Time does have a way of slipping by and it has now been some time since my last blog. So here goes to update on our life in Zimbabwe.
I
was blessed indeed to speak to all three of my children during the week of Mother's Day. It is great to be able to connect in so many ways all around the world. Blogging, Skyping, WhatsApp, texting, and yes, even phoning, all help to keep us connected wherever we are. Our world does seem to have gotten smaller with all the modern technology. It is wonderful, albeit challenging at times.
It is cooling off here now as we move into 'winter' season. This morning it is a mere 14 degrees. Really not bad except that it not much more than that indoors and this morning we are without ZESA.
That is pretty standard here in Zimbabwe to be without electricity. Last winter we purchased a two burner gas stove and this winter we will purchase a gas heater to take the chill out of our little cottage when we have no Zesa. We do have a generator that runs our lights but not much else.
I've had new curtains/drapes installed in both our kitchen and dining area. They do spruce up the cottage and every bit we do makes it more like 'our' home.
I am inserting a couple of random photos to break the monotony of my monologue. This first one is a group of Impala (I think...you know me, I am not much of an animal person.) However I do think these are some of the most beautiful and graceful animals and this picture is one I took on our game drive in Botswana.
Classes are well underway at our college and it feels good. I might have written this in my last blog but if not, and FYI, I am teaching three courses this term. Those courses are Cross-Cultural Studies, Major O.T. Prophets and Research and Writing I. The first two are third year courses and the R&WI is a first year course. Not quite so much preparation this time around as I have taught all of these courses previously. That leaves me more time to write (or rewrite) the course manuals. I think I mentioned before that our library leaves much to be desired as most of our resources are very dated.
I am currently working with our Academic Dean on applying for grants for library books from Langham Literature, an organization out of the United Kingdom, which supplies resource material to Christian/Bible colleges. This provides a wonderful opportunity for our college to upgrade our library resources.
We are still working on our accreditation for the college and we have hosted our team (made up of all the lecturers and our Board of Administration Rep) on two separate days at our cottage for work bees. On both days we started at nine am and worked through until 4:30 pm...so they were full days.
There is much work being done at the college to try and improve the moral in which people struggle in this depressed economy. Our hosting the work bees is all part of that. It is a treat for my colleagues to be hosted for the day which includes morning and afternoon tea (cookies and coke) and lunch. They do not have transport at the college either so Glen goes and picks everyone living on campus up and brings them to our place. A couple of those living off campus do have vehicles and if they have petro they drive themselves.
We, with the help of some of you (you know who you are), are able to assist the college and some of the local people and we just recently purchased an overhead projector for the college. Such excitement! Every bit of equipment is like Christmas...it brings such excitement and joy! Next we hope to purchase a laptop specifically for use with the overhead as currently lecturers have to provide their own when they want to use the overhead and that presents a problem as everyone does not have a laptop. We so appreciate the support we receive from many of you in whatever form that takes. Mostly we appreciate the connections with home and the many prayers for our ministry here. We actually feel the prayer support and that is so important to us here.
Last Thursday, we spent much of the afternoon at Immigration. Our work permits expired on Saturday so we were trying, with the help of a colleague and administrator of PAOZ, to get our permits renewed. Our application for renewal went in nearly four months ago...but these things move very slowly here. So the ultimate result of our visit to immigration was that we were given a 30 day extension while they process our application. We are still trusting that if God wants us to remain in this country then our permits will be renewed.
Both Glen and I are now the proud holders of Zimbabwe driver's licenses. They are issued with no expiry date on them so we jokingly said that if and when we get to the stage where we cannot drive in Canada, we'll simply move back to Zimbabwe. Getting our licenses here proved to be quite a simply and speedy process. The license bureau clerk was a most pleasant, chatty lady who, it turns out, is working on her doctoral studies. She has asked me if I might be willing to read some of her work . I look forward to that opportunity to assist her in her journey. We'll see where that goes but I felt privileged to be asked.
Our friends, the Norries are back in Zim now but only here until the end of May. They will return again to Zim in September. Just talked to them on phone and are getting together with them tomorrow evening for one last time before Terry and Joyce and the Norries all leave to return to Canada.
Terry and Joyce James, friends from Alberta, are here with us until the 20th. Right now Glen is touring them around at Mana Pools. This weekend we will all be going to Leopard Rock where we will get in some golfing.
I spent last evening enjoying a meal and fellowship with the Wilson's , missionaries from AOG (Assemblies of God) in the US, who are also here on visitor's permit and expect to be leaving the country this summer.
Insert picture again. This next picture is of Glen, in Zambia (when we were on PAOC retreat) in his micro-light flight. He said it was an absolutely awesome experience.
And then this final picture is one of Glen and I with two of the Pastor's from one of the churches in Bulawayo when we went with students and lecturers from our college on a college promotional trip.
Well, I think that's enough chatter for this time. It is 8:15, Wednesday morning. I do not teach on Wednesdays so it is an opportunity for me to work at home on reports and the like. Even without ZESA, I have internet connection with a doggle (although there are sometimes problems with connections) Having said that, I best get at some of my work needing to be done for our accreditation report which is needing to be submitted before month's end. Glen and our company should be arriving back today sometime so must also do a bit of cleaning and the like.
So, until next time
Be Blessed
Love
Marj
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