Week 5 Picasa Web Album

Zimbabwe Week 5

Thankfulness

HAPPY BELATED TURKEY DAY!!
Well we have past the halfway mark for our time here in Zimbabwe and in the spirit of the American holiday that we celebrated ourselves on Thursday on a small “date night,” we are so THANKFUL. Now, we must admit that we are not thankful every moment of every day here, as you have seen, but as a whole, we are so very thankful for our time here in Zimbabwe. Thankful for the people we have formed relationships with, thankful for the places we have been able to see, thankful for the opportunities we have had to bring the Gospel to many people here, and thankful for being able to use our gifts in helping people here learn how to counsel and lead for God’s glory.

Where we left off on the blog last week, we were preparing to go to another “bush” area of Zimbabwe. The plan was to head out on Thursday, and we did end up heading out, but not to where we thought we were going :-). Before going into more detail though, I must tell you about our day in the slums of Harare!! On Tuesday afternoon we went to Mbare, basically the projects of Harare. Lots of old buildings that house hundreds of people in very unsanitary conditions. We went to Mbare because in our time here, we met a young teenage boy who lives there. This boy, Noel, has decided that he wants to leave his life of drugs and live for God. We were able to talk with and pray with Noel one night at Tatenda and Lucia’s house. During that talk, we decided that it would be good to come and spend some time in Mbare, meeting Noel’s friends and introducing as many people as possible to Jesus. Noel was so excited about this, because he feels very alone amongst his friends now that he is changing his life. So last Tuesday afternoon, we brought a soccer ball and the Jesus Film and set up camp in a dirt open area, with trash and broken glass, in the middle of the “projects.” Lots of people came out to play and watch soccer and hundreds stayed to watch the Jesus Film at night. Justin played soccer with some unbelievable players, and I tried to entertain about 200 children (a difficult task in Mbare, let alone with the language barrier :-)). The whole experience was even more eye-opening to the poverty and need of the people here – physically and spiritually. We are hoping to get back there again before leaving and when we are able to buy some Bibles, one is definitely getting in the hands of Noel. Pray for him. Check out some of the pics on the Picassa Album of Week 5 Pics.
So, Wednesday we did more ministry around Harare, we visited a pre-school (check out the pics in the album, so cute!), Justin did a leadership training at one of the churches, and then on Thursday we were ready to leave for the “bush.” Like I mentioned earlier, we did leave, but not for the bush. We ended up heading southwest of Harare to three towns along the main road to Bulawayo (the 2nd biggest city in Zimbabwe). We had never been to this area before, so we were pretty excited, and it was just us and one of the pastors in this area as our guide, so we felt pretty adventurous and independent. However, maybe we probably should have asked more questions about this area, because apparently not everywhere outside of Harare in Zimbabwe is hot like all the other places we have been. It rained almost the whole weekend here and was even cold at times. We were kicking ourselves just a bit for only packing flipflops and clothes for extreme heat. Oops! Except for that, the weekend was awesome, jam-packed with goodness. The pastor that accompanied us lives in Kwekwe, so that is where we spent the three nights. He and his wife were super hospitable, which was so inspiring when seeing how simply they live.
So, while being based out of Kwekwe, we did lots of things. Friday we stayed in Kwekwe (technically, a township of Kwekwe, Torwood), Saturday we traveled to Gweru for the day, and Sunday we stopped in Chegutu for the day on our way back to Harare. Throughout this time, we showed the Jesus Film two and a half nights in Kwekwe (one night it just was raining too hard, so we had to end it early) and crowds as large as 500 people stood around the town center to learn more about Jesus which was amazing! In all three places, we attended some church services where Justin preached, and we each did trainings for the leadership and caregivers of the churches. I did a counseling training and Justin did a leadership training. It was great meeting the people of these churches and we are looking forward to reconnecting with them at the December Conference when all the churches of Eternal Word come together for four days in Harare. In Gweru, we formed such a bond with them, that we received our first live thank you gift…..a chicken! It came home with us in a box and we left it with the pastor who was our guide for the weekend. I did get my picture taken with it though!
This week we have been doing a lot of office work as we are preparing for some larger trainings next week. I will be doing a three-day counseling training to the top 10 coordinators of the orphan program here. They are hoping to open up a counseling center next year! Justin will be doing a one-day business training, focusing on micro-enterprise to 10 selected people, and then he will spend the rest of the week working with their accountant helping them organize their books and creating some organizational structures for the church and their non-profit. Yeah, I’m glad I get to do a counseling training!
Please pray for these trainings and Justin’s work with their organizational framework and record keeping. We are so thankful to have a community of people behind us in this! Thank you for your prayers and support. We value you all so much and are so THANKFUL for you! We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday with friends and family and continue to have a great holiday weekend! We did end up having a delicious “date night” thanksgiving dinner at Leonardo’s, an Italian restaurant close to where we are staying. So we didn’t get any turkey or mashed potatoes (my fave), but we did have some great salad and pasta (which we don’t get a lot of here) and even ice cream for dessert! And that is totally something to be thankful for! :-)

