Last Day in Africa
Well guys, this is going to be my final day in Africa for a while. It has been an absolute blast and God has taken Jodi and I on some awesome adventures. Thank you so much for tuning in and taking part in the Zimbabwebound adventures. But before you get too sad … this will not be the final post … I still have a few more last minute stories to share and a few surprises up my sleeve … make sure you stay tuned to zimbabwebound.com for more.
Up … Up and Away!!!
Well my friends … my time here in Zim is being paused for while (I fly out 11/05) as I will be heading back to Brisbane for the birth of our first child. It is definitely going to be sad saying “see ya later” to Bulawayo … this place has been our home for the past 2 years and we have grown fond of the place and especially all the close friends we have made along our journey. God has definitely led us on an awesome journey in which we are praying that He will be sending us back here VERY soon.
Occupational Health and Safety Standards in Zim
The other morning I was driving into the office and I pulled up to a set major set of lights in the Bulawayo City Centre and saw the following.
This council worker was sitting literally in the middle of the inbound lanes filling in a pot hole and was compacting the dirt with a juice bottle filled with sand. Drivers had to be on their guard as they had to swerve to miss this council worker.
Getting Bigger
The little bump is slowly getting bigger. Unfortunately this picture doesn’t show the extent of Jodi’s largeness but it does give a small indication of the bump getting a little bigger.
The Dickers Arrive
Jodi’s parents arrived on Saturday afternoon and it has been fantastic showing them around Bulawayo. We have a lot install for them over the coming couple of weeks and I will show you pictures as they come to hand.
Thank You
Hey guys … we just wanted to write a quick “thank you” blog to the person who purchased a uniform for Chris … he really appreciates your help.
Just a Reminder
Hey All,
Just a reminder about how you can chip in to help out with a few things we are involved in at Willow Park. I know I posted three ways in which you can help just the other week, but so we don’t forget I have put them all on the side bar to your right.
Does it really cost that much????
Things are definitely changing in Zim with business’s now being able to register to accept foreign dollars instead of Zim cash; even government departments are able to charge in forex. It makes things easier to purchase but also the prices are continuing to sky-rocket with some stores charge more than 5 times the price of what you could get the same item for in Botswana or South Africa.
The telecommunication provider is also charging in forex and prices are extremely high. For dial up internet alone it cost 9 us cents per minute you are connected. This means that if Jodi and I use the internet for 30 mins per day, 7 days per week in a month we will be charged close to 85 USD just for dialling up the ISP. This is going to make blogging very expensive … Not to worry though; I will try my best to keep you all informed on what is happening over here (but there may not be as many pictures).
This is weird
To be totally honest the “weird factor” of things around Bulawayo has started to become our normality and it is only when people come over to visit that they we start to recognise them again. But I have to admit when seeing this on our trip to Willow Park just the other day I thought that this is definitely weird (and daring).
This is a picture of the back of a car driving at fairly high speeds and the only thing holding the back windscreen on is a whole heap of sticky tape.
Now is your Chance…
Over the last couple of weeks you have seen how people have chipped in to work at Willow Park and the difference it has made in many different ways. Now here is your chance to chip in …
I know everyone likes options these days, so instead of giving only one way to chip in here are three ways you can make a difference. Just click on the pictures below and you are on your way to chipping in at Willow Park.
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The Staff say “Thank You”
I don’t know if the person who donated these items reads this blog, but if you do the staff wanted to say “Thank you”. A lady has been over here from Australia helping out in YFC and has passed on these essential items to the staff at Willow Park on behalf of a donor in OZ. These items are very useful, but EXTREMELY expensive and the staff are blown away when people can help out like this.
Not another border crossing
On Tuesday, Jodi and I set out again to go to Francis Town (in Botswana). The last time we made this treacherous journey we waited in line on the Botswana side for close to 4 hours just to pay for the road access fee; the time before that I think we were there for about 2 hours … let me tell you this … we were not looking forward to this journey. We arrived at the Zim border post at about 11 am to find only a few people meandering around the place; 5 minutes later we were on our way to the Bots border post. To our disbelief (and utter joy) there were few people on the Bots border post too … ohhh my goodness … the whole border crossing to less than 30 mins. This was definitely a good day!!!!
Sandra Jones Home
So … do you what to hear the MASSIVE news???
I don’t know the best way to tell you this so I am just going to come out and say it … Jodi is Pregnant. Yes you have read correctly … Jodi is now 19 weeks pregnant and is starting to show (even though she doesn’t like to admit the growing belly). I thought she would be bigger by now but it is only a little bumb. It took a long time and many wardrobe changes to take a picture that actually showed her “little bump”.
Now that Jodi is pregnant we have had to make some pretty big choices about where we are going and what we are doing. At this stage we both feel like we should be heading back to Australia to have the little one. This time back in OZ will be a great chance to reflect on Zimbabwe and where we feel God leading us in the furture. We both have a passion for Zim but we are unsure on what steps we are to take next.
So what does this mean … well, Jodi is heading back to Brisbane at the end of March and I am heading back in June BUT I have a HUGE amount of things to do before I venture back and I do need your help with some of them. Stay tuned for more info on how you can chip in on a few of the projects that need to be completed.
Just last week …
I have to admit that I was extremely disorganised last year and I was constantly running about 1 week behind. So to combat this I have prepared a weekly calendar broken into all the different areas I am involved in (one of these is updating the blog) so I hope I can be a bit more consistent and better managed this year. This plan looked like it was going to work just chippa until last Wednesday afternoon when I got a call from a Doulos Enigma partner (the Prefect Leadership course that has been started last year) asking if I could help run a prefect leadership course on the following two days. Even though it broke my new weekly schedule I was excited about running another course and got planning hastily. The two day course was a success and both the leaders and students had an awesome time exploring what leadership means. This time the course was a little different as the program was held in the board room of one of the larny (ritzy / posh) hotels in Bulawayo (instead of at a camp site). We did manage to get out during the two days to a local park to do some fun outdoor team building activities.
