Tatenda
We were blessed to be the missionaries for the week of VBS at Albion Evangelical Free Church (Minneapolis) this summer. Judging by their pictures, it looks like they had a great time. The project they chose for JM2Z was to raise money for Shona Bibles. In only 4 days, the children gave nearly $1,400! This translates to 277 Bibles! These children were extremely generous, and what a gift, to give the Word of God to people in their own language (and to learn the importance of this at a young age). We say a big "tatenda" (thank you in Shona) to each one who gave! This gift was the last chunk needed to reach our $10,000 goal that we need to buy 2,000 Bibles. How wonderful is that? In typical African fashion, the printing of these Bibles has been delayed another few months until early to mid next year. Please pray with us that this will not be delayed any further, as we are very eager to get God's Word in the hands of people who don't have it in an understandable and accurate translation. Below are a few pictures from Albion's week of VBS.
 Using a wordless Bible to show how difficult it is not to have a Bible that you can understand |  Writing notes to send to Zimbabwe |
Praise and worship time
Back again
Since we last wrote, we have seen Rugare, Jacob, and David several times. Actually, the day after we published our last blog, Rugare came to the gate. This time, he brought his mother and 10 month old sister. His mother told us that she wanted to thank us for helping out her boys. We sat and talked and gave each of them snacks and drinks. While we were talking and they were eating, it was very sweet to see Rugare give more than half of his to his sister. Even though she is little, he must know how few calories she gets at home. The need was quite evident in being able to see the mother's rib cage through the opening of her shirt, quality of clothes, and holes in her shoes. Before they left, we gave her cloth diapers for the baby, and a dress and sandals for her. We will also invite her to our next women's gathering.
As school is beginning to get underway in the U.S., kids are on break here for the month. Last week, Monday and Tuesday were holidays, which meant Western and Elizabeth weren't working. On Monday, Rugare came and asked for money so that he could get his report card. Even though the term is over, the school won't give a child his or her report card until the school fees are fully paid. The family obviously hadn't finished paying, and so he was asking for help with that. Since we don't hand out cash and Western wasn't working, we let him do a couple chores to earn some money. He raked leaves and added them to our pile. Then, he watered our garden, vegetables, herbs, and flower pots. After a couple hours, we gave him lunch and said he could come back the next day at 2:00 to do more.
As school is beginning to get underway in the U.S., kids are on break here for the month. Last week, Monday and Tuesday were holidays, which meant Western and Elizabeth weren't working. On Monday, Rugare came and asked for money so that he could get his report card. Even though the term is over, the school won't give a child his or her report card until the school fees are fully paid. The family obviously hadn't finished paying, and so he was asking for help with that. Since we don't hand out cash and Western wasn't working, we let him do a couple chores to earn some money. He raked leaves and added them to our pile. Then, he watered our garden, vegetables, herbs, and flower pots. After a couple hours, we gave him lunch and said he could come back the next day at 2:00 to do more.
The following day, Rugare must have been eager, because there was a knock on the gate at noon. It was Rugare, but this time, he brought Jacob. I was about to tell them that I didn't have enough work for two, but just then, Jacob extended his hand to me, holding a packet of muputi (a popcorn snack). He told me that he wanted to give it to me. Well, what could I say to that? After telling him thank you very much, I said that they could both do some work. Rugare did the watering again and both boys raked and sorted leaves. We gave them lunch, paid them, and they went on their way. We asked Rugare to bring his report card when he gets it, so that we could see it.
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David (below) also came by on a separate occasion. He just needed some lunch, so we sat and talked with him while he ate. Notice his shoes. At first glance, it appears that his shoes are old and worn, as you can see holes by his big toes. However, the shoes he has are probably too small for him and his toes were hurting as they rubbed against them. So he cut the material, enabling his toes to poke out and have extra room. We didn't have any shoes his size that we could give him, but we will make a plan.
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Zimbabwe in the Olympics
Yolanda and I have been excited for the Olympics. We don't subscribe to TV, but we made an exception for this month. I enjoy all the sports, but one of the sports we followed closest was women's soccer. Zimbabwe's team qualified this year for the first time ever. It was a pretty big deal here. Germany, Canada, and Australia were the 3 teams Zimbabwe had to play. These teams were 3 of the top 5 teams in the world, and needless to say, Zimbabwe lost each game. However they fought as hard as they could, scoring once against each team. To say that resources and finances for professional soccer in Zim are scarce would be an understatement. A few weeks ago, we learned that one of the ministries our church supports is a sports ministry. A lady gave a brief update and shared how they were asked by the minister of sports (a senator equivalent) in Zimbabwe to oversee the spiritual and other (resource support) help for the ladies' soccer team. This was especially a big deal since they had just qualified for the Olympics. The lady presenting told us how the soccer camps where the ladies were training had NO food and if it were not for this ministry, they would not eat. One story she shared was about one of the soccer players whose young child was ill and then died. The mother had her dead child on an old blanket at the side of the field as she mourned. She had no funds to have the child moved and buried. This ministry then stepped in at this crucial moment of great need. Needless to say, they have been able to assist in the area of chaplaincy and spiritual support for these ladies. This personal story shared during a church service we attended resulted in great interest from Yolanda and me when they finally played their first game.
Our church has a Harvest service each year, where congregants are encouraged to bring food offerings. For some this would be real crops from their fields, and for others it would be bought items. All these items are then distributed among the supporting ministries in the church, along with any individual/family who is in need within the church. Needless to say, when we gave of our harvest, we kept the "Mighty Warriors" (Zim women's soccer team) in mind.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers, especially concerning how to best minister to Rugare and his family. We have also been working on some plans for our women's group. More about that in our next blog.
Our church has a Harvest service each year, where congregants are encouraged to bring food offerings. For some this would be real crops from their fields, and for others it would be bought items. All these items are then distributed among the supporting ministries in the church, along with any individual/family who is in need within the church. Needless to say, when we gave of our harvest, we kept the "Mighty Warriors" (Zim women's soccer team) in mind.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers, especially concerning how to best minister to Rugare and his family. We have also been working on some plans for our women's group. More about that in our next blog.
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