Albion Evangelical Free Church
Just as when we went to Oregon in March, last weekend in Minnesota felt like visiting family. We had a great visit to Albion Evangelical Free Church and really enjoyed catching up with friends, as well as meeting some new ones!
We had wonderful hosts who blessed us greatly with warm hospitality. On Friday evening, we visited with other missionaries who work with Muslims (mainly refugees) in the area.
On Saturday morning, I went to a men's small group and Yolanda went to a women's breakfast. We are blessed to be able to go to these groups each time we've visited, so it was great to see the same core group of people, with a few new ones too.
Then in the afternoon, we went to a young adults' gathering. We broke up into teams and did a photo scavenger hunt, taking pictures of certain things around town. The goal was to get the most in an hour. Yolanda's team won and mine finished 3rd...out of 3. It was a lot of fun and afterward, we had a picnic, visited, and played games as the sun was setting over a lake.
On Sunday morning, Yolanda was given a half hour to share our update. It is always a blessing to be able to share with a church not only a two-year update, but also how specifically that church had a part in what was accomplished. Afterward we visited with people and also had some fair-trade items to sell. Due to baggage issues, we were unable to take these items to Oregon, but we were able to this time. These fair-trade items are things the women we work with have made, whether jewelry, shoulder bags, winter hats, gloves, and boot-cuffs, but the most popular items were definitely the monkeys. After the service, the kids who were there went straight to the table so they could have their own Tsoko. Tsoko was the name the women gave the monkeys, because it means "monkey" in Shona. And yes, we sold out of ALL the monkeys.
On Sunday evening, we were invited to the pastor's home for dinner, along with several other people. We had wonderful food, conversation, and great company. After dinner we played some games and had A LOT of laughs!
We had wonderful hosts who blessed us greatly with warm hospitality. On Friday evening, we visited with other missionaries who work with Muslims (mainly refugees) in the area.
On Saturday morning, I went to a men's small group and Yolanda went to a women's breakfast. We are blessed to be able to go to these groups each time we've visited, so it was great to see the same core group of people, with a few new ones too.
Then in the afternoon, we went to a young adults' gathering. We broke up into teams and did a photo scavenger hunt, taking pictures of certain things around town. The goal was to get the most in an hour. Yolanda's team won and mine finished 3rd...out of 3. It was a lot of fun and afterward, we had a picnic, visited, and played games as the sun was setting over a lake.
On Sunday morning, Yolanda was given a half hour to share our update. It is always a blessing to be able to share with a church not only a two-year update, but also how specifically that church had a part in what was accomplished. Afterward we visited with people and also had some fair-trade items to sell. Due to baggage issues, we were unable to take these items to Oregon, but we were able to this time. These fair-trade items are things the women we work with have made, whether jewelry, shoulder bags, winter hats, gloves, and boot-cuffs, but the most popular items were definitely the monkeys. After the service, the kids who were there went straight to the table so they could have their own Tsoko. Tsoko was the name the women gave the monkeys, because it means "monkey" in Shona. And yes, we sold out of ALL the monkeys.
On Sunday evening, we were invited to the pastor's home for dinner, along with several other people. We had wonderful food, conversation, and great company. After dinner we played some games and had A LOT of laughs!
As the pastor mentioned during the service, this small, rural church is in the middle of cornfields and yet their generosity is huge! The church does quite a bit for missions locally and globally, for JM2Z and several other missionaries. Between items they purchased after church and donations, JM2Z received just over $2,000 on Sunday! Thank you to all who gave and bought items! A portion of the money from fair-trade items will go directly to the women who made them when we return to Zimbabwe. Thank you for supporting them!
What a blessed weekend it was and we are already looking forward to our next visit!
What a blessed weekend it was and we are already looking forward to our next visit!
It was a blessing to be prayed for at the end of the service!
 The bronze placing scavenger hunt team |  The winning scavenger hunt team |
These sisters loved getting their Tsokos!
Women in Zimbabwe
Mai Maka
Being in consistent communication with the women in Zimbabwe, we are able to hear stories of God working in their lives, as well as hear about needs in their families' lives. Mai Maka, who we talk about being the poorest woman in our groups (married with 5 children), has been continuing to keep her chicken business running. She is blessed to have repeat customers and is able to sell all her chickens each month. However, she's not the most business savvy person for multiple reasons. One reason, which we just recently found out, is that many of her customers are worse off than she is and she knows this and has a heart for them. She knows they need to eat, whether they can afford it or not. While it may not make financial sense, she sells her chickens to some people at a discounted price for what they can afford, so they can put food on their table that evening. This means that Mai Maka misses out on making a profit some months and, in fact, may lose money because she knows what it's like to be in a true state of hunger and she is doing what she can to show God's love to others by trying to keep them from experiencing what she has experienced in the past. With half the Zimbabwean population (nearly 8 million) in starvation mode, Mai Maka is doing her part in making a difference in lives of people in her community.
Mai Tsitsi
School started again last month, after being closed from March 2020 until April 2021. School took place the first 3 months of 2020, but not the rest of the year. Even so, students moved up a grade level this year, though they didn't learn most of last year's curriculum. A final test at the end of the year makes up the entire grade for each student. Kids in the final year of high school were allowed to attend for a few weeks in November (2020) in order to take their final examinations, which would determine whether they graduate or not. The tests are standardized tests, which cover the entirety of their high school education, which would be nearly impossible to pass without having classes for most of the last year.
One lady in our group, Mai Tsitsi, has twin boys who were in the fourth year of high school in 2020. In Zimbabwe, most high schoolers graduate after 4 years (O'levels), but if they want to go on to university, they need to do 2 additional years in high school (A'levels). Mai Tsitsi's twins are going on to their 5th year of high school, which means they must pass a test to qualify for it. Both of them took the test and one passed, but the other didn't. He has the opportunity to retake the test, but of course that requires him to repay the fee to take the test. JM2Z is going to pay that test fee so that he can further his education.
It's a tall task to ask students to take a test in which they weren't taught most of the material, but it's also a tall task to ask the parents to pay an additional fee for a retake. We're thankful that we're able to come alongside and help to ease this burden.
The other teen passed and has started his 5th year. Unfortunately, even though Mai Tsitsi has been working her chicken business and even growing crops for her family, she is unable to afford the continuing education for her son. Our education sponsorship program will help meet this need and help a mother, a family, and a teen finish his education.
One lady in our group, Mai Tsitsi, has twin boys who were in the fourth year of high school in 2020. In Zimbabwe, most high schoolers graduate after 4 years (O'levels), but if they want to go on to university, they need to do 2 additional years in high school (A'levels). Mai Tsitsi's twins are going on to their 5th year of high school, which means they must pass a test to qualify for it. Both of them took the test and one passed, but the other didn't. He has the opportunity to retake the test, but of course that requires him to repay the fee to take the test. JM2Z is going to pay that test fee so that he can further his education.
It's a tall task to ask students to take a test in which they weren't taught most of the material, but it's also a tall task to ask the parents to pay an additional fee for a retake. We're thankful that we're able to come alongside and help to ease this burden.
The other teen passed and has started his 5th year. Unfortunately, even though Mai Tsitsi has been working her chicken business and even growing crops for her family, she is unable to afford the continuing education for her son. Our education sponsorship program will help meet this need and help a mother, a family, and a teen finish his education.
Upcoming Travel Schedule
- May 23 - Lander Free Church (WY)
- June 6 - Weiser Christian Church (ID)
- June 13 - Willows Christian Church (CA)
- June 27 - Barrington Community Church (NY)
- First week of August - Leave USA
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