September 2nd, 2019
Greetings Family and Friends
Life has been full here in Zimbabwe.  I am crazy busy teaching five classes...so teaching Monday through Friday, non-stop.  I said, never again and Glen laughed at me and said "I've heard that story before".  However on the upside is that I am busy with not much time to be homesick for Canada, although I certainly miss everyone on that side.  I am fortunate to have Whattsapp as that has become my go-to way of connecting.  The phone lines seem to be intermittent and I have a hard time getting through.
We continue with the load shedding with power being available from 10:30 pm to 5:00 am, so everyone spends much time working through the night to take advantage of electricity when it is available.

On the upside our friends from Bulawayo, Frick and Lizette Muller came to Harare last week and came to my place for lunch.  We had a good visit and I plan to visit them in Bulawayo during our midterm break in mid-October.

This weekend, I hosted our two adopted young people while their mom was attending a funeral in Mutare.  Makanaka and Panache came and stayed overnight.  They both have August birthdays so we celebrated with cake and everything.

Inserting here a picture of the two of them taken at my house..

Makanaka is the young lady we are supporting with school fees and the likes.  Panache is her brother and he has just received a full scholarship to study architecture and design at the University of Algeria.  So now he is waiting for his passport and we are praying for that to come through quickly.  He first applied over a year ago.  Please join us in prayer for that to happen as passports are not a top priority for the government here.

 Imserted later when I resumed writing Sept. 29th.  Panache has been granted his passport so will be leaving for Algeria very soon...probably within the
WOW!!!! It is hard for me to believe I started this blog almost a month ago.  Tomorrow is the end of September already and I will try and send this off tomorrow.  So sorry for the long delay.  Things have been crazy busy here (if I said that before please excuse me but somedays I'm not sure if I'm coming or going).  Such is life for me here in Zimbabwe at PACC and often times in the morning, I have to check my schedule to see which course I am teaching at any particular time.  Perhaps it is just my age catching up with me but in reality I think it is just overload.  I am so looking forward to taking a break mid October while block courses are being offered. I have respectfully declined teaching any of those courses this time around as I felt I needed a break.  I am going to make a trip to Bulawayo to visit Frik and Lizette Muller.  Lizette is principal of a school for the underprivileged there in Bulawayo and she is off the same time, so will have a good visit.

There has been so much sadness in this country with many deaths of loved ones and much illness to add to the economic stresses. Medications are unavailable or out of reach pricewise.

The Jacaronda trees are just beginning to bloom and the purple flowers are so beautiful and add a bit of life to the otherwise dry surroundings.  There has been no rain so things are looking pretty dry.

The economy continues to worsen and prices go up every day. It is indeed a struggle for my friends and colleagues here. 

Enough for now.  Will finish off tomorrow and hopefully end on a positive note.  Goodnight for now.
Well, it is now October 1st, 2019 - long past time I should be sending this off.  So today I will do that without thinking of everything else I should be writing.

Yesterday the use of the US dollar was criminalized so not sure where things are heading.  Time alone will tell and we will trust in God to see us through.

Next week we are hosting a two day ACTEZ (Accreditation of Theological Education in Zimbabwe)  conference where our students, along with students from other theological colleges in Zimbabwe will compete in debate, preaching skills, sports and musical talents.  I am facilitating the debate portion and really looking forward to working with our students in that regard.  We have chosen ten students to participate and we will have a debate this Thursday.  From that debate our judges (made up of our faculty) will choose the top four debaters who will represnt our college at ACTEZ.  Our entire college is looking forward to a fun couple of days.  So all is not doom and gloom for us here.

These are just a few of my ramblings and the happenings here at PACC Harare in Zimbabwe.  Wnjoy the read.  Continue to pray for all of us here and the country that God will intervene and bring sbout a sense of stability and peace.

I wanted to send more pictures but having computer problems with downloading them from my phone so will, hopefully, send more next time around.

Love and blessings to all
Marj
 

August 16th, 2019

Greetings to all my family and friends in 'Blog' Country.

