It’s hard to believe we have been here 2 months now. I hope everyone has been following our blog at
www.dionandrebekah.blogspot.com. That’s the best way to keep updated with what we are doing. My lovely mum is keeping our blog updated for us. There is no internet in Chivhu and I doubt we will get connected there anytime soon. We can connect in Harare, however it can still be a bit hit and miss. So yes, you can send us emails, we just might not reply.
So how does one sum up 2 months in Zimbabwe into one email....they make it a long one.....READ THE BLOG.......
It’s been a busy 2 months and has gone really fast. We spent the first 3 weeks staying with Pastor Makoni and his family as there was no power or water at Vana due to the transformer blowing up after having its oil stolen. It was a good first few weeks here meeting everyone and starting to build friendships. The day after we arrived in Chivhu we got word the container had arrived, so we turned around and went back to Harare to unload it and bring it all back to Chivhu. We then faced the rather large task of sorting through everything.
We headed into Harare to meet up with the Spence family who had just arrived from Australia. For those of you who don’t know they are the founders of Vana. Errol has been travelling to Zimbabwe for over 12 years importing artefacts into Australia. Their neighbour Diane also came with them. Her plans were to teach some ladies to sew. We took a few days off over Easter and went to the Eastern Highlands to a national park called Nyanga.
We got back to Chivhu and moved into Vana with the Spence family and Dianne. Sadly not all the houses were set up and ready for people to live in. As the power situation was still not fixed, it was arranged that until the transformer was replaced we and the church would take power from a nearby house (in agreement with them of course). The Spence family moved into our house and we set up a room in the middle house and that’s about all the space there was to start with, one little room. We all eat together in the one house so it was just like having a detached room lol. Kinda like a granny flat now that we can use a few other rooms. We have also had Donna’s parents here for a few weeks, so it’s been a busy little house. We will move into our house once the Spence family return to Australia in 2 weeks, and then it will be just Dion and I living at Vana.
The electricity situation is fun... because we are not connected to the transformer yet, we are connected to the church. We can only use two elements in the kitchen at once. Eg the kettle and one hot plate. Or one hot plate and the fry pan. Lately we have only been able to use one or the power trips, which means a walk in the dark up to the church to flick the breaker back on. It makes cooking for 8 adults and 4 children quite a task.
We are getting into a routine of day to day life. We are running a feeding program Monday - Friday so that keeps Rebekah busy in the late morning and lunch time. After the children eat we encourage them to stay and play games. So we spend a lot of time in the afternoon hanging out with the kids. Standing on the road singing songs looking silly to the locals as they walk past. I have found the best way to pull yourself out of a bad/sad mood is to go sing with some kids on the side of the road. You just can’t help but smile especially when the locals walk past and have a giggle at you. Dion is busy with Errol and a few of the church guys fixing things up around the houses in the mornings then you can normally find Dion playing volleyball anytime from 2pm onwards. I plan to start a kids club on Friday afternoons. As yet that has not happened. I think I’m quickly slowing down to the African pace. Most of Sunday is consumed with church. Sunday school is 9:30-10:30 and I try to make it each week. Church follows at 10:30 and finishes at around 2pm yes that’s right 3 ½ hours..... so next time you think church is dragging on please think of us on our hard wooden chairs.
There are so many stories of what we are doing and people we are meeting and becoming good friends with. Too many to include in this email it’s already too long. That and my lack of emailing is why you have to read the blog.
If you have made it to the end of this email I would like to say (as the children would say) WELL DONE, WELL DONE, KEEP IT UP, SUPER!
I don’t feel like I have said enough, yet I also feel like I have said too much.
Til next time.
Bek and Dion
P.S. Feel free to send us an SMS, it’s nice to know people are thinking about us. Our number is +263913237129. Remember to put your name on it too, as we’ve had to replace our phone after Bek ‘sat’ on the one we brought with us.
Good news! We finaly have our working visa underway. It will probably take a while to get the piece of paper, but it has been aproved and we have been given a temporary visa which means one more pressure has been lifted. The houses were inspected and have been passed as structualy sound, with just a few things that need to be addressed before we take children in.