The Plight of the Orphans

We don't have a lot of time to spend on the Internet today so we'll post a blog later this week with details of our adventure this past weekend. It was jam-packed goodness! Oh we ended up going to a different place than we thought we were going too (surprised?).
In the meantime, if you get a chance, take a look at this article. In light of some of the counseling training I (Krista) was able to do this past weekend and will do a lot of next week, I thought it would be fitting. A very dear friend of mine sent it to me and I think it does a very good job of giving people an idea about what is going on in Zimbabwe and the need for counseling. The people we are working with, Tatenda and Lucia, would like to eventually open a counseling center as well, which as you will tell from the article, would be filling a huge need.
Okay, here it is.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8349788.stm

Zimbabwe Week 4 Web Album

Zimbabwe Week 4 - Hatcliff Visit and Kotwa Trip

Hitting the One Month Mark!

We have now officially been here for over a month! Here is what we did this past week:
This past week we got to participate and help out with a lot of really cool things. And for one of the first weeks, we did a lot of it on our own which was cool. On Wednesday we went to another orphan “feeding,” kinda like their version of a soup kitchen for orphans in the communities that they have a church and an orphan program in place. This time we went to Hatcliff (check out the four pics in this blog and more on picasa). There were the fewest number of children at this feeding, but this area is probably the poorest out of all the places we’ve been. The community was uprooted from their homes during the dangerous election time when Mugabe just transplanted several communities. So now these people live in makeshift shacks with walls of cardboard and plastic. There is no plumbing or electricity and when it rains, their home definitely gets wet and begins to wear down. The children here were so sweet and it was a precious time. We want to go back to this place and also think and pray about how we can help this group of people. I mean, just some bricks for them to start building some actual structures to live in would be a huge blessing! Make sure to check out the Picasa album for all the pictures!
Then on Tuesday and Wednesday nights we went to minister in another area around Harare, Glen Norah. Here we met up with a pastor and his family (two really cute kids, named Praise God and Worship God….Praise and Worship :-)) to show the Jesus Film to people in his community. Tuesday night the sound wasn’t working, but Justin and our friend Danmore were able to get everything working again for Wednesday night. It was really cool to meet this family, hang out with his kids (the little boy, Praise was attached to my hip both nights), and watch God work through a film that was created many years ago.
The highlight of Thursday, especially for me (Krista), was going on a run with some of the kids at the orphanage where we are living. After a pretty relaxing day of getting ready to go to Mozambique by running some errands and getting supplies, we came home and around 5:00pm took 9 kids on a little run with us. One of the youngest kids here, Energy, even came with us, and definitely lived up to his name. Most of them ran barefoot and still kept up with us! Halfway through the run we stopped and even did some exercises like lunges and jumping-jacks :-). I loved it! I wish we had pictures of this, but we didn’t take the camera. We’ll just have to do it again and get some pics to share.