Where to begin?  I arrived in Harare, Zimbabwe on Wednesday, August 7th, having left Canada on August 5th.  I had a long layover in Dubai, which was very pleasant as Emerates Air supply a hotel room and meals on layover of more than 9 hours.  It certainly breaks up the long 'in-the-air' time and low and behold, I did not suffer from jetlag at all.  Indeed that was very fortunate as I arrived Wednesday evening and Thursday morning was off to Mutare to attend a three day PAOZ (Pentecostal Assemblies of Zimbabwe) National conference.  That was a four hour (more or less) drive but luckily I did not have to drive.  Conference was great!  One of my students hosted myself and the principal and his wife.  She and her husband were such gracious hosts and I enjoyed the oppiortunity to get to know them as ordinary people and not just as my student. Also learned a new recipe for sweet buns - easy to make - and cheap in these difficult economic times.

So, I have now been on the ground here in Zimbabwe for just over a week and am busy preparing for classes.  Our classes officially begin next week and I will be teaching five classes.  I teach Mondy through Thursday and then have Fridays off.  I will look forward to visiting with our friends in Bulawayo on one weekend and perhaps try to fit in a few other things just for a break from college.

The economy has certainly worsened since I was here last.  A while back the government banned all foreign currency and only the local currency is acceptable.  If US dollars are available, the banks will exchange for 7 to 10 times the amount.  But of course, the local people do not have access to US dollars and so only what is brought in benefits.  Most of the stores do not accept anything but local currency.  Prices have gone through the roof and a loaf of bread can cost anywhere from $7.00 to $10.00.  While prices have skyrocketed, salaries have remained the same and are paid in local currency. Eggs are sold individually at $.99 per egg.  Butter is $79.00 to $99.00.  Fuel is in short supply and people line up (Q-up) all day and perhaps even overnight.  Then it is possible when you get to the end of the line that perhaps there is no fuel left.  Electricity (Zesa - Zimbabwe Electrical Supply Association)  better known as Zimbabwe Electricity Weldom Available is living up to its name and for quite some time there has only been electricity for a few hours in the night mening people have to be up midnight and early morning to wash clothes, iron, etc., etc.,  Water is also a challenge as the water table is extremely low due to drought.  Kereba dam is nearly dry and said to be closing soon.  It is tough for Zimbabwains but they still manage to be joyful and celebrate life.
 
These are just a few of the many struggles my friends here in Zimbabwe have to deal with on a daily basis. I am so fortunate and truly blessed but therecomes for me with that, a feeling of guilt knowing I can still buy while my friends and colleagues cannot.  So, I simply do what I can to help and pray for God's guidance in how best to do that..

Not all is gloom and doom however, and our college is providing vegetables from our greenhouses to meet the needs of our staff and students, while hopefully, having some excess to be able to sell.  I toured the gardens and was quite impressed. We are growing cove, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper, cabbage, spring onions, spinach and cauliflower.  We also are raising chickens to provide much needed meat for the college and hopefully to sell as well.  The attitude at the college is indeed hopeful and we are trusting God for adequate provision.

I have my young adopted daughter, Makanaka, here with me for a few days before my classes start.  She is home from boarding school where she is doing very well.  It is good to spend some time with her.  Tomorrow, being Saturdqay, I will pick up her mom and brother and bring them to my place for lunch and then drive them all home. 

Rhonda and Larry Allen, missionary friends from the US are home in the US currently and returning to Zimbabwe mid-September.  I really look forward to welcoming them back.

I brought with me tooth brushes, toothpaste and other tooth care items, compliments of Summerland Dental and my sister Patra's dentist office in Calgary.  I went to the Village of Hope orphanage and school yesterday where I met with the mom's and children to present these items to them.  There was such excitement as these things are a rare commodity at this time in Zimbabwe.  I took some pictures of the kids waving their tooth brushes and tooth paste high above their heads and would so love to share those with all of you but that is not permitted.

This has been kindof a snapshot of my thoughts of things to share and so I apologize if it is a bit jumbled.  I have not downloaded any pictures as yet so will include some next blog. Closing with a request for all of youthat side to hold all of us this side in prayer.

Love and Blessings
Marj 

Greetings to all.
All of my previous blogs have been reports of happenings on the mission field of Zimbabwe which has very much become a big part of my life.
However, having said that, Glen (my husband) dcided that after spending the past five years or so on the mission field supporting me in my work, it was time for the two of us to take an actual holiday.  So he booked a trip to New Zealand for us and so here we are.

