Zim Love

You've earned the most generous family and friends award!  You rocked the Zim medicine drive in a big way!  After posting about it, we got mail every day that looked like this...

We got checks and packages from old sorority friends, college roommies, cousins that we rarely get to see, local pals, 2010 Zim teammates, parents and our church's women's ministry. 

The pip-squeaks got totally into all of the fun mail "for the kids". 

They were ever so helpful with the sorting and bagging. 

We donated four rounds of huge piles like this one...

You my friends, are all-star givers.  We are so grateful for the love you've shown!

As I type this, this year's Zimbabwe team has begun to distribute your donations to a small handful of children's homes.  There are not orphanages in this country, only small children's homes run by charities like Hands of Hope.  Often, kind hearted pastors and people take in two or more children as well.  Your meds/vitamins will be relieve the burden of care for these nannies, foster and adoptive parents. 

Tis' the Season to Show Some Love

I'm messed up.  I visited Zimbabwe last year, and was wrecked for orphans.  Both the good and the bad news is that I am still wrecked.  Mark and I can't hear orphan statistics and distance ourselves from it.  We can't live in indifference.   

On that trip, the faces of orphans became real.  With little hands tucked into mine, I knew immediately that I could no longer act if I was doing enough for orphans.  Orphans weren't statistics.  They were children who stole chunks of my heart:

Amos 

(found in on a doorstep,

who held my face in his hands and kissed my cheeks) 

Naomi 

(who beamed as she showed me pots

used to cook over an open fire)

Matilda

(whose tears streamed down her cheeks)

Lillian

(who has seen and lived too much, and who never took her eyes off me)

With the sound of giggles in my ears and the sights of children with ragged clothes filling my senses, I developed a sense of urgency to
DO SOMETHING. 

Last spring, I asked you to help make wishes come true, and you did that in a big, big way.  You donated three jumbo boxes of supplies for these kids who had crushed me.  We did it! 

The next piece of bad and good news is that we can't check off the "charity" box on our to do list.  For us, we want it to be a lifestyle.  We also know that we have friends with BIG, BIG hearts, so we are going to throw out another opportunity to show some love. 

Our church is taking another team to Zimbabwe, so we have a chance to meet more needs.  Will you join us in compiling:

1.  children's vitamins

2.  children's pain reliever

3.  children's cough/cough/allergy meds

(tablet or liquid form)

4.  Neosporin

5.  band-aids

Store brands are great, and would mean we could buy more.  The team will travel the last week in February, so we'll need them by February 13. 

Show some love this Valentine's Day!

One Last Humbling & Saying No to Fear

After our church service on our last day in Zimbabwe, we were given an opportunity to tour the rest of Goshen Farm.  On this property are three children's homes sponsored through Hands of Hope.  These homes cost only $3,000 to build.  Each home houses a small group of very young children, and a nanny.  It is as close to a family experience as possible. 

Funds given by our team, our supporters and our church will help build another one of these homes.  The dream is for this to be a community of homes.

One of these young boys was found in his home laying by his father who had passed away several days prior.  He was brought to Goshen Farm by the social welfare system.  Many of these kids have similar sad stories.  The good news?  They are loved.  The women and men who work on this farm love them and care for them. 

See the men and women surrounding these little sweeties?  They sacrifice daily for these kids.  They are on the front lines of orphan care.  They sacrifice, they give, they pray and they love. 

As a way to honor them and serve them, our leaders suggested a traditional foot washing ceremony.  We were Americans coming in with suitcases of stuff and money to give.  We wanted them to know that we honored them and their work.  We had books, t-shirts, soccer balls and money to give, but we are not better.  Their work is great, and ours was small. 

They sang.  The rain poured down.  We washed.  Tears filled our eyes, and our hearts were humbled yet again.  It was the perfect ending.

