End of Term Two
Mat and I really enjoyed this term. Kayle taught a book study through the book of Amos which went really well. Since it was an evening class, people from the community were invited to come as well. The book of Amos address social injustice issues like oppression of the poor, the rich getting rich off of cheating the poor, the rich buying justice at the expense of the poor, etc. Many of the things Amos denounces are things that are actually happening here in Zimbabwe! Amos also denounces the religiosity of those who look spiritual as they give many offerings to God, but their lives are inconsistently characterized by the social injustices they commit. Again, so often we as Christians can separate our religious Sunday life from the lives we live Monday through Saturday, but God sees our daily actions as an act of worship to him too and desires a consistency in our belief and practice. We found the book of Amos to be quite relevant and challenging to the situation all around us here in Zimbabwe, but also to our own personal lives as well.
Taking a Break
With tensions really mounting over these past few months due to the re-elections, brutality in the rural areas, a skyrocketing daily inflation, cash shortages, and the uncertainty of life, Mat and I were ready for a break! So after the school term ended, we took a shopping trip/vacation down to Pretoria, South Africa with our Australian friends, Jodi and Andrew. We stayed 5 nights at our favorite bed and breakfast where we shopped throughout the day and got take out food each night. We enjoyed things like flavored lattes in “to go” cups, easily getting cash at the ATM and fuel at the pump whenever you wanted it, potato chips and chocolate, going to shops with full shelves and lots of variety, getting a few new shirts and pants (which, except for Kayle’s maternity clothes, were the first new clothes we’ve bought since being here), and other such rarities that you don’t experience in Zimbabwe. All in all, we came back to Zimbabwe feeling refreshed and ready for facing life’s challenges once again.
Saying Goodbye
Donna, our maid who has been with us since we got here, is saying goodbye to us. This week has been her last week with us as she just seems ready to be done working as a maid. Her children are grown up living in South Africa and send money to her here in Zimbabwe, so technically she doesn’t really need a job to survive here. Plus her family owns a farm and they want to start farming it and getting it going once again. Kayle has been SO sad at the loss of Donna. Part of the sadness is the idea of finding someone else to take her place and spending lots of time training the next person, but most of the sadness is the fact that Donna has become like family. She was wonderful to talk to throughout the day and loves Calvin so much. She did her job with excellence and never complained. She was really a “diamond in the rough” and we’ll really miss her presence in our house!