Why New Zealnd, you might very well ask.  Well, Glen has for a long time had a desire to visit New Zealand.  I had been once many years ago, but he had never been.
Long back, when my grandfather came to Canada, a bother of his went to New Zealand.  Nearly thirty years ago, I connected with the cousins and have once visited New Zealand (twenty-eight years ago).  Two of the cousins and their wives subsequently visited us in Canada...and now we are once again reconnecting.  It is quite delightful, actually, to spend time reconnecting and to meet some of those who have since come into the family.
Besides visiting, we are doing a fair amount of touring, much of it with the relatives, but also some on our own.  we have so far been on the North island and next week will be taking the ferry over to the south Island and have booked a bus tour to see that Island as well.  When I travelled years back, accompanying my parents so dad could meet his first cousins, we only toured the North Island as that's where all the relatives lived.
Reconnecting, meeting those I had not met previously, and spending time with relatives is, and has been, to this point, the very highlights of our tour.  We spend much time talking about our ancestors and chatting about the similarities we share.  Of course, we are also seeing and enjoying the many wonders of God's creation.

In my travels to numerous countries in the world, I have discovered that every place has its own beauty.  I have just inserted a couple of picures of the beauty we have discovered in New Zealand.

This next shot is one taken as we sat enjoying breakfast at a sidewalk cafe.  As you can see we had a visitor come and help us with our leftovers.

This was taken on our tour of the Cape on the very North end of New Zealand's North coast

 
I realize this is just a snipet of our tour of New Zealand's North Island.  More to come later, after, or during, our trip to the South Island.
Blessings
Marj

Greetings once again from Zimbabwe (and Canada)

I know I have not sent out a blog for some time and for that I apologize. 
So, this blog will be a  combination of time in Zimbabwe and time since my return to Canada.

From Zimbabwe: (sometime in November)  I'm not even sure of what day I actually started to write this but will leave it in the blog as it gives you info as to what my life is like there.

This morning started out early with joining our principal for an early morning meeting, at 8:00am with the Ministry of Higher Education here in Harare.  Our meeting was to discuss the re-instate of our degree program here at PACC.  Previously we operated a degree program through PAC U in Kenya.  the program, for various reasons, was discontinued in 2013 and so now we are working towards reinstating offering degree level courses here at PACC (Pan Africa Christian college).  We are looking at different options as to how we actually go about doing that without it costing us an arm and a leg...which we don't have.  It is quite a detailed process and we have been working towards the desired end result being that we will once again offer a degree program.

Although our ultimate goal for PACC is to become fully accredited with both the Ministry of Higher Education and APTEA, we realize that the process will take us a number of years to achieve.  As I have shared previously, we received endorsement with APTEA in 2017.  That was an awesome achievement and the highest level we can achieve until such a time as we, at PACC, are able to operate independently and offer our own degree program.  Currently we are in process of applying for affiliation meaning the degree courses we offer will actually be those of the the University with whom we will be affiliated.  So, the journey continues!

Towards that end, I am offering a second level teacher education program which will run the first two weeks in November.  That accreditation has been my ultimate goal during my time here at PACC and probably at the conclusion of that I will end my work time here in Zimbabwe.  Our projected date for full accreditation is November, 2020  ("The Good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise,")  as my grandfather used to say. Not exactly sure what that meant but it sounds good.

My exams are finished and marked for the two block courses I taught and so now what remains is to mark all the papers and then submit my reports to the registrar.

My time is indeed full while I am here and exactly one month today I will be leaving Zimbabwe and flying to Houston, Texas to spend a few days with my son and his family before flying home to British Columbia.

Wow!!! It is now two weeks (or more) since I visited my blog and wrote to all.  I have now been home in BC for a few days, reconnecting with home and husband.  I keep pinching myself to see if my life is real or whether it is all a dream from which I will soon awaken.  If it is a dream, I don't want to wake up as I am so blessed.  Yes, indeed there are challenges, but amidst it all, I am so grateful for health and the opportunity to reach out and serve others.  Truly, it is in giving that we reeceive!

December 22nd, 2018

So, now to update from the above report from Zimbabwe.  All papers and exams got marked and all paperwork handed in in a timely manner.  Then we held our second level teacher training course, also in November, with 12 participants.  We had 6 teachers from the Assemblies of God and 6 from PACC (our college).  It was such fun and a time of joint learning where we all learned from each other. 
Inserted here is a picture of the group minus one person who could not be in attendance on the final day.

This second picture is of the participants from our college.  Notice we all had matching golf shirts with our PACC logo on them.  This is a first and one of the promotional things we are doing at our college.  In the future we will have all our students wearing our logo t's or golf shirts for college events and promotions.

