Zimbabwebound

So … do you what to hear the MASSIVE news???

6 02 2009

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.

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Categories : General

Just last week …

5 02 2009

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.

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Tags: doulos enigma, zimbabwebound
Categories : doulos enigma, General

Did someone say Chickens????

4 02 2009

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.

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Tags: Willow Park, Willow Park Agriculture, zimbabwebound
Categories : General, Willow Park Agriculture

Howdy

3 02 2009

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!!!

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Categories : General

SNAPSHOT

26 01 2009

Lisa

Lisa was born on the 30 March 2008 and is two weeks older than Ethan, but was about half his weight. She was born at a public hospital, one day her mother told a nurse on duty that she was going downstairs to buy some cotton wool and never returned. Her mother gave a false names and address to the hospital, so the police were never able to trace her. Lisa is a beautiful baby and her long eyelashes are the first thing everyone mentions.

Lisa is very close to sitting up by herself and is very good at moving around and getting to where she wants to go by rolling. She is having a few skin problems and she has light patchy skin on her face to counteract this they have stopped using baby soap on her and are using a soap alternative and aqueous cream. In October Lisa was 6.4kg.

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Tags: sandra jones home, Snapshot, zimbabwebound
Categories : sandra jones home, Snapshot

SNAPSHOT

24 01 2009

Ethan

Ethan was born on Wednesday 16 April 2008 and weighed 3.2kg. His mother is very young and is part of the YFC crisis pregnancy center. The girl’s family was very uncertain about whether or not she could keep her baby; they at first said no, then changed their minds and said that she could keep the baby and then just before he was born they decided that it would be best for her (being only 13) and best for the baby for her not to keep him. He was born with heaps of hair, chubby lips and he is a very beautiful boy.

Ethan needed an operation for a belly button hernia and has recovered quite well. Ethan is now 9 months old and is sitting very will on his own and is always very happy and ready for a BIG laugh.

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Tags: sandra jones home, Snapshot, zimbabwebound
Categories : sandra jones home, Snapshot

SNAPSHOT

21 01 2009

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.

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Tags: sandra jones home, Snapshot, zimbabwebound
Categories : General, sandra jones home, Snapshot

Snapshot

18 01 2009

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.

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Tags: sandra jones home, Snapshot, zimbabwebound
Categories : General, sandra jones home, Snapshot

Snapshot

5 01 2009

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.