"If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. "   
John 13: 12-15

Fear.  I am so grateful that I did not let it keep me from this life-altering experience.  I was fearful about leaving my young daughter and husband.  I was fearful about asking for support.  Fearful about travelling with people that I did not know.  Fearful about being completely outside of my comfort zone.  Several people did not think that I should go.  Most people didn't really understand.  In my heart though, I knew I was meant/called to go.  Fear almost kept me from going.  I am thankful that it didn't. 

The cool thing?  We taught the kids (and ourselves) this verse:

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

Processing Poverty

"I avoided coming to visit the poor for a long time. I was afraid my heart would be broken by their condition. Instead, today, I found my heart broken by my condition."-a quote from the book Too Small to Ignore,

by Wess Stafford, President of Compassion International

A Trunk Tale

Our last excursion at Antelope Park was an elephant ride.  Little old me, from a little old place called nowhere, leading my little old life, RODE AN ELEPHANT!!!   Yet another experience of a lifetime. 

Oh, Africa, how I love you!  You rocked my world emotionally, physically and spiritually.  Every ounce of me was awake and living. 

My guide asked me if I had any extra shoes to spare at the end of the our ride.  Thinking about the cost of my Keens was a bit humbling. 

Wondering why my mouth is wide open in these pictures?  I was in the middle of a full blown, totally girly squeal.  If your hand was right next to a gi-normous elephant mouth, I bet you'd have squealed too.  (Just sayin'!)Special thanks to this kind elephant, who allowed me to survive this experience with all ten fingers (and my head for that matter) intact.  Shew. 

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality." ~Desmond Tutu

Saddle Story

Rockin' helmet, right?    While in Antelope Park, we had the opportunity to do some game viewing on horseback through the Zimbabwe Midlands.  This amazing ride will rank right up there as one of the highlights of my life.  Pictures could never do it even the tiniest fraction of justice. 

The name of my horse (told to me after I had already chosen it)?  "Shasha", which is the name that Claire's nannies call her in her orphanage in ChengDu, China.  God is in the details my friends. 

The African sky stirs you.  It is feels low, expansive, perfectly blue and beautiful. 

We didn't see a whole lot of game while we were out, but we did see lots of amazing birds, a funky looking wildebeest, monkeys and antelope. 

The time was precious.  It felt blessed, and was intended to be savored.  To have the opportunity reflect on all that we had seen and all that we had learned, while surrounded by intense natural beauty, was the truest of  gifts.   Despite my aching butt-ski, I could have ridden all day. 

"All I know is that every time I go to Africa, I am shaken to my core." ~Stephen Lewis

Check out this post for a chance to help pack a package for teenage girls in Zimbabwe.

Hangin' with the Lions

If hangin' with lions had been on my "bucket list", I could officially check that one off!  At the end of our time in Zimbabwe, our mission team headed to Antelope Park for some debriefing time.  Our first excursion was a walk with lions.  Talk about once in a lifetime!  I was in awe of the lion and in awe of the experience! 

Check out my high speed lion protection apparatus, otherwise known as a scrawny walking stick. 

Jumping up into this safari vehicle was one of those "Don't wake me if I am dreaming" kind of experiences!

After the lion walk, a few of my awesome trip buddies and I got to play with lion cubs. 

The moral of this post is, make a bucket list and dream big!

"It's better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life."  ~Elizabeth Kenny

Check out this post for a chance to help pack a package for teenage girls in Zimbabwe.

Bragging Rights-Revealed!

I consumed one of these while in Zim, and I claim bragging rights.  Any guess what they are?  My flavor of choice was chilli flavor. 

***Updated: These were deep fried crickets.  Although they look like they are chocolate covered, they unfortunately were not.  I deserve bragging rights, right?***

Check out this post for a chance to help pack a package for teenage girls in Zimbabwe.

Weak in the Knees & Help Pack a Package

I went to Zimbabwe to hold and play with orphan babies and toddlers.  That is where my heart was.  Fortunately, God stretches us and gives us experiences far beyond what we would plan for ourselves.  I went to Africa for the babies, but fell in love with the teenagers. 