I was privileged to have been able to take the course on-line while I was in Canada and then to be able to take it back and lead my colleagues through the course.  This was the first time this particular course had been offered in a group formate and so we were actually field-testing the course.  It was a great success and now I look forward to seeing what opportunities unfold in the future.

Here is another picture just to show you that all is not work and we have fun as well.  This is our Dean of Students and yours truly just horsing around. In the background is a poster displaying our college mission, vision and values statement.

On a more serious note...one of my very best students, a young man who suffered from cancer and yet came diligently to classes every day, passed away recently.  I was priveleged to visit with his wife, Sensi, and their two year old son, in their home and provide some counselling to this young widow in her time of grief. It is always difficult to loose a loved one and Sensi will certainly struggle, not only with grief but also with a culture that is very different than what we experience here in Canada, where equality between the sexes is still not the predominant culture. Sensi is a teacher at the Village of Hope.  I have inserted here a picture of mother and child and would ask that you please hold them in prayer.

 
We, Glen and I,  have had opportunities to get together with some of our family and friends as we are here at home in BC.  The turkey will be on at our house this Christmas and Glen's sister and her husband will join us for the day.

Early in the New Year we will make a flying trip to Edmonton to visit a very dear friend of ours who suffered massive strokes and is in University Hospital.  Then on January 15th we are flying to |New Zealand where we will tour and reconnect with relatives whom we have not seen in a good number of years.  Glen thought after travelling so much doing mission work, it was time to take a holiday.  I agreed and told him to go ahead and book it.  And so he did!!!!  It will indeed be different, travelling just for the fun of it. 

Having said that, I do miss Zimbabwe and all my colleagues there.  I am, however, still working with them from a distance.  Isn't technology a great thing? 

I had better sign off for now and hit send before I procraste any longer.

Wishing all a Very Merry Christmas (note I am not into the 'Happy Holiday' thing as to me Christmas is all about us celebrating once again the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.)  So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.  May you be richly blessed in 2019.

Until next time

Marj 

Hi to all you beautiful people out there in canada and the US.

September 30th, 2018

Although I won't be sending this out for  a while, the next leg of my journey is underway.  I flew out of Kelowna on September 28th, taking the long way around to Zimbabwe as I chose to visit my son and his family in Houston before flying on to Zimbabwe.

My final days in Canada (for now) included a quick trip to Red Deer, where I was honoured by CASC Alberta with a Lifetime Achievement Award.  A humbling experience for sure to be recognized in such a way.  It was certainly good to see so many of my former colleagues and to meet the new faces on the block. Both Doctor Margaret Clark - supervisor, colleague and friend and Pastor Anne Zimmerman - former colleague and lifetime friend travelled specifically for the occasion.  Thankyou both; and thankyou to all those involved.  Indeed it was a great 'homecoming' to be back in Alberta reconnecting.  Thank you to all in the Alberta Association for making this a special occasion.

Spending some quality family time, having Geoffrey (my son) assist me with some technological challenges.  My granddaughter Aspen is in her highschool band and we attended the Texas High School Band competitions yesterday.  It was great to attend one of her functions and see her perform.

Weather permitting I will take advantage of Geoffrey's time off work to grab a game of golf with him before I head off to Africa.  (The weather did not permit)

October 12th, 2018
Wow!!! As usual the time has literally flown by and here it is nearly two weeks since I left Canada.  After some quality family time in Houston with our son and his family, I flew off to Harare, Zimbabwe on October 2nd.  I flew via Dubai and had a 13 hour layover there.  Flying with Emerities Air is actually, in my never to be humble experience, the best option.  If your forced layover in Dubai is more than 9 hours, the airline supplies accommodations and meals, all as part of your travel package.  It does help to break up the flying time and gives an opportunity for a good night's sleep.

I arrived in Harare on thursday evening and started classes on the following Monday.  So as I write this I am overseeing my exam for Old Testament Survey.  Next week I will be teaching on the Pentateuch and then facilitating a teacher training course in November.  Between times I will be visiting some of the local churches and perhaps having some preaching opportunities.  My major role continues to be heading up our accreditation team and we have a meeting schedueled for next Tuesday.

I am now residing right on campus in a half duplex.  Am getting some renos done to the place to make it a little more user friendly.  Just had the bathroom tiled the other day.