Friday we left for Mozambique…..or that was what we thought. Remember how a PLAN is just a PLAN….well, we ended up not actually going into Mozambique :-). We went to Kowta which is just 15 minutes from the Mozambique boarder, but when we got there, we found out that we would just be staying in Kowta for the weekend and doing some stuff there. At first, we were frustrated, especially since Lucia decided to head back to Harare and we would be there by ourselves. BUT, it actually ended up being one of our favorite weekends so far (funny how God does that)!! We stayed with the pastor of the Kowta church and the overseer of the whole province in that area and his family. His wife is a certified counselor and they have two super cute kids. They were extremely hospitable and did everything to make us feel welcome and comfortable, which at times was a difficult task because Kowta is another very HOT place :-). This time around, I brought my fan which I had blowing on my face all night long! Anyway, they are great people and we would love to go back there someday and work with them again! Saturday we both did some training for the leadership and orphan program coordinators in the Kowta area. Justin did about 2 hours on Leadership, which was really good, and I did a 2 hour counseling training which went well too (check out the pic). The people were so appreciative and responsive! Then on Saturday night they had a special service just because we were there, and I got to preach. I’m learning to like preaching, but it still isn’t my favorite thing in the world :-). Anyway, I preached on the Parable of the Good Sower and how the condition of our heart determines how God’s truth will produce fruit in our lives. They really resonated with the idea of giving ALL areas of your life to God and His truth, which was really cool to see. Then on Sunday, Justin preached at their big church service. Two other churches from around the area came into the center of town because we were there, which meant some people walked 10K just to be there – crazy dedication! Justin did an awesome job preaching on the Kingdom of God and how we must be poor in spirit, like a child, and humble to enter into it. They loved it! (see the pic). Church was from 9:00am to about 1:00pm with lots of Praise and Worship, some testimonies, and prayer. We were able to pray for anyone there who wanted prayer as well, which was a huge honor.
After church, the pastor of Kowta and his wife who we stayed with (amazing family by the way – check out the pic), took us to go see the Mozambique boarder! So we drove 15 minutes north to the big gate and waved at Mozambique :-). That might be as close as we get this time around. Maybe we’re just not meant to go to Mozambique, who knows, but, I’m really glad we didn’t go this time, because our time with the people of Kowta was so wonderful and something we will remember for sure! After waving at the border and dropping the pastor back off at their home, we drove back to Harare. Justin is pretty much a pro now driving on the right side of the car and the left side of the road! We made it back to nice and cool Harare where we have electricity and running water, which becomes a huge blessing when you spend any time in hot places without it. This coming weekend we are supposed to head down south into the bush of Mwenezi. It’s about a 10-12 hour drive (we think). They are still working on getting a car and a guide to go with us (it’s the bush with lots of dirt roads so you need some kind of truck). We would love prayers for this trip! Thanks!

Week 3 Photo Album

Click here to go to our updated Picasa Photo Album:

Zimbabwe Week 3 - Orphan Feedings

A PLAN is just a PLAN...

