Salibonani!

Salibonani!

we just wanted to say a big thanks for all the messages we have recieved since being out here...we've found them really encouraging, so thanks :)

the last two and a bit weeks in Bulawayo have flown by. what have we been up to?

well we've been staying with a lovely young family not far from the centre of town (20 mins walk) - their place is so relaxing and we have been looked after so well. The husband is originally from Zim, and the wife is from the US. They have been sent over here by a Vineyard church in the States to work with FI (Family Impact). We have particularly been enjoying all the yummy food, hanging out together, and having the opportunity to play with their two year old daughter who is lots of fun.

We have been doing some voluntary work with FI too which has been great. Our first week was spent teaching life skills in a local primary school. we covered topics such as how to treat your family and friends, body changes, and also HIV & AIDS.

Last week we spent three days staying in the bush doing some follow up work in a primary school...a team from FI did some teaching there a month ago and we went to assess the impact by doing focus groups with the kids etc. It was a really good yet challenging experience to spend a few days in a rural area in that we were staying in a concrete room, with no running water or toilet. The long drop was probably the toughest part of our time away, but time spent there was kept to a minimum and praise God nobody got ill. We ate, slept, and sat in the same tiny space, so it was a good job we got on well with the team! This time away gave us a really good insight into how people are living out in the rural areas.

It was very humbling thinking how different schooling is here compared to the UK-especially in the rural areas where resources are low. The children privalleged enough to attend school are often in classes with 60 other children and workbooks are shared per group. If there is chalk available it's a bonus, uniforms that are worn are tattered, and it's unusual to see a child with a good pair of fitting shoes, most are bare foot. Yet amongst these differences, their eagerness to learn is amazing.

The rainy season has just started here which is great for the plants, however it has also meant an influx of bugs of all shapes and sizes, some with wings and some without. On our last night out in the bush, there were flying ants scattered all over the room. Also, as andy was setting up his bed for the night, he noticed a large object in the corner of the room. It turned out to be a large orange, hairy spider...gross! we managed to catch it with the help of a broom and a flip flop!



Another plus was that we were able to pick up a few Ndebele words whilst out in the ruraal area. Ndebele is the languange spoken in the western and south western parts of the country and involves lots of difficult mouth movements like clicks etc. The other most commonly used language in Zim is called Shona, mainly spoken in Central and Eastern parts.

Talking of insects, after a few nights back at our house in Bulawayo, we found a millipede the length of a hand on the inside of our mosquito net. Needless to say it was quite a surpise reminded us that we are actually in Africa.

Yesterday we went along to a marraige course for the day that FI were running. It's a mixture of Holy Trinity Brompton material and some material that has been specifically written for this culture. It was so interesting to be part of and the course seeems to be having a real impact on the cummunity which is great.
We're heading to the immigration office early tomorow, hoping to extend our visa's from 30days to 3months. We'll be sure to take our books&water for the potentially long wait.

thinking of you all x