how do two people self fund 12 months in africa?

With lots of prayer, lots of saving, some more prayer and saving and AWESOME friends. About a month ago now our friend Karyn took it upon her self to enter us into a competition on B105. The competition was to nominate a friend who you think deserves to win $1000 and of course Karyn thought we deserved to win $1000 so she nomiated us. Turns out we did deserve to win $1000 because we did.......yay yay yipee.

one mans junk is another mans treasure

Isn't is just so easy to collect junk, a little trinket here a spare computer monitor there, clothes you dont wear still hanging in the wardrobe, that thing you have been meaning to get rid of for 6 months now. yes well all know the sort of things im talking about.

We decided that they just could not sit around collecting dust any longer and they would NOT be put in storage. so we packed up our car full of our junk and headed out to my parents place to have a stall at the monthly markets down the road from their house.

Setting up our stall

Mum came and helped us out she even brought some of her own junk to sell

Bek trying to get some shade

The morning was a great success. Its amazing how much money you can make selling stuff for 50c and $1. We did sell a few things for more than that but most of it was under $2. We made $203 for our mornings effort in the sun. Take out the fee for the stall a few drinks and yummy jam from the stall next to ours and we were left with about $170.

Australia Day

Although this blog has been created for our time in Zimbabwe I am detouring a little to honour an AMAZING lady named Nadine.

Dion has worked with Nadine for over 12months now at NAYSS (Newly Arrived Youth Support Services). Dion and Nadine do an fantastic job working with the young people on the southside.

On Australia Day Nadine was given an 'Australia Day Community Services Award" for her work at NAYSS and also for what she contributes to her local community. Nadine really deserved this award she is just so amazing and does so much for others.

Naine Reciving her award.

A group photo of all those who recvied the 'Community Services Award'

Nadine and Dion & Nadine and her Family

Trivia Night

On Sat the 24th of Jan we had our trivia night our one big fundraiser before we head of to Zimbabwe. it was a successful night with 11 teams/84 people. thank you to all who came and supported us. we raised $1940. That will go a long way to cover our living costs in Zim.

Kayrn did a GREAT job of organizing well everything.

We Raised Over $700 from the silent auction. thanks to all to donated items.

A huge thanks to Donna and Eroll from Eye on Africa for their contibution

Stephanie had her first REAL coffee. well done.
Thanks steph for being my right hand lady and keeping me calm.

Renae, Jenny and Ashlyn looked after the coffe shop.

We Raised $300 i think it was all those yummy cakes Jenny made

This is as much of the room i could get in one photo the church overflows were full.

Day Trip To Stradbroke Island

With only 9 weeks till we leave for Zimbabwe we are trying to fit in a few last minute 'family' day trips with our housemate Stephanie. This time we invited our Friend Jodi to come. The morning started of a bit well bad.... Dion woke with a migraine and was not able to come, so it was just the girls.

Here is us all in the car on the ferry

the day got worse then better by the time this photo was taken. I got us totally lost really totally lost. Jodi saved the day and got us unlost, only for us to be headed to the wrong spot anyway. so we missed our 8am ferry but hey we were early for the 9am ferry that they got us on. Finaly we were on our way and all the tears (my tears) had dried up.

Our car ferry

Stephanie was very sad that she lost her plastic fork for her watermellon so I went and got her some from the takeaway shop at the ferry port

May the fork be with you Steph

The three of us on the ferry.

Once we got to the island we headed to pointlook out and had ourselfs some morning tea from 'Loaves' the bakery. we took our morning tea and enjoyed the wiews of Frenchman bay

We decided that Frenchman Bay just looked so nice that it was the perfect place for our swim. so thats where we went. down, down, down and down some more stairs lots and lots of stairs but well worth it. it was so nice we had the place to ourselfs for the most of the time apart from a few people walking along the beach.

Swimming at Frenchman Bay

Next stop was lunch at 'Fishs' fish and chips shop. Yes thats right 'Loaves and Fishs' right next door to each other.

Its never really a day trip without icecream

Before heading home for the day we took a drive across the island and back then relaxed at Brown Lake.

We marvelled at the awsomeness and greatness of Gods beauty thoughout the day as we enjoyed the island. on the way back on the ferry we got to the a wonderful sun set to bring to an end what had been a fantastic day.

No easy Choice

As you can imagaine we did not just go, 'hey yeah sure sounds like a great idea' when we were asked to consider moving to Zimbabwe for 12months.

Yes as my last post mentioned we were planning on starting a family (no easy task for us thanks to my genes) this was the third time we had gotten to the point of going down that path in our lifes only to have God lead us down the path of overseas mission. My first reaction was 'oh man not again God cant we just go in a few years when we have kids and they are older, i really though this was our year.' to which God replied this is an opertuinity you have always said you would love to have and im giving it to you now. do you really want it or not? I was a bit like well yes but not yet come back in 10 years?...........:) Its not that I hated the idea of going to Zim I really was excited about the idea I just wanted something else more. However when God speaks we his children should really listen. I started thinking about how yes i want children yes I want to go overseas again but what was ment to be at the top of that list was being where and doing what God wanted. I knew what i had to do.........I just put of admiting it for a week or two till one day we were praying as we had been doing a lot of and Dion said something along the lines of asking God to light up the path to make it clear and well I a person who does not often get 'images' got an image of Africa and Zimbabwe was glowing like no tomorrow it was about then that i said to God ' ok ok i get the point we are going to Africa'

How it all came about

I could post at essay to tell you how this all came about however i will try really hard to keep it to the point. :)



one random week in june... well truthfully not so random as it was the week i had planned to make that long awaited phone call to book in to see a fertility specialist. well.... that week we recived a phone call from our pastor asking us if we would consider the idea of spending 12 months at Vana http://www.vana.org.au/ childcare ministries in Zimbabwe. Alas i never made my intended phone call that week. After a more detailed conversation about the idea,much prayer and thought we said, 'yes we would be love to be part of something so amazing.' maybe not those exact words.......but you get the idea. Then we had to keep it all hushity hush untill it became a definate that it was all going to happen, so we just as quietly as we could kept saving our dollars and planning the big move.