So, the PLAN was to go to Mozambique this past weekend to help plant a church there, but we have learned that a plan is really just a plan, especially in Zimbabwe. We woke up really early and ready to go on Friday morning, well, scratch that, Justin woke up really early and even moved our stuff to out by the door, but I stayed in bed and told him just to tell me when we were 10 minutes from leaving (I’m learning how things work and when it comes to sleep, I don’t mess around). He went out and talked with Lucia and we found out that the trip got canceled for a combination of reasons – we were first told that they didn’t have all the paperwork ready for everyone to cross the border (ok, good reason), and then we also found out that there was a shortage of petrol (gasoline) in the city and Tatenda was worried we might not have enough (ok, great reason). We experienced this petrol shortage ourselves later on in the day when Justin had to go to three different gas stations and came up empty! It’s amazing how easy it is to get things you want when you want them in the States. To be honest, I was both disappointed and relieved that the trip got canceled. I got sick with a fever again (yeah, I know, what the heck?) two days before we were supposed to go last week (I think my body is telling me not to go to the bush :-)) so I was still a little weak and traveling a bunch might have been tough. Our PLAN now is to go this weekend – leave on Thursday and come back on Sunday (we’ll let you know).
So, now with a weekend around Harare, we of course found some other things to do. We went to two areas around Harare: Kuwadzana on Friday and Epworth on Saturday, where Tatenda and Lucia through their non-profit, Voice of Peace, have several hundred orphans in their care. At these places, we got to experience the first of the weekly “feedings,” which was awesome. They are going to do them every week now! So, all the orphans in the community gathered at the central church location (plot of land) and were fed a nice big meal of rice and soya mince. At Kuwadzana, the kids were also given a package of millie meal (which makes sadza), cooking oil, and soap bought with money from a grant Tatenda and Lucia received from Mercy Corps Zimbabwe (only $350, but still really cool). There were about 150 kids at Kuwadzana and over 400 at Epworth! So, we hung out with lots of kids, taught them songs, tried to speak some Shona, and took lots of pictures and videos. I’ll post them for your enjoyment :-). Then we came back to the house and hung out with the orphans here (couldn’t get enough children this weekend). This time, we sang a song in Shona! Oh yeah, I’ll have to get a video of that up here at some point! So instead of Mozambique, we spent a ton of time with kids, which was a super fun surprise.
Then on Sunday Justin and I split up to both preach at separate churches, because “with two great pastors having you in the same location is a waste of time.” Yeah, that is what they told us….we’re “pastors” here and now preach on Sundays….it’s crazy! I didn’t necessarily learn how to preach, let alone to an African culture, in my counseling program even though it was at a Seminary! And I’m sure Justin didn’t learn it in his Organic Chemisty classes ;-). But God is faithful and in our weakness He is made strong! So, Justin went to Epworth all by himself and spoke to about 150-200 people and I went to a small church in the city center and spoke to about 30. It was pretty cool and God is totally growing us, which is inevitable I guess when you have to start knowing His word enough to share it with others.
Oh, and Tatenda went somewhere else and so did Lucia. We even drove separately, which we have been doing a lot of recently which has been really fun (except for the occasional police stop when we have no idea what to do ;-)). Hopefully we’ll have all the correct paperwork for both of their cars soon so that the police don’t give us a hard time anymore. So, even though our PLAN of going to Mozambique didn’t work out, our weekend turned out to be awesome! We are constantly reminded that having plans are good, but we must hold them very loosely because they are just plans and they are really only ours and maybe not God’s – something we will have to take back with us for sure! ~ Proverbs 16:9 – In their hearts human beings plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.

Week 1 and 2 Picasa Album...

Hey guys,

We put a Picasa album up with pictures from our first few weeks in Zimbabwe. Check them out:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jochocki/Zimbabwe2009Week12?authkey=Gv1sRgCK6M0Nvc0sOsSw&feat=directlink



Miss you all!

In Africa everything is longer...

Coming from the States where we are so time conscious it is very apparent how long things take here. From just getting ready to leave in the morning (“leave at 9:00” usually means leave at 10:00), to getting time on the internet (the best internet café in town is still slow and sometimes just goes down completely), to making dinner (home at 5:30pm hungry, means we’ll eat at 8:00pm). Now, all these things try our patience at times, but we’re learning to be flexible and hold things loosely :-). Other things, however, last a really long time, but are actually really good things that we can learn a lot from. Yesterday we went to a 7 hour church service!!! Yes, we spent 7 hours in the exact same seat (not always sitting of course). This is surprising to most of us American church goers as we get a little anxious when our services start going past the hour mark. Here, there was no sense in looking at our watches, because we had no idea when it was “supposed” to be over, and even if there was a goal time, they always overshoot that by an hour or so. It was somewhat of a special church service as the ministry, Eternal Word, was celebrating their 18th year anniversary, so we thought “oh, normally they don’t go THIS long,” but then we were told that usually they feed everyone and it can last until dark. So, we got there at 9:00am and didn’t leave until 4:00pm with no lunch :-). Luckily we still had some cliff bars that we snuck in, but everyone else didn’t eat anything! Talk about commitment and faith huh? Also, we were meeting in a makeshift building that only had a roof over part of it, so several people were out in the hot sun or peeking in through cracks in the walls. We were sweating under the roof! We’ve gotten pretty used to just being hot a lot of the time during the day, and are very thankful that it cools down here at night in Harare!! The service was pretty amazing and people loved it! I wonder what would happen if our church service went 7 hours without feeding people, kids and all?

