Sorry it has been so long since I updated this blog!
I have spent the week at Penhalonga orphanage in Mutare, Zimbabwe. I must say first of all how much I love and adore those children. They are so lively and fun! However, I must also say how very saddened I am every time I visit that place. It is badly kept, in need of urgent repairs and maintenance and in need of injections of money and food supplies. The children are wearing the same clothes as in January when I visited last. In fact the whole mission is badly kept. In England it would have certainly been condemned many years ago. I pray for this mission and for the children there. We have identified a number of their teenage orphans that may be possiblities for candidates into Tariro House...
which brings me to Tariro House! Last week the house was empty but the paint on the walls! This week is is filled with furniture. God has used people to bless us SO much! The story is quite funny really... last week we were in need of things, this week we can almost give things away!!! We still need beds, as people are unwilling to give up their own for us hahaha! We still need beds and matresses, other than that we are doing so well. I can truly say that Tariro House feels like a home.
Our chicken project starts this week... we have built a chicken run and we go to purchase 100 chicks on Friday. These will be used to produce income for our youngsters.
We launch our project on Saturday with a big party, house dedication and holy communion celebrations... over 100 people are expected including a number of choirs and local orphans and orphanages. God is truly ''good'' and is blessing the Tariro Youth Project in Zimbabwe beyond belief.
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Thursday, 6 August 2009
Last few days...
The past few days have been quite jam-packed!
Last night I relaxed over a meal with a lovely white couple in Harare, and managed to have a Castle Beer...mmmmm!!! (and met their lovely puppy!)
Today, we secured some funding for our teenagers to receive education and for a borehole! The excitment getting these emails for help and funding is simply amazing! We ran around the house screaming and woke up the elders to tell them! We are so excited because life is still quite a struggle here and money is precious is every way! When people offer help we simply are overwhelmed with joy and love.
We now have a fridge, cooker and loads of other things that have been donated to Tariro House. Soon, it will be a proper 'home' as we begin to take in teenage orphans. I am truly excited about how big this project is growing. In January, I had just a small vision to see teenagers being brought together and helped, now we are opening a house, are getting funding, a registered charity and are working with loads of teenagers - this steps beyond what I thought we could achieve! God is simply "good" that's all I can say... "good"!
Last night I relaxed over a meal with a lovely white couple in Harare, and managed to have a Castle Beer...mmmmm!!! (and met their lovely puppy!)
Today, we secured some funding for our teenagers to receive education and for a borehole! The excitment getting these emails for help and funding is simply amazing! We ran around the house screaming and woke up the elders to tell them! We are so excited because life is still quite a struggle here and money is precious is every way! When people offer help we simply are overwhelmed with joy and love.
We now have a fridge, cooker and loads of other things that have been donated to Tariro House. Soon, it will be a proper 'home' as we begin to take in teenage orphans. I am truly excited about how big this project is growing. In January, I had just a small vision to see teenagers being brought together and helped, now we are opening a house, are getting funding, a registered charity and are working with loads of teenagers - this steps beyond what I thought we could achieve! God is simply "good" that's all I can say... "good"!
Sunday, 2 August 2009
missing home
ps, it also dawned on me today, two weeks later, that I'm not going home for an awfully long time. I realised I miss my family and friends SO much already!
Sunday Sunday
Sundays are always good here... I just love going to Church. Everyone makes such an effort to attend the services, the churches are always packed and even though its in Shona, I understand every word of the service. We speak a common language in the Church I guess?! This is the first time I have been INSIDE the actual Church building at Highfield (an extremely poor and high density suburb or Harare), because last time I came the police had stopped the use of that building because of political issues within the church, so we were forced to use a tiny community hall. The Church is nicer than I thought it was going to be, and at least it seated the WHOLE 1,000 people rather than having to have people look in through the windows, stand outside and so on. The priest was able to wear his robes again and the servers were able to use all their 'equipment' during the service once more. The past two years for Christians here has been difficult, but they have remained together and supported each other, and now two years on they are able to use their church again, and they are bigger and stronger for it. I gave Communion to about 500 people, and on the other side of the church was someone else giving Communion to another 500 people! Not only did I get allocated this task, which is always a pleasure and joy, but also I got to dance to some songs I am now singing along to and getting the hang of. I love the way the collection is taken... the church is split into about 20 sections and each section has a basket. People bring their donations, however small or big, to the front and place them in their basket according to the area in which they live... does this make any sense? To see it in action is amazing, and the system actually works!
