Family, Fundraising and Fun!

   We ended the final term of 2009, jumped in the car the next day to drive 14 hours to Johannesburg, then hopped on a 17 hour flight to Atlanta and another 3 hours to Boston so that we could spend the month of December in the US.  We had three main goals for our trip: spending time with family, getting some down time and raising more funding.

   Spending time with family: we got to introduce Molly to both sides of the family!  We are thankful for the special time we were able to spend with Mat’s parents in Maine and New Hampshire as well as Kayle’s family in Indiana.  Calvin and Molly enjoyed playing with their cousins as well!  Getting some down time: Well, I’m not sure that we really got this, but we certainly had a change of pace and scenery which is refreshing in and of itself!

   Raising more funding: We were thankful to have opportunities to visit with many of you and share about what we’re doing here at TCZ.  We certainly were encouraged by the ways we see many of our supporting churches growing, expanding and being stretched!  Due to the change of the economic environment here in Zimbabwe, we realized we needed to raise an extra $500/month (or $6000/year) in order to continue on here.    Amazingly from our trip, God provided $5820 in funding that many of you generously gave in one time gifts!  We are thankful for God’s provision for us for 2010 and thankful to many of you for wanting to join with us in what we are doing here in Zimbabwe!

Lightening Strikes TCZ!

     What do a PBX, surge protector, wireless router, ethernet card and ethernet switch all have in common?  They were all technological equipment at TCZ that were fried by lightening while we were in the US.  Every rainy season (December-March) we are bound to lose something due to lightening.  Even though we seek to protect our equipment from danger as much as possible, there is only so much you can do to ward off mother nature!  So Mat has been busy getting these items fixed.  He’s also been busy designing and printing ID cards for all the faculty and students as we were able to purchase a card printer for the college while in the US.

      His latest computer project is writing a student information system for the college (based on php and mysql) to keep the college’s grades, transcripts, registration, class schedules, alumni info, etc. all in one database.  This is a massive project and will require quite a lot of time.  If anyone is interested in helping out with this, let us know!

     Kayle has been leading the nursery at the church and this term we are teaching the kids that “God can use someone like me!”  We are learning about the heroes of the faith, seeing that if God used ordinary people like Noah and Moses for his extraordinary purposes, then surely he can use people like us as well!  Each week she tries to come up with creative ways of telling these Bible stories to the children as well as having a related craft for them to do.

     Our church also had a time of prayer and fasting together.  The church asked Kayle to write a devotional on “Believing the Promises of Scripture” that the entire church would read and meditate upon.  She enjoyed being able to remind church members of God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises!

     Kayle helps to lead a women’s Bible study group at the church.  We are going through a book called, “A Wife After God’s Own Heart” as we are seeking to be better wives.  She is organizing a fun Valentine’s Day evening for all the wives in this group and their spouses in order to show our husbands how much we appreciate them!

     Finally, Mat has been asked to organize the catering and food for our church’s annual Easter Camp.  This is a major undertaking as we are anticipating 200 people for 4 days!  Mat has been trying to plan meals, find a caterer and start buying food for the upcoming weekend.

     Pooh, pooh and more pooh (and no, I’m not talking about Winnie the Pooh!)  We are in the process of potty training Calvin.  He is doing quite well with his “#1s” and is now enjoying watering the trees, bushes, grass and sticks!  But the “#2s” are still happening in his big boy underwear.       
     Molly has got two teeth on the bottom already and has just begun solids.  She makes a horrible mess and she cries hysterically when she finishes her food, which indicates she really enjoys it.