Team Zimbabwe

The roofing contractor arrived exactly 7 days late and began putting the roof beams in place on Monday.  Along with the eager help of the boys from Mawebini the roof has started to go up quickly.  I have been quizzing the roofing contractor on the art of thatching and we have all been trying to guess how the rather complex roof is going to work.  It is fascinating to see a beautiful roof taking shape from natural resources like Gum trees, local long grass and a few long nails and some wire!

The Occupation Health & Safety standards are non existent, and a few workers are delicately balanced on some rather questionable scaffolding controlling things at the apex of the roof.

Team Zimbabwe are in the process of heading back into town tonight having said goodbye to Willow Park.  Tonight we plan on enjoying some Peri-Peri Portuguese chicken from a local eatery before heading out to Antelope Park tomorrow.  Last night was bitterly cold, and most of us froze despite any amount of layers we could put on!

Just a short note about comments.  Firstly thanks so much for your comments and your interest and prayers.  The team are not currently able to respond to all the comments or even read them, until we get more time to check it all out.  In the meantime keep them coming and we will respond in good time!

Team Zimbabwe went to church today, most of us on the back of a bakkie [ute].  We attract rather stange looks driving around the streets of Bulawayo on the back of a bakkie cos we are all white.  White people doen’t usually get around like that.  All our giggling and waving makes us even more noticeable.

Church was at the River of Life Church [New Frontiers], and worship was fantastic, as well as the sermon.  It is impossible to stand still when Africans worship1

After church I took some time to write some thoughts down, so here’s a travelogue up until elction day, with more to follow: Continue reading Team Zimbabwe Travelogue…

The team had a memorable visit to Sandra Jones House. Here’s some pics from the afternoon’s visit which left a deep impression on all of us:

Team Zimbabwe will go to church on Sunday morning, and then have lunch at the Mullers with church people. On Sunday afternoon the team will split up into two, the majority heading back to Willow Park to continue working and to wlecome back the boys from Esigodini.

The group who stay behind will visit more orphanages in and around Bulawayo and get a much wider picture of the various ministries that churches have towards the crisis of child abandonment here in Zimbabwe and the effects of poverty and AIDS.

The team is very aware of the high level of concern for our safety, and for the faithful prayer support of so many.  Please continue to pray, not just for us but for this nation that a new ersa is about to begin and that God can restore the years that the locusts have eaten.

After visiting the Sandra Jones House we paid a visit to Reheboth House, which is an extension of a ministry run by the Baptist Church. There met a Geordie  [from Newcastle in the U.K.], who along with his fiancée run a house for older abandoned children.  They have a total of 8 children in the house, and all have very tragic stories.  One young boy called Panashe who was found as a one day old, inside a plastic bag weighted down with bricks in a sewer.  Mark Nicholson manages the house along with his fiancée Dorcas.  The team played more rigorously with the kids, hyped them up and then we left!

A few gallant members of Team Zimbabwe took on the boys from Esogodini on day 1 to try and break the ice.  Needless to say they ran rings around Team Zim, but they did say that Josh was quite good!

 Today [Saturday 28] we ventured back into town and paid a visit to the Sandra Jones House for abandoned babies.  Sandra Jones was a worker with Youth For Christ ho passed away from cancer, and in her honour the house was named.

The YFC director introduced us to each of the babies and told us their stories.  At least half the babies have AIDS, including one who was raped on two different occasions by two family members at the age of 3.  She is now afraid of the dark at night.  Each of the stories was heartbreaking. 

We handed over the generous gift from Silver class at EHSS, and the director Debbie Brennocks told us that the gift in Zimbabwe dollars amounted to over 3 trillion!  Many thanks to Silver class for giving their gift to this worthy cause.  Each day is struggle to buy food and other important things for the babies, and money like this is very welcome.

Morning’s and nights at WP are very cold.  The main building area is situated in a hollow in the valley, surrounded by water on each side and it is VERY cold!  In the mornings we gather in the kitchen and try and warm ourselves up with hot toast and coffee & tea.  At night we’ve started stoking up the wood fired oven to keep warm and also to bake bread.  Last night we had a monster braai [bbq] with some steaks bought over the border in Botswana at AU$3 per/km.