This afternoon I went for a walk with Gift to a local shopping centre and flea market, not too far from here. We had a good nosey around for bits and pieces, I got a jumper because its winter here and although the days are hot, the nights are quite cold! I admit I came unprepared for this! Then we ended up getting a pizza, I was craving for fast food and a can of coke! I couldn't help feel a bit guilty afterwards eating a pizza when I know just down the road are thousands of desperate people. But then I thought, surely this isn't the point... we mustn't feel guilty of what we have or what we are able to have, unstead give thanks and be grateful. I was certainly greteful for it anyway! The sin isn't eating the pizza in a poor country, rather the feeling guilty part. After all, I am working to help conditions for others, it was money I had earned. If we are to feel guilty about this sort of thing, then perhaps we ought not to eat at all because millions around the world are hungry, or not drink water, because millions don't have clean drinking water, or even wear clothes when I wake up or go out, because thousands don't have decent clothes, or even a pair of shoes. The point, I feel, is the ability not to be greedy in these things, it is about how we share with others, live with others and live in such a way that helps others and helps conditions of people in this place. After we finished eating the pizza and drinking the cola, I put all the rubbish in the bin, instead of sopying what most people are doing here and throwing it on the floor. I shared my pizza with someone who hadn't had one for years. You can only help others when the guilt is gone. I hope and plan to share in the sufferings of the people here, and I have already experienced some, but refuse to feel guilty for having a bit of money to spend on a pizza or cola once in a while. How can my living benefit others? Not by my money or pizza, but through my time and just being here.
This week is going to be a LONG week I feel, so to begin the week with a good start this morning was good.
This afternoon I went for a walk with Gift to a local shopping centre and flea market, not too far from here. We had a good nosey around for bits and pieces, I got a jumper because its winter here and although the days are hot, the nights are quite cold! I admit I came unprepared for this! Then we ended up getting a pizza, I was craving for fast food and a can of coke! I couldn't help feel a bit guilty afterwards eating a pizza when I know just down the road are thousands of desperate people. But then I thought, surely this isn't the point... we mustn't feel guilty of what we have or what we are able to have, unstead give thanks and be grateful. I was certainly greteful for it anyway! The sin isn't eating the pizza in a poor country, rather the feeling guilty part. After all, I am working to help conditions for others, it was money I had earned. If we are to feel guilty about this sort of thing, then perhaps we ought not to eat at all because millions around the world are hungry, or not drink water, because millions don't have clean drinking water, or even wear clothes when I wake up or go out, because thousands don't have decent clothes, or even a pair of shoes. The point, I feel, is the ability not to be greedy in these things, it is about how we share with others, live with others and live in such a way that helps others and helps conditions of people in this place. After we finished eating the pizza and drinking the cola, I put all the rubbish in the bin, instead of sopying what most people are doing here and throwing it on the floor. I shared my pizza with someone who hadn't had one for years. You can only help others when the guilt is gone. I hope and plan to share in the sufferings of the people here, and I have already experienced some, but refuse to feel guilty for having a bit of money to spend on a pizza or cola once in a while. How can my living benefit others? Not by my money or pizza, but through my time and just being here.
This week is going to be a LONG week I feel, so to begin the week with a good start this morning was good.
Saturday, 1 August 2009
Cripps Festival
After a long car journey on very bumpy roads we reached Chivu, near Masvingo. Driving down the extremely beaten and bumpy rural roads, we found the track leading down to the Shrine of Arthur Shearly Cripps.