Did someone say Chickens????
Once again I would like to thank all the people who chipped in last year to help us create a chicken run for layers … this is a chippin that keeps on giving. We purchased 100 day olds last year and even though we had a large amount die due to bad feed and then have about half of our remaining stock stolen we have still managed to save enough money to buy our next round of day old layers. Better still, we have been able to supply Samkele as well as the Sandra Jones Baby’s Home with eggs (not a HUGE amount … but enough to keep them going).
On Friday we are expecting our next round of day old chicks to arrive in Bulawayo. If we have 100 of these chicks survive to lay that will mean that we can give provide at least 1 tray of eggs to both Samkele and the Sandra Jones Baby Home each week. I will post some pictures later this week when they arrive.
Howdy
Howdy I have totally forgotten to give you all an update on Jodi and I. The last you heard we were down in Cape Town … well …. we are back in Zim …. We actually arrived back about a month ago but I forgot to tell you all about it. Jodi and I had a wonderfully relaxing time in Cape Town, just chilling and taking in all the sights and sounds. My parents also joined us whilst we were down there and then travelled back up to Zim with us. It was great to see my parents again and have them come back up to Zim again to get another glimpse of what life is like over here. The year is only just beginning and there is so much that is on the agenda. My endeavour this week is to post a blog each day to fill you in on what has been happening and what is about to happen (stay tuned because in a day or two I have some MASSIVE NEWS to share with you all).
Here are some pics of our holiday … enjoy!!!
SNAPSHOT
David
David was born on the 29 November 2007. He is from a homestead about 20km out of Esigoudini (about an hour drive from Bulawayo). His Mother was only 16 years of age and passed away (from HIV)about 2 weeks before he was brought into the Sandra Jones home, which was the 8 Feb 08. David was very malnourished and dehydrated; when he was brought in he weighed only 1.6kg. David was on Isomilk which is a soy based formula, as it has more nutrients than regular formula.
David has got 4 teeth, 2 top and 2 bottom and loves to show them off. He is making heaps of noises now and tries to talk to you (in gibberish of course). He is always happy and ready with a smile and loves to be tickled around the middle. He is still not sitting by himself yet, but is getting closer by the day. One side of his body seems to develop slower than the other, so sitting and not falling over is a bit of a challenge. He does not seem mentally delayed at all, just seems to be a physical problem. In October 2008 David weighed 9.4kg.
Snapshot
Calvin
Calvin was born on the 2 January 2008 in a squatters camp in a rural town called Cabatsha. His mother passed away (from HIV) about 2 weeks before he was brought into the Sandra Jones home, which was the 6 Feb 08. His father is over 60 years of age and could not look after him properly. Calvin was being fed on cow’s milk, which was not doing him any good. When he was brought in to the home he was about 1 month old and only weighed about 2.2kg.
Calvin in spoilt by the house mothers and loves to be held and cuddled. He is sitting very well now and when he smiles you can just start to see his teeth poked though … he is very cute with his little dimples. In October Calvin weighed 9.1kg.
Snapshot
Bonnie
Bonnie is around 4 years old. She and her older sister (7 years old) were brought in by their mother early in 2008. Bonnie’s mother works as a maid on a rural property just out from Bulawayo and her father worked as a farm hand on the same property. Bonnie’s mother was not allowed to keep the children up in the main house where she worked so the father looked after them in the workers cottages further down the property. The mother found out that the father was sexually abusing the girls and had him arrested and put into jail. The children were now alone in the hut at night and when the mother found out that the son of the owner of the farm also raped both girls she sent both Bonnie and her sister to YFC for protection. Bonnie now lives in the Sandra Jones home and her older sister lives out at Samkele.
Bonnie has been to the clinic and has checked out to be in good health, she was having night sweats which have now subsided, but unfortunately she is still having behavioral problems. Bonnie and Adrian are just like brothers and sisters playing and having fun one moment and then fighting the next.
Merry Christmas
Sorry for the late greeting …
Snapshot
Alice
Alice came to the Sandra Jones home after temporarily being placed in “Mustard Seed”; an orphanage run through the Catholic Church. Alice’s mother was in the Crisis Pregnancy center (another outreach run by YFC) and because she was unable to look after her daughter she wanted YFC to look after her. Alice is quite tiny for her age but she is very alert and generally wins the baby walker competitions. One of Alice’s trademarks is her long eye lashes.
It was in October that we celebrated Alice’s 1st birthday by having a party in a local park with all the other children and they all had a wonderful time. You can see more pictures in a previous blog by clicking here.
About 1 month ago Alice’s grandmother came to visit and this was the first time the grandmother had ever seen her granddaughter as she had previously wanted nothing to do with her. This is encouraging and we are hoping that she continues to visit.
SNAPSHOT
Adrian
Adrian was bought into the Sandra Jones home mid February. He was found by himself in a queue at the Princess Margaret Hospital after his father said he needed to go to the toilet and left Adrian in the line and never came back. He was left with no ID, so the Doctors estimate he is somewhere between 2 1/2 to 3 years old. Adrian was tested for suspected TB and HIV, the TB test came back positive. He has been on daily TB medication for 6 months and he has now finished his course for the treatment.
Adrian is prone to give many cheeky grins and is growing in weight and in confidence. He loves visitors and playing with the other children and has a VERY kind heart.
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- Adrian – Feb 08
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- Adrian – May 08
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- Adrian – Aug 08
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- Adrian – Oct 08
