Update

Oh, life. You are wonderful and slightly exasperating.


In an attempt to justify not blogging for many moons, I will summarize the months of June and July...


1) Graduated and moved home to Minnesota. See previous blog for a lame explanation of why.
2) Bummed around for a week or two, reveling in the glory of a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies...then realized that is useless around these parts. ;)
3) Got a job working with individuals with disabilities in both group home and in-home support settings. Thoroughly enjoy it most days, especially when I consider my other options: fast food or retail. Ha.
4) Got the news that my swollen little optic nerves are IMPROVING. Scheduled another follow-up for October 11, and hopefully at that appointment, the doc will tell me they are good as new. And perhaps tell me that Lasik would be a wonderful idea? (Here's hoping...)
5) And finally, I do believe I will use this opportunity to set a tentative departure date for Zimbabwe - the first o' June! That will give me a solid year in MN to sell my soul to the government (aka pay student loans), plan, learn, and revamp/reconnect/revitalize/rewhatever. 


Within the next couple weeks, I'll be working on some of the more major steps - and by that, I mostly mean a budget. I'll be taking a fine-tooth comb to my expected expenses in Zimbabwe, and figuring out what that means for my monthly support needs. I am hoping and praying that I can keep this to a minimum...I don't want to cause anyone to eat ramen noodles for every meal!


I also covet your prayers during this time. It's tough to not feel like I'm wasting my time. If you are a pray-er, please pray that I'll be confident in God's plan, even when I get frustrated with it. Wisdom, patience, and discernment are three things I need the most right now. 

Postponement

"The word 'patience' means willingness to stay where we are and live out the situation to the full, in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us." 

-Henri Nouwen

Live out the situation to the full. 

For me, at this time, that means postponing Zimbabwe plans. This has been a difficult decision, but I am choosing to wait for God's timing on moving across the Atlantic.  

Many little things, and some big things, have nudged me in this direction - and as painful as it is, I know it is right. I will use the coming months to spend time with my family, reconnect with my home church, hopefully sort out my currently undiagnosed medical condition, save a bit of money, and refocus. 

I am also praying that that "hidden something" will manifest itself to me during this period of waiting. Pray with me?

Ayanda

(Sorry it has been so long. I blame the Christmas season, a new semester, and laziness for the hiatus.)

Meet Miss Ayanda Dube, age 17.

Ayanda is fantastic. She is ambitious, loud, intelligent, and a strong leader. She arrived at Peniel Centre when we only had about a week left of being in Zim, so we didn't get to know her too well, but loved the chance we got! This girl can change things. I believe she is a future leader of Zimbabwe.

Ayanda has never met her father and doesn't even know his name. Her mother hasn't been in contact for many years and is believed to be working as a prostitute in South Africa. She was raised by her maternal grandmother until she passed away before Ayanda started high school. She now had no way to support herself to go to school, and had to drop out. However, because she loves school so much, she asked her former school teachers to help her find a place to live and a way to continue with school. They approached Gideon and Jennifer, and after assessing her situation, she was brought to Peniel Centre and enrolled in high school again. It was especially important to them that Ayanda have a safe place to live and a way to attend school because of the high likelihood that she could have gotten trapped in the prostitution lifestyle.

A large obstacle that Ayanda is currently facing is her lack of a birth certificate. Without one, kids in Zimbabwe cannot play sports on their school teams or take exams. She is an excellent athlete, but the school recently had to force her to quit because of her inability to show them proof of her age and citizenship. This will also present difficulties when the time comes for her to take her exams to pass high school. Peniel Centre is working on the situation - generally, if a blood relative is involved in the process, it is much easier, but Ayanda has no family left. They will soon be traveling to the hospital where it is believed that Ayanda was born to see if they still have those records. Please pray that they are able to obtain her birth certificate! It is very demoralizing and discouraging for her to not have it.

Pray for Ayanda. Pray, once again, that the staff at Peniel can figure out a way to obtain a birth certificate for her. Pray that her joyful spirit is never crushed. Pray that she would find ways to cultivate her leadership abilities. Pray that she would always feel the peace that passes all understanding.




"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21.

Christmas Love

There are a few things, like lights and snow and fancy trees, that may have hinted to you that Christmas is coming soon. Why not spread some Christmas love to some wonderful people who don't have lights or snow or fancy trees? Peniel Centre has been struggling financially lately, and I would love to be able to bless them with a little extra to be able to have a little Christmas celebration for the kids. Would you help make that possible for them? 