Cripps is regarded as a local saint within the Anglican Church and rightly so! Born in 18something in England, he settled in Zimbabwe, helping the poor, widows and orphans. He walked miles to preach and lead services at local churches, as well as leading basic first aid/medical clinics where he lived. People flocked to hear him speak, pray with him and attend his clinics. He was a remarkable man and a true inspiration to the country's deep Christian faith.
The Orphanage near Harare is named Shearly Cripp's Children Home after him. These are the children we recorded 'Nobody's Child' CD with in January and we managed to sell some CDs at today's festival!
I was the only white man at the festival, out of a congregation size of nearly 1, 000! At the peace during Communion, Phillip told me to look behind me. Standing there were about 50 children with their mouths open, staring at me! They each wanted to shake me hand. Some ran away, the smaller children cried and the older ones giggled. I wasn't entirely sure how to feel. Flattered, famous even... Shearly Cripps was white and he must have had the same experience at some points in his ministry. The children in these rural areas rarely see a white man.
After the hand shaking, I was followed by a small crowd of infants and teenagers, all wanting to listen and watch what I was doing. I took off my robes and ate lunch just to prove I was normal too!
After the service and after lunch, we all sat down for some ''X factor'' style entertainment. Some priests formed a judges panel and choirs from over the Masvingo diocese performed. Half way through, a lizard scuttled through the audience, jumping from person to person, causing screams and a mexican-wave type effect through the crowd! It was so funny, I haven't laughed so much in so long... I laughed so much that when the lizard scuttled by me, I was the only one that didn't move - they all thought I was so brave - huh!
Anyway, a long journey back awaited, so we left at 4pm. I had made some new friends, none of which could speak much English at all, some thought I was made of a different substance, and others it was the first experience of white man! Either way, I had some friends who wanted to sit with me and were beginning to accept 'just me' at face value. I'm glad I was able to achieve something in their lives, without actually doing anything at all.
Tomorrow we look forward to Church again... Monday I move into Tariro House...
Cripps is regarded as a local saint within the Anglican Church and rightly so! Born in 18something in England, he settled in Zimbabwe, helping the poor, widows and orphans. He walked miles to preach and lead services at local churches, as well as leading basic first aid/medical clinics where he lived. People flocked to hear him speak, pray with him and attend his clinics. He was a remarkable man and a true inspiration to the country's deep Christian faith.
The Orphanage near Harare is named Shearly Cripp's Children Home after him. These are the children we recorded 'Nobody's Child' CD with in January and we managed to sell some CDs at today's festival!
I was the only white man at the festival, out of a congregation size of nearly 1, 000! At the peace during Communion, Phillip told me to look behind me. Standing there were about 50 children with their mouths open, staring at me! They each wanted to shake me hand. Some ran away, the smaller children cried and the older ones giggled. I wasn't entirely sure how to feel. Flattered, famous even... Shearly Cripps was white and he must have had the same experience at some points in his ministry. The children in these rural areas rarely see a white man.
After the hand shaking, I was followed by a small crowd of infants and teenagers, all wanting to listen and watch what I was doing. I took off my robes and ate lunch just to prove I was normal too!
After the service and after lunch, we all sat down for some ''X factor'' style entertainment. Some priests formed a judges panel and choirs from over the Masvingo diocese performed. Half way through, a lizard scuttled through the audience, jumping from person to person, causing screams and a mexican-wave type effect through the crowd! It was so funny, I haven't laughed so much in so long... I laughed so much that when the lizard scuttled by me, I was the only one that didn't move - they all thought I was so brave - huh!
Anyway, a long journey back awaited, so we left at 4pm. I had made some new friends, none of which could speak much English at all, some thought I was made of a different substance, and others it was the first experience of white man! Either way, I had some friends who wanted to sit with me and were beginning to accept 'just me' at face value. I'm glad I was able to achieve something in their lives, without actually doing anything at all.
Tomorrow we look forward to Church again... Monday I move into Tariro House...
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