Be Careful What You Pray For





Terrence


The Tonha Family



Greg Jenks, the founder of ZOE Ministry, has told us that we should pray that our hearts be broken.  The young man in the photo is named Terrence.   He and 5 orther siblings live with their granmother in Zimbabwe.  The children are from 2 families.  All four of their parents have died.   The grandmother is now charged with caring for the 6 children but because of her age that burden rests mainly on 14 year old Terrence.   The 3 boys all sleep in one small room together but their are so many holes in the roof that when it rains, they must stand all night long. 

Sleeping Room for the 3 Boys

 Terrence has dropped out of school but does work there such as picking up bricks and working in the school garden.  He doesn't get paid but the school allows the 5 other children to go to school in exchange for his work.  When we visited them, they had enough food to last the family 1 1/2 days. 

Terrence's Grandmother

The grandmother said that she has to feed the children some porridge in the morning so they don't faint from hunger while they are at school. Yet when she heard we were coming to visit, she had prepared some sudzah, a local porridge, to share with us.  She has so little but was willing to share what little she did have.  What a humbling moment.  Now that Terrence is in the ZOE Empowerment program he will have the support of his group to help him repair his roof and good seed and fertilizer in order to grow a garden to help feed the family. Someday soon he may even be able to return to school himself!  From despair can come hope!  Asking God to break your heart seems like a strange request but a broken heart is a heart that should be called to action.  I know that Terrence's story and many others that we saw in Zimbabwe has and will break many hearts.  The only question for us now is what we will do about it.  "There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction."  John F. Kennedy

Pizza or shower?

We are home! Everybody and ALL the luggage made it back safe and sound! It was a total of 35 hours from when we left Zimbabwe until we got home! It's hard to decide which was best-that first shower or the pizza I shared with the kids on the back porch. The team that was sent to Zimbabwe was fabulous. I am honored to have traveled with such wonderful, caring people. I Know God put that team together because each person seemed to have their spot and their quality to help make the trip a success. There were many highs and lows from the trip and we look forward to sharing them with you. I know each of us will take something different away from this trip but we have all been changed by it forever. We are now all charged with taking what we have seen and doing our part to institute change. My deepest gratitude to everyone for supporting us with your prayers and many other sacrifices of time, money and hard work. God bless!

Homeward Bound

Hard to believe we will be headed home soon! This will be our last nite with wifi so it is likely to be my last post for a while. Tomorrow we will go to church with some of our "kids". We have some other things with the children to finish up then we will head to Harare. We spend Sunday night in Harare then leave on Monday for home. Can't hardly wait for that 30+ hours of travel. : ( Today has been one of the toughest days I have spent with ZOE. The things we saw and heard just break your heart. There were 5 children that were living with their grandmother. The oldest is a beautiful young girl that is only 15. The youngest of her 4 siblings is 2 years old. Relatives came 2 months ago and took her grandmother because she was ill but left the 5 children behind to fend for themselves. Their house was filthy with chickens running around their eating and cooking area. They don't know if or when the grandmother will return. They said they are relying on their ZOE group to help them survive. They were just put with that group 3 months ago. Their situation is indeed desperate but it would have been almost completely hopeless if it were not for the assistance and training they will receive. They need all of our prayers to help them through this. The ZOE social workers also need our prayers as they work so very hard with such an overwhelming task. We saw 3 other families that were equally heartbreaking and there are so many more! It's hard to wrap your heart around it.

A million pieces

My heart broke into a million pieces today when we met 9 year old twins, Stalin (staleen) and tinotenda, who are left alone. No parents no grandparents and their 14 year old brother ran away a couple of weeks ago due to bullying from kids for being a strong academic student. They are locking the door to their home with a shoestring to keep the predators out. The only way they eat is begging from their neighbors. They were only the first family we saw this morning. we saw four more families just like them. ZOE found them in March of this year--things will get better.and if it werent for ZOE they all would have starved.Please pray that they are safe from predators, healthy, and will be blessed with food, protection,and successes with the ZOE empowerment program. this is our last night with wifi--more stories and pictures to come. in His grace, stephanie

Mahviza

We took the long, bumpy road to Mahviza yesterday. The school and clinic there are truly out in the middle of nowhere. We couldn't locate it on google! Mahviza is no longer a part of the empowerment program through ZOE partly because of its remote location. They were given a grain mill by Zoe and it is on the school grounds near the teachers homes. Today was different in that we didnt hear stories from each of the kids. Instead, we went into the classrooms and got to read stories and do lessons on the solar system. We played with bubbles and sang songs and danced with these school children. I think we all loved just playing all day. To hear the joyful laughs of these kids and see their smiles after seeing their pictures on the camera reminds you of the simple things in life. The kids seemed to be eating regularly and the classrooms were decorated and had desks. a couple of the rooms had no teachers, but the kids sat in there all day anyway. The school now has a library thanks to all of our churchs book and school supply donations that were brought over by the team a couple of years ago! the preschoolers go home around noon time, and the thing that broke my heart today was watching three and four year olds walking the miles home in a group by themselves. Theyve learned to stay together in a group to be safer from abductions. I wanted to take all of them home myselves yesterday. we are off to meet our last group of first years...

