Blackouts, Banging, Dust, and Despair

We wanted to send out a blog last week. However, the electricity was out more than it was on. This year has been much better for us than last year. We really haven’t had too many times of electricity out until last week. There is a huge dam on a lake a couple hours away from here that has a major power plant. The water has gotten to a point to where it is almost too low to generate power. At the beginning of September, they said that they were going to cut power output by half to conserve until the rainy season, which is still two months away. So last week, we had days where there was electricity out for 7.5 hours, 11 hours, 15.5 hours, and 21 hours. Thankfully food in our freezer is good for 24 hours without power. We also do not open our refrigerator during that time to keep the cold air inside. We keep our refrigerator at a colder than normal setting so that when the power does go off, it can stay cool longer. Thankfully the battery for our house alarm lasts 24 hours, so even though the security lights weren’t on outside, we still felt safe. We used a lot of candles last week. I (Andrew) thought I was being romantic, but Yolanda informed me that candles are only romantic when I preplan to use them, not when we need them for light during a power outage J The power is on at the moment, but we’ll see what is in store for us this week. This is another reminder of the need to raise funds for solar panels that can be used during an outage. The cost is high, but does not require the ongoing expenses of a generator (fuel), and the panels have the capacity to run our large appliances (fridge, freezer) unlike an inverter system, which would only operate a few lights (inside only) and small appliances (laptop). Please pray as we make plans to fundraise for these needs.

A family of moles have been digging tunnels all around our yard

We have benefited greatly from our garden

My Shona teacher has been drilling me (Yolanda) a lot lately, she has high expectations of me and expects me to only speak in Shona with her. I try to also only communicate in Shona with Elizabeth and Western, mostly because they don’t seem to understand everything if I don’t. Poor Andrew has experienced some frustrating moments with them since there have been some communication barriers. Both E+W have really picked up a lot of English in the last year, which they use, but they really struggle to understand Andrew. Andrew will ask Elizabeth something and she just replies with a “yes” whether that’s an appropriate response or not. My Shona teacher (who comes to the house now, since it’s school holidays) asked her why she doesn’t answer Andrew and what the problem was. She said he didn’t speak proper English, like the Madam (a term I prefer not to be called but one the culture has dubbed as necessary), and unless he learns to speak Zimbabwean English she can’t understand anything he says. What she means is that she doesn’t understand his accent (yes Americans, all Americans, have accents). Andrew could hardly believe it and of course we had a good chuckle about it. Andrew has been very been working in the office lately and hasn’t had time to study Shona. However, that will soon change and he will get back into it.

Our Shona teacher has helped line up a couple speaking engagements for me with the same group of women we built relationships with last year. In the next couple weeks we will be meeting with them. Therefore, in the meantime, I have been preparing some relevant topics that may help meet their needs. The further cultural studies that I have been taking during my Shona lessons have better helped me understand what topics are needed and how to best address them in a culturally relevant manner. I also have a lady I will be meeting with to counsel for a few sessions. I am starting slowly, as I am learning to integrate both my counseling and cultural knowledge in order to be as effective as possible. Often, a lack of knowledge in these areas can lead to more harm than good. My Shona lessons have predominately consisted of oral communication, as we implement all the vocabulary that I have learned up to this point. I have been somewhat impatient with my linguistic skills, but my Shona teacher continues to encourage me that my progress has been better than expected.

The guest bathroom is finally complete. Our goal was to finish it before our first mission team’s arrival. My great aunt is coming to visit us at the end of next month, for a month. We have been talking back and forth about her visit, which in essence will be a mission trip of sorts. She’s coming to work, not have a vacation. She has a background in working with hospice in low-economic areas of South Africa and therefore has come along-side individuals suffering from terminal cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other such terminal illnesses. She also has assisted the family and friends who have acted as carers in this situation. She is also great with DIY work and organizing, so we will put her straight to work. She’s especially excited to join me when I meet with other women to have a Bible study, speaking engagement, or just simply building new friendships during “tea-time.” Please pray for her as she ready’s her heart and makes plans to be away from her home for a month.

Please pray for the country as a new labor law was recently passed, saying that companies don’t have to give reason or notice when firing an employee. The result of that is 30,000 people were fired nationwide within a three week span. A lack of jobs and resources is obviously a big problem. Every time we go into town, whether the grocery store, gas station, or bank and there will always be at least 3-5 people asking us for money. Some are just regular people, while others are in wheelchairs or amputees on crutches or crawling. Lately, we have also been asked if we can give people jobs. A lady asked us in a grocery store if we knew anyone who needs a maid, and a man even came to our house, knocked on our gate, and asked if we could give him work. It is difficult to see so much despair and need. Of course, it’s never wise to just hand out money, so often, we will hand out fruit or bread when we have some in the car. It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed with the great need all around us, but then we are reminded why we are here and why JM2Z exists – to make a difference, one person at a time!