Thursday 9 February 2012

In the Lion's Den



Well here we are two weeks into our adventure. We can hardly believe its only two weeks as it seems much longer! But we are certainly glad to be missing the cold weather at home. We are sending you this photo to show you how Dave is suffering for the gospel but I can assure you that the lion, or was it a bear? came off a lot worse! He isn't called David for nothing. What a hero!! Life for us here is very different. We wake early to the sound of birds, crickets and frogs in the swimming pool and go to bed very early to the sound of generators as the electrity has gone off again and is often off for 7 hours at a time. Candlelit dinners lose their romance after a while but we are very grateful to have a gas cooker so we are able to eat. There's no fear of us fading away! Dave has begun to dig a veggie patch in the garden and is very proud of his 4 courgette plants. The house is very comfortable and we feel very at home now. All it needs is a dog to complete the picture. As you can see, it is in a lovely setting, a real thatched country cottage.
We have been meeting with the church leaders and a guy called Brad who is out here with the BMS as a suveyer has been helping us to plan the next steps in the development of the church site. The first building is almost finished as the plumbing is nearly complete and then the walls need plastering and rendering on the outside. The next step is a caretakers house to make the site more secure.

We have also met with a charity called Family Impact who work to educate men, women, children and young people in how to avoid aids, how to build a strong family life, parenting and health education among other things. So we are thinking of ways we might be able to link with them or make use of their resources. There are many good things going on out here so we are keen not to re-invent the wheel by starting up new projects when others have already prepared the ground.

Last Sunday we went to the city church as it was their tenth anniversary and Taps was asked to share about Thembalezizwe church. We knew a lot more of the songs as they were sung in English and afterwards there was lunch so it was nice to catch up with some people we had met on previous visits.

Next week we are planning to go out into the bush to a place called Kezi to see micro businesses amongst impoverished Zimbabweans. So will let you know how we get on next time. The rains still haven't come so please keep praying. We did have a thunderstorm the other night but it was nowhere near enough.

In closing I must confess that the above injuries were caused by an argument with some barbed wire sited too low over a gate but he's still my hero because he didn't even cry!

4 comments:

  1. So good to get this update from you both. Although it seems that June is doing all the hard work with the blog, whilst Dave, your talking to your vegetables. Seriously though - it sounds like you have done so much in just 2 weeks. Well done!

    It's freezing here at the moment - even had to cancel EB & Seaford church last Sunday. You'll be pleased to know that the worship team were here on time (7am) and ready to go. Both meetings were cancelled so it was into Vivo for coffee, toast and muffins before taking to the ski slopes!

    You are dearly missed - I'm meeting up with the Seaford worship team next week - it'll be good to have a proper catch-up and plan for the future.

    Starting to plan for Easter Strand - scary thought!

    Love to you both! Andy

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  2. We will miss you! So sorry we didnt say goodbye. Are you picking up much of the language? Salibonani! or is it mangwanani? Xxx xxx

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  3. What a lovely house and garden! It is good to have somewhere nice to retreat to when daily life is so tough. No doubt you have already blessed others with the famous Dean hospitality. Have you swapped roast dinners for braais? We had power cuts for a couple of weeks in Lesotho. Definitely not romantic! We took to leaving candles and matches everywhere, even the loo! In case the lights suddenly went out.Have you met Graham and Sarah Giles,Andrea and David or Beks and Sophia Ndlovu? They are all lovely.Still thinking of you. Love to all A&A xx

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    1. So good to hear from you both. Weather here has been very cold brr. Dave you really must be careful around barbed wire IT HURTS wear your hat tut tut!! Dave has taken to wondering around Kings talking to himself since you've gone boohoo! June i'm sure a four legged friend or 2 will be on its way soon to keep you company. So pleased to hear that you are settling in well, meeting with the church and locals. The boys want to know when they can test out your pool bless them. please let us know what we can be praying for you all. Missing you both lotsa LOVE dave Julliette & boyzzz xxxxxxxxx <3

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