I,Aye, Eye

Izzy resting on the sofa on the  veranda

It's Impossible to describe how much pleasure Izzy, our dog gives us. She is a real character and so affectionate. As she is so large she is a great deterrant to would be intruders too! She has a habit of lying like this. We're not sure if it's to cool her undercarriage or she thinks she is human! We sometimes take her to Hillside Dams for a walk and she loves travelling in the back of the pickup.

Florah with Tinaye

Infant Chizana is the Image of his Dad and his sister Rutendo! Here he was 7 days old and is growing rapidly. Naturally Taps and Florah are delighted to have a boy after two girls. Florah's Mum is staying to help out for a while.


Imagine our amazement when local people stopped to ask X if 1BD could do a Field Day to show people how to farm! This is just what we were hoping the development of 1BD would achieve, inspiring others in the community to greater vision and opportunities. The Field day took place a week ago and was a resounding success.



Prayer before the speeches in the children's shelter

X talking to some of the visitors









Invitations were sent out to other churches, local councillors and the governor of Bulawayo. Unfortunately they couldn't all come but we had about 120 peple in all and it was a great advert for the church as well as the site. The ladies doing the catering excelled themselves, producing traditional foods over the fire as zessa was off! It was all delicious and the church hall was decorated beatifully with maize stalks and flowers from the bush. I was so proud to be part of such a great church family.

the catering team waiting to serve the amazing food

Instead of going weekly with Kidz Klub at Trenance we have decided to start one at Hamara farm and did a trial run 2 weeks ago. This Saturday we start for real! Samanga, the pastors wife, is a teacher at the school there and is very keen so has a great team organised which makes it easy for me. I plan the programme and they do it! We will do the same programme at both sites on a fortnightly basis, one week Hamara, the next week, Trenance.

Immigration have still not approved our permit yet so at the moment we are having to go to the offices every month to get our passport stamped, which isn't a problem, but with elections coming up (still no date fixed!) we're not sure if any decision will be made in a hurry! So the waiting goes on...
Is it my imagination or is this year passing quicker than ever? The leaves are falling and the mornings and evenings are cooler, so winter is definitely on the way. Perhaps spring will have arrived in jolly old England by the time you get to read this. Let's hope so..
 

H is for HAPPY!

The 'men', Taurai, Graham, Wilson, Dave and X talking business!



Happy Easter! A bit late, I know, but sincerely wished all the same! We had a lovely time at Graham and Sarah's on Good Friday, eating in the garden with some of the other Thembalezizwe leaders and families. The children loved the pool and it was great just to relax.

The children having fun in the pool

Happy Day! Then on Easter Sunday we had a guest service which Dave preached at. There were at least 15 guests and 4 responses to the Gospel. I had managed to make some blinds for two of the windows so  Dave could use the projector for a powerpoint presentation for the first time. The catering team did a great job of providing cakes and serving drinks afterwards too. A really powerful morning.

Samu with the children before the wheel came off!

 Happy Holidays are now being enjoyed by the school children here including the E.C.D. We have 5 weeks off in all! 

 

 

Dave and X off to the supermarket with cabbages and tomatoes

Happy children enjoyed a donkey cart ride the day we broke up and thought it was hilarious when one of the wheels came off the cart when they were half a mile away from the school and they all tipped sideways and had to walk back. It would never happen in England!!


Here we have some Happy farmers off to the supermarket with cabbages and tomatoes. To date Dave has sold 2 tonnes of tomatoes from the church site! At Easter we gave all the guys from the site lunch of polony sandwiches, chicken and coke, as a thank you for all their hard work  Happy workers!

 

Dave was very put out that in the last blog I forgot to say that he was my Hero. Just before Graham and Belinda arrived we were woken  one night by Izzy barking and barking. Dave went out to find a snake on the veranda. He bravely attacked it with the broom and killed it. Happy wife! It was only when we looked it up on the internet that we found out it was a Puff Adder, the snake that kills more people in Africa than any other! I'm Happy it's the snake that bit the dust and not Dave!! Dave insisted on keeping his prize for Graham to see but it got so smelly Graham ended up burying it...

 

Wilson and Anna with some of their children and a niece.

This Happy family photo is of Anna and Wilson with their children in their new home in St Peters. Anna featured in one of the earliest blogs with her ninth child William who is now 11 months old. We took Phil and Sarah Varley and their four children , who are visiting New Creation church from Kings Catford as they wanted to see how the people out there are coping with all the challenges they face. The families are really pleased with their 2 roomed houses as they can call them their own and be settled for the first time in their lives. Wilson is trying to start a vegetable garden and has found water by digging a well, but has lost a lot of his plants to white ants.

The latest Happy event in the church has been the arrival of Taps and Flora's little son Tinaye Micah Chizana on Easter Sunday. Haven't seen him yet but they are all doing well and the girls love him!!
Now Happy hour is upon us. No I'm not drinking! Just a reminder that now your clocks have changed, we are only one hour ahead of you instead of two... Just in case you thought of skyping..
Well I am now Happy to sign off as uploading photos onto the blog is such a challenge here and this blog has taken two days to complete!