The end is near...!

Hello all,

Over the past few weeks time has flown by. People always told me the last six weeks of our time here would whizz by, but I didn’t believe them. Now I do! It’s running away from us - only 12 days left here with the girls! Over the past month or so I've really been challenged on the Fruits of the Spirit, as we read in Galatians 5:22-23...
     
"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,    goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

These are well-known verses, but recently I've been challenged to stop and think how each of these should actually look in my life. As Christians, we are called to imitate Christ, and to "be transformed by the renewing of our minds" (Romans 12:2). And so, although sometimes these things have been difficult here in Zim, I know that with the Holy Spirit they are achievable, and that by filling our lives with these good things, we please God most of all.

We have still been keeping ourselves busy, so no slacking off until we touch down in the UK again... This will possibly be my last blog before we finish, so enjoy!

Oasis Projects:
Pre-schools - Each Wednesday and Thursday morning we’ve been visiting the pre-schools and working with them. The school of 80 children now have a large repertoire of songs they have learned from us - when we sat down with them the other day to start Story Time, they spontaneously bursted into one of the songs we taught them. It’s so encouraging to see them enjoying themselves like that! We also introduced them to the wonders of bubble wrap when we did a Circle Time on “Sense of Feeling”. We were happy to be able to share the joy of popping those little plastic bubbles! It will be very sad to leave the pre-schools, as we enjoy them so much and have formed a good relationship with the kids and teachers alike. God’s really blessed us there, and the children, although disadvantaged, are happy.

Foundations for Farming - Our maize is growing tall! Sadly not all of it is the same height (we’re putting this down to lack of experience on our part, and poor soil...) but it has all sprouted and grown. We might be able to harvest some of it before we leave, which will be exciting. We’ll use it to give to some people in the Epworth community, who do not have enough food to feed themselves and their families.

Jewellery-making - A regular feature in our weeks still, we have loved the therapeutic sessions of jewellery-making. Sadly some of our stock went missing, but we are still able to produce some more to sell to raise funds for the Tanaka Project.

Tanaka Project - This Thursday we finally managed to visit the Tanaka girls again! Some have left the school now, as they are 18. One of them is applying to university while the other has a job. The other girls are preparing for exams this year, and going through other big changes. It’s lovely to see how Oasis still maintains the good relationship with the girls after the home was shut down, and the girls are so appreciative of Junic’s visits.

Clean-Up - The big clean-up at Oasis offices is still going strong. Jerry, an enthusiastic American who is back to work with Oasis Zim after 3 months at home, is the leader of the project, and the efforts to make Oasis a cleaner, more inviting place are paying off. The grounds outside are tackled by the men, while we have been focusing on the interior work. We have painted the Oasis reception “Gentle Sunbeam” (or pale yellow) in colour, complete with the Oasis logo in orange and blue. It is a nice way to get practically involved, and everyone who comes to Oasis now notices the difference. We are now working on the other rooms (some of which are falling apart!), but slowly making progress. A lick of paint can really brighten a place up, and it brightens people’s moods too. It’s been great working together with the rest of the Oasis staff on Thursdays, having fun and getting the job done (in the words of Bob the Builder).

Northside Community Church:
We have continued to help with the reading sessions and Wow Kids on Friday afternoons, which has been good fun. It’s incredible how much children know, but they all seem so willing to learn still, which is great. I have also thoroughly enjoyed leading the Grade 3 (7 year old) Sunday School class. I’ve been challenged to think outside the box, as some cultural thigns are different here than in the UK, but overall I’ve had a great time with the class. We have been helping Sarah with various odd jobs around the church too, so a day at Northside is never boring!

A little bit of everything else...
Team retreat in Nyanga - Last weekend we travelled to Nyanga, in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, for our team retreat. We had been told it’s like Scotland; I struggled to believe this. But now, having spent a chilly weekend in the mountains with sheep, rain and beautiful views, I have come to realise that Nyanga is Zimbabwe’s version of Scotland - home from home, really! We went with Kate and her family, along with some of the other “strays” at Oasis - Jerry, Catriona and Sandra. We climbed up mountains (sort of), walked around waterfalls, went swimming in rock pools and played lots of card games! We also were able to reflect on our time together with Kate, looking back on what we’ve learned, how we’ve changed, and how we think we’ll do things when we get home. It’s incredible how much God has been working in us during our time here: we’ve each learned a lot, some things the same and some things different, but a lot! We’ve been challenged by each other, by our situations, by our friends here, and by the Zimbabwean culture, which has really made us think about how we should live as Christians back in the UK. I have been amazed a God’s faithfulness, and struck by the power of prayer. As we read in James 5:16 - “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.” It really is incredible how much God listens when we are grounded in His word, and spending time with Him.