(<- Everyone leaving the Service)

(Here we are AFTER the service... still smiling ->)

Before that, on Saturday we went to a wedding. We were there for 5 hours which isn’t that different from a U.S. wedding, but we didn’t go to the whole thing. The ceremony started at 9:00am and then the reception was still going on at 5:00pm with a family celebration to follow. It was really cool to experience our first African wedding!

Things were a little different….they cut the cake during the ceremony and then give pieces of it to everyone there and bigger pieces to important family and friends….there is much more cheering and celebrating during the actual ceremony than ours of course…..and then there is the whole gift giving thing.

(<- The CAKE, or what was left of it. Cool huh?)

So, during the reception, people bring their gift up to the front and present it to the bride and groom and the emcee announces what it is to EVERYONE! So, if someone gave some pots and pans, it would be announced, and if someone gave cash, the exact amount would be announced. Churches also come up together and give presents from their particular church, and that is announced! It was crazy. Justin and I felt a little pressure to join in with Eternal Word, so we went up and gave too :-). Imagine what kind of presents you would get if we did this in the States. Can I go back and have my wedding over and do it this way? :-)

<- YAY, Ice Cream!)

<-Somehow we ended up getting a picture with the bride and groom. Maybe because we were white or because we knew Tatenda and Lucia... they're kind of a big deal.

So, that was our weekend….a long wedding followed by a long church service, but both very cool! Yesterday, after waiting a long time to leave the house :-), we went out and actually did something really quickly! We were able to help Tatenda and Lucia buy a new vehicle!!! After the accident a couple of weeks ago they have been without two of their ministry’s primary means of transportation. All the kids at the orphanage we are staying at were not able to attend the church service yesterday because they didn’t have transportation. So, today we went used-car shopping in Harare, Zimbabwe! It was actually fairly similar to buying a used car in the States except the car salesmen here don’t hassle you as much when you’re looking which is nice. After going to several lots or “garages” as they call them here, we found two that we liked, both were minivans that would seat 7 people and could act as a really good intermediate vehicle until they had enough money to buy a minibus and a 4x4 truck for the bush areas. We had a mechanic come and check them out, and he informed us that we could get a better deal with one of his buddies. So we ditched the two we had worked for all morning and went to another lot, which turned out to be the greatest thing we did all day. We met his friend who had a bigger minivan than the ones we were looking at and it was a lower price! So after some negotiating, done by Lucia, not by us white folk, we got him down to a great price and did the paperwork and voila, new vehicle for the Gunguwo household. It’s a Toyota Gaia (I think that is how it’s spelled). They were so excited and it was really cool to see how God has provided. It was just about the exact amount that we had raised to come here! PTL and thanks for all your prayers!!. While we were really excited to help out with the car, we are still looking for ways to provide for some more needs while we’re here, like purchasing Bibles and bikes for their pastors in the bush areas, helping them with some of the expenses for their large December conference, and paying some of the school fees for the kids at the orphanages. On that note, just pray that we have wisdom to help in the right places, since there is so much to help with! :-) So even though some things here take a long time, most of them are really wonderful things and I’ve been encouraged and inspired by this group of people. This past weekend we experienced two of them, celebrating a marriage and worshipping God. Why not consider setting aside a whole day devoted to worshipping God and fellowshipping with other believers? Why am I so quick to want to get my To Do list done all the time? It’s still there on Monday and things will get done….eventually. I am learning this and I know I have lots more to learn. Well that it’s for the past few days here. We might not be on the internet the rest of the week, so keep us in your prayers this weekend. We will be venturing to Mozambique! We are going to go encourage some people and plant a church in a village just across the border. The drive is probably a long one (although we’ll probably hear, “oh it’s not that far”), and it will probably be super hot, but I now know what to expect :-). And we now have a great and reliable (cross your fingers) vehicle to get us there, with working air conditioning even!