First, I would love to send a lil' envelope of happiness. Cards, notes, kids' drawings, confetti...happiness! It has to be quick because mail time to Zimbabwe is reallllllllllllly slow. If anyone in close proximity would like to contribute, I'll send it on Wednesday. Let me know!

Secondly, if you would be willing to give to Peniel Centre for Christmas, here are the instructions. Whatever you can give would be gladly received! Even $5 goes a long way, and all donations will be sent on the 20th.

1) Go to egive-usa.com 

2) Sign up for an account 

3) Choose Westwoods Community Church

 4) Fill out your information and put something to the effect of "Christmas donation for Peniel Centre" in the comments box  

Thank you so much for being such a blessing to my life and to these kids' lives!

Lights, snow, AND a fancy tree!

 

Wellington

Wellington Sibanda, age unknown

This kid is such a joy. Wellie is pretty shy at first, but once he gets comfortable with you, he's a riot! He does not have a birth certificate, so they are unsure of his age, but he is probably between 9 and 11 years old. Wellie has a smile that brightens even the worst of days - his joy is contagious. He is an excellent soccer player, and has no problem playing with the older boys. Wellie wants to be a solider when he grows up.

Wellington is a child born of incest, but he certainly does not allow that to define him. Because of the conditions of his conception, Wellie was immediately an unwanted child. His parents couldn't handle the stigma and shame that would come if they were to raise him. Wellie did not have a home when Peniel staff found him, and his father is believed to be in prison, while no one knows where his mother is. Not having a birth certificate will present Wellington with a lot of difficulties in life, so Peniel staff are working very hard at obtaining one for him. If he doesn't have a birth certificate, he cannot participate in school sports and may have difficulties with signing up for school and for the exams that are necessary to move on in school - and these problems are only the ones that would come up in his childhood. 

Pray that a birth certificate would be obtained for Wellington. Pray that he remains joyful always. Pray that he grows into a man of character and strength. Pray that he never gives up on his goals.

Kudzi

Kudzanai Mundicha, age 10

Oh, Kudzi. This boy has so much joy. (That rhymed. Fancy.) To read about where he's coming from, you can scroll down and read my post about his brother, Future. Or click here. 


Because Kudzi spent so much time being a cattle herder, he is very behind in school. He's in a class with kids his own age (he is 10), but he can't even write his name. It's impossible to know for sure after spending just three weeks with him, but I am pretty sure that he is dyslexic. While dyslexia is relatively easily dealt with in America, there are not many resources for it in rural Zimbabwe. Right now, Rejoice does all of Kudzi's homework for him. His school has a student:teacher ratio of about 40:1, which means that he doesn't get any specialized help there. Siam (a lovely lady who went to Zim with me in May) was Kudzi's unofficial tutor while we were there, and trying to work with him was so frustrating for her. It seems that he simply cannot process things the way that the other kids do. I intend to educate myself about different learning disabilities before heading back to Peniel Centre so that I can help him progress in school. The wonderful staff at Peniel are also hoping to get him into a better school - pray that this happens! Also, if you have any book recommendations or have worked with kids with learning disabilities, please let me know!


Moving on. I wish you all could know Kudzi. He has such a beautiful heart, filled with joy and gratefulness. He is always smiling and dancing. He lights up the room. Here's a little video of him dancing! :) He's the smallest one, not wearing red.

Pray for Kudzi. Pray that his joy would bring joy to others. Pray that someone would take the time to figure out how he learns. Pray that his learning disability wouldn't run his life. Pray that he feels the arms of God wrapped around him. Pray that he knows he is loved.

Future

Future Mundicha, age 13

Future's dad died when he and his brother Kudzanai were still young. Their mother remarried a man who didn't want to care for children who were not his, so they were sent to live with their neighbor, since they had no family able to care for them. However, the neighbor didn't send them to school, but turned them into cattle herders. Eventually, their paternal grandmother heard about their situation and wanted to do something, but she was just a maid in Bulawayo and didn't have a home of her own to take them in to. The grandmother did the only thing she could think of - talked to her employer about it. He happened to have heard of Peniel Centre, and they set up a meeting right away. Future and Kudzi moved in to Peniel Centre in June 2009 and have excelled ever since.

Future is funny, timid, and brilliant. Last year, he was the smartest kid in his class, and he wants to be a doctor when he grows up. Instead of writing about who Future is, I'll just post this fabulous video that the kids recorded one day when they stole my camera...he is such a ham. A bunch of the kids made little music videos, and in most of them they are wearing Rick's sunglasses. :)

Pray for Future. Pray that he feels at home at Peniel Centre. Pray that he and Kudzi stay close. Pray that he will know what he can achieve. Pray that he keeps his joy. Pray for his heart.