Lillian, Matilda, Elizabeth, Tandy, Faith.  These girls messed with me.  They all have lost family due to HIV or alcoholism.  They all face hardships that I can't begin to understand.  Most can't afford the $60 fee for school.  Most have spent their lives helping care for younger kids.  Despite all that, they have joy. 

I had the pleasure of sitting in a field one day with my teammate Karyn and three teenage girls.   We talked about music, boys, and the differences between the US and Zimbabwe.  I told them that Americans have a lot of STUFF, but really miss out on some of the beauty that I saw in Zim.  People in the US are distracted by technology, busy schedules, and our STUFF.  Our main goal is to get MORE STUFF.  We are obsessed with time and agendas.  They focus on relationships and today.  They are outside with other people.  The people there sing and dance with ease.  Their harmony will make you weak in the knees.  They praise authentically.  They care for one another without question.  They share the last of what they have.  Their faith rocked me. They don't question God. They quote scripture like I can not.  One of the teenage girls at the end of the week said, "It sounds like it is hard to live in the US." Sigh. I think it might just be.

The next day, we got a larger group of girls together.  We talked and then they sang, and sang and sang. 
I listened with my weak knees. 

When asked what to pray for for them they responded:

1.  to be able to go to school

2.  for the health and faith of their families

3.  for provision of underwear, Bibles and shoes

Because they blessed us, we hope to bless them.  Anyone want to help pack a package to mail to these girls?    Along with lots of copies of this book, we would like to help meet one of their needs. 

We need:
1. underwear to fit teenage girls

2.  simple shoes/flip flops (teenage girls or boys)

3.  Bibles (new or gently used)

4.  socks (teenage girls or boys)

5.   notes of encouragement

Here are two of the scriptures that they could all quote by heart:

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.

Matilda

We loved on many kids in Zim, but four took a chunk of my heart: Amos, Naomi, Lillian and Matilda.   Matilda lost both of her parents in 2003.  She shared her story with me as we walked on a dirt road, surrounded by fields of maize, with tears rolling down her cheeks.   She can't afford school.  Her dream is to go to South Africa and be a hair dresser.  If Lillian was my sidekick #1, Matilda was sidekick #2.  If I painted, she painted (both our cheeks and the walls!).  If I raked weeds, she raked.  She wanted to hold the paint bucket for us.  She wanted to get all of our supplies.  While painting once, I felt a wet cloth touch the back of my neck.  She had dipped a cloth in turpentine to remove the paint from the back of my neck.  Seriously.

I see such beauty in her.  I see a heart bigger than my own.   I am better for having met her.  I'll be praying for my friend. 

Lillian

This is Lillian.  In Zimbabwe, she was my sidekick, my helper, and my friend.  After meeting on our first morning at Hope Valley, she was by my side whenever possible.  She held my hand as we walked along the dirt roads, she worked beside me on the children's home project, and she asked to carry my things (see above) at all times.  She is an orphan, living with her seventeen year old sister and her family.  She wore clothes that did not fit, or that were exceptionally formal. ( I assumed these were donated clothes.)  When we first met, she was wearing headphones with the wires tucked into her shirt.  A few hours later, I discovered that they were connected to nothing.  Like any teenager, she just wanted to look cool.  She can't afford to go to school, and really struggles with friendships and boys.  She is a combination of joyfulness and deep loneliness. 

She was my constant helper, always watching, always helping me play and do crafts with the little ones.  Her eyes watching me were a constant reminder that every interaction that we had with these kids mattered...and hopefully matters still. 

On our last day there, Lillian pulled me away from the whole group, asking me to come outside.  When I stepped outside, she was beaming.  Her sister had come to meet me, with her baby wrapped in a towel, riding on her back.   They were all smiles, and I tried to smile too. These two sisters are alone, and already parenting the next generation.

 I wished them well, hugged them and promised them that I would pray and try to get mail to them.  If I only traveled to Zim to meet Lillian, it was well worth it.  I left this sweet young woman with words of encouragement, a few little items and a piece of my heart.  I love you, Lillian.  You will always be in my prayers.