwe ;-) We know God often provides in the 11th hour so that all glory and honor can be given to Him because He alone is the great Provider for all our needs and every good thing.

Will you prayerfully consider how YOU can give towards this need? Will you contemplate the difference you can make in a very tangible way through your end of year, tax-deductible, generosity? We are grateful in advance for the abundance that we know God will bless JM2Z with, as He sees fit.