The Need for a Ministry Building
About four years ago, we started raising funds for a new project, in order to build a new ministry building. However once we were fully funded, we were unable to build due to certain time constraints, then Covid happened, etc. Since then, prices increased so we needed to do some extra funding. We are now fully funded and chose to have it done at this time.
So a little background information is needed before I continue. As a reminder, we want to share what this new building is all about, why it’s needed, how it will be used, and where it will be built (after all, it’s been 4 years in the making). It’s also worth noting that we have been giving biweekly updates over the last month explaining this process on our JM2Z Facebook page.
First, this new ministry building is being built on the same property where we have our home and ministry base. We have some room in the back yard where we are building. The ministry building will be 2 rooms and a bathroom, plus an additional bathroom, but accessible from the outside, specifically for the workers, which will be completely theirs.
So a little background information is needed before I continue. As a reminder, we want to share what this new building is all about, why it’s needed, how it will be used, and where it will be built (after all, it’s been 4 years in the making). It’s also worth noting that we have been giving biweekly updates over the last month explaining this process on our JM2Z Facebook page.
First, this new ministry building is being built on the same property where we have our home and ministry base. We have some room in the back yard where we are building. The ministry building will be 2 rooms and a bathroom, plus an additional bathroom, but accessible from the outside, specifically for the workers, which will be completely theirs.
These two pictures are in a bedroom we call the mission room, which has two sets of bunkbeds, but as you can see, is being used for storage
Currently, our home, which is also the ministry base, is bursting at the seams. Every room in our house has piles of stuff - boxes, containers, and bags. All these items are ministry supplies: sewing machines, materials, yarn, crochet and knitting supplies, paper bead supplies, VBS supplies such as crayons, paints, scissors, cardstock, and papers, etc., etc. We have whiteboards leaning against our living room chairs that we use for Bible studies and notebooks, Bibles, files, etc. just sitting on chairs as they are used biweekly in our living room. There is one bedroom we call the mission room, which has 2 sets of bunkbeds and 2 large built-in closets which are jam packed. The mission room barely has any floor space available due to all the items. We feel so incredibly blessed to have so many resources at our disposable for ministry purposes, but practically speaking, we need a place to store it all - in one location.
These two pictures are in our office, which also has been looking more like a storage unit
To be honest, we also need our home back. We need a place that is our sanctuary that allows a separation between ministry work and home life. We believe this is healthy and necessary.
We also need a permanently designated area where we can set up sewing machines and have them set up full-time, rather than using our dining room table every time as a temporary location that disrupts our home and is not ideal for so many reasons.
Lastly, we need better light, tables, and chairs to sit around and a permanently hung whiteboard, in order to do weekly Bible studies, counseling seminars, group counseling, prayer, and further in-depth discipleship. Is an actual room with all the extras, essential for this? No. We’ve proven that the last 7 years. However, better and more abundant bright light will be so beneficial for most of the ladies who struggle with poor eyesight, some due to age and most due to growing up sitting around fires with smoke, etc. This space will be so beneficial and we truly believe will be such an incredible blessing to the women and the continued ministry of JM2Z, where seating space and storage space won’t be an issue.
We also need a permanently designated area where we can set up sewing machines and have them set up full-time, rather than using our dining room table every time as a temporary location that disrupts our home and is not ideal for so many reasons.
Lastly, we need better light, tables, and chairs to sit around and a permanently hung whiteboard, in order to do weekly Bible studies, counseling seminars, group counseling, prayer, and further in-depth discipleship. Is an actual room with all the extras, essential for this? No. We’ve proven that the last 7 years. However, better and more abundant bright light will be so beneficial for most of the ladies who struggle with poor eyesight, some due to age and most due to growing up sitting around fires with smoke, etc. This space will be so beneficial and we truly believe will be such an incredible blessing to the women and the continued ministry of JM2Z, where seating space and storage space won’t be an issue.
Sewage Pipes
Immediately after VBS/HBF the first week of September, we started all the prep work for this project. The first thing we needed to do was to tear down an old, existing, rundown building that was in the same location where the new one will be built. In addition, our outgoing sewer pipe runs just in front of that building. The new building will actually be bigger than the old one so we were told that it would be best to tear out the old clay sewage pipes that were about 40-50 years old and replace it with PVC before building, because that wouldn’t be an option another time. We were already having some plumbing issues and the plumber had warned us that they would need to be replaced at some point. Well, where we plan to build the new building, the plumbing ran directly underneath it. So we knew we needed to swap it out now for new, updated sewage pipes. We also had a manhole built near the outer wall on our premises so that we would know in the future if any plumbing issues were internal or due to surrounding homes. This plumbing project that was quoted to take 3 days, took 2 weeks. Water lines were accidentally hit while digging, a fruit tree needed to be completely removed that was in the way, and certain attachments were harder to source. Such is any form of construction in Zimbabwe.