Things are not good here in my adopted country and it is so sad.  There were high hopes that with the change in government would come some positive changes for the people of this beautiful country.  But, alas, such was not to be and things have progressively gotten worse.  The money situation is terrible; supplies are in short supply and prices have gone through the roof.  A pound of butter was $18.00 the other day.  And, no, I did not buy it!!!  Many of the stores have closed.  Those that have stock are limiting what one can buy.  There is nearly no fuel...the line ups at the few stations with fuel are blocks long and people park in line overnight.  I am truly glad I am living on campus.  I wanted to have a glass top replaced on a table but could not get an extimate on what it would cost me as the price tomorrow will not be the same as the price today. The line ups at the banks have disappeared because there is simply no money.

Picture inserted here is of the fuel line ups (blocks long...the gas station is about a block further up the street and the line-ups seem to have no end) with the beautiful jacarand trees in the background.  Indeed this is a beautiful country and facing such trying times. 

In the midst of the doom and gloom that abounds, I am blessed to be here and doing whatever I can to be an encouragement to my brothers and sisters here.

As Director of Quality Assurance it did my heart good, as I toured around our college, to see that many positive things are happening here on the ground at our college.  Our new dean of students is working extremely hard to get donations of food and other supplies to make our students lives pleasant.  She has orchastrated many improvements in our dorms, with recovering matresses, painting and tiling.  The dorms, indeed, look 110% better.  Our students are envolved in sports programs as well as being attached to local churches with whom they work on weekends.  I am reminded of an old saying I learned from my mom.  In the hard times "we just make do".  That is so true of the spirit and the reality of the people here.

However, God is good and we trust He will bring Zimbabwe through this time of crises.

Until next time, Love and blessings to all

Marj

Updates from Doc Marj and Zimbabwe

Greetings to all my family and friends

This blog will be short as it is probably past due time for an update on what is happening in my world.  In response to many of your questions, Yes, indeed, I am returning to Zimbabwe.  Albeit things have changed in how that unfolds.

Much of the work I am doing with our college in Zimbabwe can now be done via internet and other multimedia communication systems.  So for the next few years I will be working with PACC from Canada and going to Zimbabwe twice a year for two month stints.  I will spend four months each year on the ground in Zimbabwe.

After Glen and I returned to Canada in December, 2017, I returned to Zimbabwe in March/April of 2018.  I will be leaving Canada September 28th and returning to Canada December 4th, 2018.  As I will be going without Glen, my accommodations in Harare have changed and I will actually be staying right on campus.  (Glen has certainly done more than his share as he has simply gone along with my call to serve in Zimbabwe for nearly five years and I so appreciate his willingness to go with me, but now it is time for him to be home in Canada, and I am fine with that.)  Being on campus will be a good things as it means I can work late in my office and not have the concerns of driving home after dark.  (That is not considered to be safe, especially for a white woman alone.)  Do not be alarmed as I say that for I am perfectly safe on campus and surrounded with loving-caring people.  And I heed the advise that I not be out alone after dark.

Time here at home in Canada has been busy and great.  Time with family, connecting with many of our friends, being involved in ministry opportunities and the like has made the time go way too quickly.

Currently I am packing and preparing for the return to Zimbabwe.  I will be teaching block courses (intensive one week courses) during my time in Zimbabwe, along with facilitating teacher training and advancing our accreditation process.

The next blog will be an update once I am on the ground in Zimbabwe, so probably early October.

Love and blessings to all

Marj

Greetings to all my family and friends back in Canada and the US.
My last blog was just after arriving in Zim and now here it is time to leave to return to Canada.  So this will be short (and sweet).  Much has happened in the month I have been here and indeed I have been blessed beyond measure.
The month has passed way too quickly as it seems there is much left to do.  It was great to have a visiting pastor from Keremeos, BC (good friend of Glen's and mine) come to Zimbabwe and spend time at our college and the surrounding area. He preached at a number of local churches including one in the rural area.  Thanks Jason!!  It meant a lot to our students, staff and their families,and of course to me.
But it was not all work.  On Saturday, our friends the Allen's took us on a day trip to Imiri Wild Life Park where we had an awesome time of fellowship along with seeing many of the wildlife in that area, including giraffe, elephant, zebra, warthog, gamesbuck, wildebeast elan, (I'm sure I've missed some,but we saw a lot).  For Jason, it was his first trip outside of Canada and I think he fell in love with Zimbabwe and her people.
Will blog at greater length once I am back on Canadian soil.   But right now I have to sign off as the Allens are coming to pick me up and I'm off to the airport.
Love and blessings to all of you.
Marj