Getting all “Zimbabwean” - We have all decided we love Zimbabwe. I am definitely picking up a lot of the phrases people use here (be prepared for a lot of “just now” and “confirm” and “ya”). We’ve learned a lot from Juliet, the maid of the house, as well. She took us to her church, which was definitely an experience I won’t be forgetting soon, and she also taught us how to make sadza, the Zimbabwean’s staple meal. She is full of interesting tales about life in Zimbabwe, which liven up our dinner-making times. I also got told off for not washing my socks properly - “Your socks are not clean, my dear”. Oops, sorry Juliet!

The three of us with Juliet and Judith, on Juliet's birthday.

Our lovely friends - We never expected to make good friends here in Zim, apart from each other, so the fact that we now know so many people is such a blessing! We have learned a lot from them, and have also been able to have a laugh with them all. It will be very hard to say goodbye! We feel at home in our church, our bible studies and our workplace, all thanks to the people we’ve met here. So, to those brilliant Zimbos - thank you!

Prayer requests:

• Please pray for Oasis Zim - They’re struggling, and everyone is on voluntary contracts. Please pray that God will provide the money they need to keep projects going. Pray also that there will be unity amongst the staff in the difficult times.

• Please pray about the upcoming elections - there have been little outbursts of violence, though nothing has affected us directly. However, please pray that as the elections draw nearer there will be peace rather than violence, so that few people are hurt.

• Please pray that in our last two weeks we will be able to complete all that God has planned for us, and that we won’t stop short in serving Him. May He continue to be our focus, and not anything else.

• Pray for the Oasis pre-schools - for the teachers, that they will be able to teach the children what they need to know for Grade 1, and also about God’s love for them. And please pray for the children too - 80 is a big number to have in one class, so we pray that each one will be valued and each one will learn.

• Pray for us as we prepare to go home - We are all very aware that thing will be different when we go home. We’ll have changed, and friends may have too. Please pray that we can stand firm in God’s word, and that we will be able to continue to serve God in our home situations and the rest of our plans for the year: Helen as she goes to Bristol for Oasis 360, Jess as she goes back to work and begins an internship with the kids’ worker at her church in Sheffield, and me, as I really don’t know where I’m going!

• For safety on our journey home. Jess and Helen travel back on 10th March, I come back on the 22nd (after my parents have come out for a visit).

• Praise God for the safety and protection, friends, and “family” He’s blessed us with here. He has been so faithful!

Thank you so much for all your support, once again. It’s not long now till I’ll be back in bonnie Scotland!

God bless,

Jo

So, pineapples don't grow on trees...

Hello!

We’ve had a busy two weeks here in Zim (or rather, Southern Africa, since we spent half that time in Mozambique). Let me tell you a little more...

Oasis Projects:
Since we’ve only really had one week in Harare since I last wrote, not a lot has changed. We are still thoroughly enjoying the work we’re doing! We are carefully tending to our maize plot still, as part of the Foundations for Farming scheme. They’re growing pretty big, so we’re hoping we might be able to see the product before we leave! In terms of our jewellery-making, we’ve stocked up on beads (after paying a visit to a place equivalent to bead heaven, I imagine), so we’re going to continue working away at that. Catriona, the girl overseeing the Jacob’s Well project (including our jewellery-making initiative), returns to Zim next week, so we are very much looking forward to meeting her and learning more from an expert! In the pre-schools in Epworth we were so touched to see the improvements in their singing - they have certainly been practising the songs we taught them. The children are warming to us and getting more used to having us around, which is also a positive sign. We made cotton wool sheep with them, which they really ejoyed. We have found that the teachers seem to appreciate our different ideas too - their art lessons are usually just drawing with crayons, so it’s nice to be able to provide something different. It’s only a little difference, but we feel it’s something  simple we can do for them and for God. We have also started a big clean-up at the Oasis offices - they moved just before we started our time here, and now have officially moved into their main offices. We are trying to make the place more respectable, where people will want to come for training and things. The girls and I are going to be decorating the reception - a way of brightening up the offices while leaving a mark!