 The old clay pipe is dug up, with the old building to the right  Building the manhole, down to the sewage pipe |  The new PVC pipe  The manhole plastered, completed, and covered |
Old Building Teardown
After the new sewage pipe was installed and the manhole was built, we could finally move on to tearing down the building. You might be confused at this point, considering we are planning on building a new building. Well there was a one-room building and bathroom already in the backyard. It was used as family storage for many years. Unfortunately with poor maintenance in the early years (before we arrived, 15-20 years ago) and foundational issues, the building was in complete disrepair. We looked into the possibility of renovating it and fixing it up, but everyone we asked insisted it would be a temporary fix with the foundational issues returning with wall cracks, etc. (since all houses/buildings are made out of bricks, not wood like in the US).
All the items that had been stored inside were damaged, due to rain, from a collapsed roof, white ants and termites, rats and other such critters. Boxes and suitcases were like paper, so were built-in closets. The cracks were so severe that one could see outside when you stood inside the building. The ant hills were a foot high with tunnels covering the walls. Tiles had fallen off the walls in the bathroom and nothing was in working order. The carpet was infested with who knows what, as well as a definite layer of black mold underneath. There was no doubt that the only feasible option was to have it torn down.
All the items that had been stored inside were damaged, due to rain, from a collapsed roof, white ants and termites, rats and other such critters. Boxes and suitcases were like paper, so were built-in closets. The cracks were so severe that one could see outside when you stood inside the building. The ant hills were a foot high with tunnels covering the walls. Tiles had fallen off the walls in the bathroom and nothing was in working order. The carpet was infested with who knows what, as well as a definite layer of black mold underneath. There was no doubt that the only feasible option was to have it torn down.
 The old building, with the roof and front door taken off  Almost the entire building down |  Inside the room, you can see the old bathroom  All that's left is some rubble. The domestic quarters is the building to the left. |
The New Building
Here is the floor plan of the new ministry building. Rooms C, D, and E are the same plan as what was the old building. Room E is a bathroom for the workers. You can see the door is outside, at the back of the building giving them privacy, as their bedrooms are right next door. We decided to make their bathroom bigger than the previous one, to give them some extra space.
Room A is actually outside. It's a veranda. It will be a space for the women's toddlers to play, a place to keep everyone's shoes, and a place beads can be hung to dry for jewelry projects. The veranda will have burglar bars all the way around, with a roof overhead.
The front room, Room B, will be where Bible studies, prayer time, counseling sessions, and knitting will take place. Along the wall, on the right, will be full of built-in cupboards for storage. There will be a long table down the center, with chairs around. A whiteboard will be permanently on the wall for Bible study notes. In one corner of the room will be a small kitchenette area, with a sink and cabinet for drinks and snacks.
Room C will have tables around the perimeter. This is where there will be sewing machines set up full-time, so that we can make better use of them.
Room D is a regular bathroom.
Room A is actually outside. It's a veranda. It will be a space for the women's toddlers to play, a place to keep everyone's shoes, and a place beads can be hung to dry for jewelry projects. The veranda will have burglar bars all the way around, with a roof overhead.
The front room, Room B, will be where Bible studies, prayer time, counseling sessions, and knitting will take place. Along the wall, on the right, will be full of built-in cupboards for storage. There will be a long table down the center, with chairs around. A whiteboard will be permanently on the wall for Bible study notes. In one corner of the room will be a small kitchenette area, with a sink and cabinet for drinks and snacks.
Room C will have tables around the perimeter. This is where there will be sewing machines set up full-time, so that we can make better use of them.
Room D is a regular bathroom.
First Week of Building
They began building a week ago. We chose to make this building a prefab one. This means that cement pillars are used, with cement panels for the walls. The walls will be plastered for extra strength. Each pillar took 4 guys to carry and the panels weigh about 70 pounds each. At first, we were unsure if a prefab building would be sturdy and long-lasting. So we visited some other buildings this company has built and ones from the 60's and 70's are still standing and doing really well, so we chose to go this route. This type of building costs less and goes up much quicker than a normal brick building. As you'll see in the pictures below, the walls are almost fully completed.
After this, the rafters and roof will be done, followed by the foundation. If you're a builder, I'm sure this sounds backwards to you, but this is how they do it for this type of building. Enjoy looking through some pictures from the first week!
After this, the rafters and roof will be done, followed by the foundation. If you're a builder, I'm sure this sounds backwards to you, but this is how they do it for this type of building. Enjoy looking through some pictures from the first week!
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The entire building, including painting (interior and exterior), electrical, and plumbing is scheduled to be completed in another month. We will have another blog posted by then to show the updates, but if you'd like to see pictures more often, make sure to visit our JM2Z Facebook page!
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