Journal 10
June 22, 2018
Greetings from Zimbabwe,
Today was another new experience. Albert decided the lettuce in the garden was going to get old and so I should gather some and take it to the feeding center and teach the cooks how to make salad. I made a dressing of sugar, vinegar and milk. Beauty had doubts that the children would eat it. I thought it was worth trying. The children were more than a little surprised. Only seven children out of all we fed did not eat all their salad. The boy in the picture ate his salad first and came for more before he even tasted the rice and chicken that was the main part of the meal. A fun day and a learning experience.
At the end of the school day, Stewart held his regular Bible Study class. They meet in the dining room where lunch had been served earlier. Here Stewart is explaining a game to the children. It was one of the games given to me for my early Birthday. When asked what I wanted, I had said things to take to the children. The girls competed against the boys. They got all into the game. The team that won got a point. Then they had to look up the scripture that answered the question. They were allowed only one minute to find it and the team that found it first got another point. What fun and what excitement. I think they are more knowledgeable than I am. It was fun.
Work at the Moringa Building is progressing in a timely manner. The rough plumbing is in place and the septic tank is finished. All the bathroom needs is the shower completed. The ceilings are all insulated and in some of the rooms the final coat of plaster has been put on. Electrical wiring is complete, connected and operational. All of this has happened in the last two and half weeks. The workers are all professional tradesmen from Harare. I hope the final coat of finish will be applied to the walls this week and we will be nearly ready to paint. Flooring will be the final step.
I have many pictures of clinic construction and it is very difficult to tell the story with only one picture; but, I am determined to keep the journals to two pages. Work is moving along nicely. More men are on the job during the concrete stage. The footings are being poured today and for several days to come. There is a lot of concrete to be mixed and it is all done by hand. The picture shows a corner of the foundation. It is where they stopped pouring cement last night. Note they poured some cement and let it run around the corner but did not cover the rebar. Today they will begin there and the fresh cement will encase the rebar and bond with the corner that was kept wet overnight. I am hoping to see walls rising before I come home in September. If the workmen maintain this pace, it will happen.
I might add, I am pleased with the workmanship up to this point. It is going to be a real clinic. It will serve this area for many years to come.
I know that I often include sad stories about orphans; but our primary work includes many things not building related. We have children who are suffering, often times alone. Some cases break my heart. I am compelled to share with you. These young people are all part of God’s family. I can’t just write about the positive things that are happening.
This young 14 year old girl has lost both of her parents. She last attended school when she was 9 years old. She is now 14 years old. She doesn’t know the date of her birth. Relatives that she was staying with were mean to her and they chased her away. This young girl was wandering aimlessly with no shelter. Her late mother’s sister is now caring for her. Efforts are being made to register her in HCOC but she does not have complete documentation.
Stewart has been working with her and visited her on Saturday. He gave her some articles of clothing. Stewart has such a nice way with the children. They are always happy to see him. There was much evidence of that on Friday when I attended an after school class that he conducted. He is such a Blessing to this organization.
The new truck arrived on Monday evening. Albert and Godfrey went early Monday morning to pick it up. They reported that the transaction went very smoothly. I traveled in it to Harare yesterday with Clever, our driver. He was going to collect baby chicks and I rode along to pick up some groceries. It had been two weeks since I had been to town and I needed a number of items. Today, we had a management team meeting to discuss some guide lines for use of all vehicles. Thank you to the donors who made this purchase possible. When I arrived in Zimbabwe I did not have funds for the Moringa Building. God has moved many to provide for HCOC needs. I wish to express my sincere gratitude.
I am asking you to please pray for these poor children. They have so much to cope with often alone. I know we have sad situations in the U.S. but there are programs to turn to. Here there are limited sources and no one has funding. God is our only hope! Please pray.
In His Service, Roberta