Hands of Mercy Orphanage:
We spent another day at the orphanage a couple of weeks ago. We absolutely love the place! Alongside Kerry, a girl we met through our bible study and regularly helps out at the orphanage, we spent our time with the three youngest children, playing with them and teaching them colours, numbers and letters. It's lovely to see them so happy to play and things, they really are just a great bunch of kids!

Mozambique:
Unfortunately, due to various reasons, we were unable to go to Nyanga last weekend, but hopefully this will happen in a couple of weeks’ time. However, we were still able to go to Mozambique with Kevin Brits (Kate’s husband, who was travelling there for Oasis business.) And it was an unforgettable trip!
We spent four nights staying at Kedesh, a boys’ orphanage just out of Beira, the capital. I loved it. The orphanage is run by an Amercian man, John, and he is assisted by an English girl, Heather. There are 26 boys there, aged 7 to 18. We were able just to slot in and live a couple of days with them, helping out where help was needed and playing sports and spending time getting to know the boys. We harvested peanuts (who knew they grew at the end of the roots of the plant?!), chopped vegetables, made bread and played lots and lots of volleyball! The boys all spoke Portuguese, so we learned a bit of that, and they were learning English, so Heather encouraged us to speak English as much as we could with them. Each evening the boys watched a film that John projected onto a big screen that they could watch from outside - the first night we spent in Mozambvique, we watched High School Musical 3! They use this as a way for the boys to learn English - and it works. We often heard little phrases being used that came from films. The area was spectacular - very green, and some amazing sunsets. We watched it one evening from the top of the water - which had been built by John and the boys. He believes they should learn skills that will be useful once they leave the orphanage, so they have built everything there, from the houses to the benches to the well!
One morning we visited the girls’ orphanage across the road as well, where we joined in with making beads from paper. The girls were all lovely, and keen to practise their English!
What I loved most from that time was the simplicity of living. It’s really eye-opening to see people live without the necessities. Both orphanages were run by Christians, so the boys and girls were founded in faith. And most of all they seemed happy. We were sad not to be able to spend more time with them, but perhaps one day I will return!
Our last day in Beira was spent at the beach. Seeing the sea was strange after not having been near a coastline for 4 months! We swam, we sunbathed, we enjoyed the day off! Mozambique is truly beautiful, a place I would love to return to. It is also a place where God is working - we visited Oasis projects there where churches have built water wells for the community, and a health clinic is being run. There is lots happening, but lots still to be done. It was in quite harrowing to see five-year-old boys looking after babies on the streets, to see young women wandering around the streets prepared to give themselves away for money, to see the extent of poverty some people live in. I am very thankful to have been given the opportunity to visit, but I would love to return to be able to contribute something more of my time.

Prayer requests:

• Please pray for the orphanages in Mozambique. The work that the directors are doing is really making a difference to the kids' lives, and we pray that they can continue to get the financial support they need to keep going. Please pray for the boys who have just left and are trying to find work and accommodation for themselves, that as they leave they will continue to rely on God and not fall into any traps.
• Praise God that we travelled safely and smoothly, and that we managed to get our visas as we came back into Zimbabwe. Please pray that we will have no hassle in extending these until March, when we are due to depart.
• Please pray for the work of Oasis Mozambique. The organisation has had to downsize there due to financial problems, but they have done tremendous work, providing a health clinic and water taps for the local communities.
• We thank God for the people supporting us and helping us here in Zim - for Kate, our friends from bible study and church, for Sarah, for Lorraine and Henry, for the Oasis staff and everyone else who has impacted our lives here. We ask that God will continue to bless those people as we come to our closing month.
• Pray for Oasis Zimbabwe - their work is making such a difference to the community, but they too are struggling financially. All the staff there are on voluntary contracts, which is proving difficult for many, as they struggle to pay rent. We pray that God will provide, so that they can continue to work for His purpose in Epworth.
• I thank God for my team, for Jess and Helen. They are amazing girls, and I have been so fortunate that we get along well. Please pray that we will all feel we have completed God's purpose for us here in Zimbabwe, and that we will be able to apply the lessons we have learned when we get back to the UK.

Thank you so much for your prayers. I look forward to being able to show photos and tell you all about it on my return!

God bless,

Jo