Bubbles

I posted this on Facebook but this is for those I'm not on FB with. We spent the day at Mahviza yesterday. It was fabulous to see some of the same people and to see and play with the children. We did the hokey pokey and the chicken dance. Two of the goats that we bought in 2007 still had their collars on! If you are ever having a bad day try blowing bubbles with preschoolers that have never seen them before and then watch the smiles! Especially since a lot of preschoolers are missing their front teeth. : )

Mahviza today!

Up bright and early, 530 am. We are headed to Mahviza today to see our kids. It is a LONG bumpy ride to get there but I can't wait to see some of our friends. We are all doing okay but a couple of the team have sniffles. The kids we saw yesterday were so sweet. One of them was very articulate. She spoke of how ZOE not only gave them things but taught them how to use them and said "knowledge is power". They gave us a chicken! Those sell for about $10 so that was a big deal. I have to admit I have never ridden around with a chicken in the truck with me. It has been amazing to see how much progress the children have made in just 1 year. They used to only eat 1 meal/day if they were lucky. Now they are eating 2-3/day and have grain stored to sell later. They work so well with each other and are so grateful for all that they have. They are such an inspiration.

Pig Washing

I finally have gotten on the internet. So for the first time in my life I got to see a pig get washed yesterday. One of the groups has a HUGE pig as its group project. They wash it daily to prevent dandruff and skin problems. She squealed the whole time! She is pregnant and will deliver soon. They hope she will have more than 12 piglets and they can sell them for $200. That is HUGE for them. The children here are fabulous. The strides they have made in just 1 year. They all spoke of only having 1 meal per day before and now they are eating 2-3 meals a day. They have taken in and supported other people and are such a humbling example to us. H

So for any of you who have supported ZOE in any way over the years, whether through prayer, financial support, or encouragement for us to travel over here, we can assure you that God is working through you here in Zimbabwe. I was overwhelmed to be here and to meet the precious children we've been supporting. God's kingdom was truly near as we fellowshiped with the children and learned about their projects. The empowerment program has radically changed the course of their lives. They are going from eating one meal every 2-3 days to eating 2-3 meals per day because of this program. And that is only part of it. They have come together to care for one another and for the other people in their families so that no one is alone or struggling alone. They are truly lifting eachother up. Each child creates a dream chart with 4 squares: their likes, dislikes, what makes them sad, and their dream/goal for the future. The three children who shared with us all have lost both parents. One 13 year old boy was living alone for a year and a half after even his grandmother died. ZOE empowerment has created a family situation for them now in which they will never be alone. They know God's love first hand now through eachother. And they are filled with gratitude for those of us who have helped them through ZOE FUMC. When one group was asked what we could pray for for them, they responded that they thanked God that we have a heart for children and could we please continue to help other suffering children in other parts of the world. The projects they are working on include raising a humongous pig named Nes who is pregnant with 12 piglets, which they will sell and share the money. They will use the money to provide school fees and supplies and other necessities for their families. We also visited a most beautiful fenced in nutrition garden that the children have successfully constructed and raised the crops on their own. It has beautiful vegetables growing in it to supplement the maize that they are harvesting as well. These children are filled with the peace and joy of Jesus and I am so priveleged to be a small part of their life journey. I am so grateful to each of you who have also played a role in this journey back home. In His grace and peace, Stephanie

Down to business

30 some odd hours later, we arrive at LaRochelle at night. With a good night sleep and bath behiond us we are hitting day 1. We are told we'll be with some 2nd year kids today. I believe they have just completed their first harvest and that it went better than imagined. I don't have time to articulate the country side and what was seen from the drive in, but its very pretty. In some respects it reminds me of Colardo or Montana. Produce and food seem abundant, as much was being sold on the street. Group returnees say things look much improved from 2 years ago...good rains I gather... Still the little huts we see remind me that there are still those in need. Woke up to the 9th inning of the Gamecocks going down... first time in over 2years I've had to deal with that bad news. Sun is trying to break through... the dawn of a new day.

I'll trade you 1 blue pill for 2 red...

So breakfast turned into everyone popping out their pill regiment. Two things became apparent 1) everyone is on a different set of pills and 2) several are already off schedule. (yah I'm in that group) I might be just as effective mixing all in a giant grab bag and go that route. Plane is 90 mins away and am getting that nervous feeling in my stomach...then again that could just be from the meds.
An unrelated but important note, Gamecocks extend their postseason streak taking down No. 1 Florida. #fearthefish

We're on our way!

We are in Washington. Bags all weighed in okay. Only 20+ more hours to go! Breakfast now.

Packing Party

So the most interesting revelation out of the packing party, was how "little" room there was for the carry on items.  Several contemplating how to pack 10 days worth of stuff in our carry-on as the prevailing wisdom is that the checked bags chance of arriving in tact is on par with the ratio of men to women on this trip... 1 chance in 5.

Meanwhile back in checked luggage land, we have pounds to spare, bags to spare. 

Coffee Talk

More exhausting? Plane ride to Africa or Carolina-Clemson baseball game? ...Discuss

Airplanes like shooting stars

So the blog is open and a silver wing'd bird awaits. Is this Omaha? No, it's Africa. Cheers