Wow - we did it!!!

We are nearing the end of our Upper Sixth's time with us and we can't believe God's faithfulness to us! 

This is my favourite time of year!!!  Spring is in the air – it is still very dry and getting hot as the rains are only due in November but the trees are blossoming and the most beautiful to me – the Jacarandas – they still fill me with such awe at their beauty and I love finding streets that take my breath away!!!  I am thankful for living in Harare and not the rural areas where we were this time 2 years ago as the heat was unbearable!!!  I have got my veggie garden beds ready in anticipation for the rains and wait to plant my seeds!!!  Our garden is brown and very dry and blowing red mud everywhere!  I long for the rains to water our red mud and to see grass come to life again!  I anticipate the smell of the rain too – oh the joys of Zimbabwean rain!!!  Until then – we wait and enjoy the flowering trees! (since I wrote this we have had a glorious thunder storm)

We ended the term and then began to prepare for the Revision Schools – we had arranged to run revision classes at 3 township schools.  The month of August was a busy month.  Phew!!!  We had boxes of stationary and textbooks for each school.  A box of calculators to loan for the lessons and various other resources.  We would load the cars up the night before and head out early in the morning.  The revision schools were a huge success if you look at is positively.  Unfortunatly there were a few glitches along the way which were just purely frustrations that kind of limited us a little and were not what we were expecting but having lived back here long enough and this being our 4^th year of revision schools we went with the punches!!!  We really felt we were able to bless a couple of hundred students and was lovely to hear their appreciation.  Our 23 students all served over this time giving of their time to help other students.  It is always special to see them giving back – especially if it was in their former schools!  I took our 3 kids out to each school to visit for a few hours and to feel a little bit apart of what was happening.  They also love to be included and spend time with our students.  Matthew blew me away at his depth of understanding – ‘Mummy our students are blessing people too because they have been blessed’ – this needless to say reduced me to tears and I realised he too had got it!!!!  Thank you Lord!  Driving into the high density areas is always a good teaching opportunity for our children – seeing the little homes that up to 5 families live in, kids playing in the streets etc.  Always ample things to speak into and help them have compassion and passion for what we are trying to do!!

We welcomed a wonderful lady from the UK – Denise!  She is a retired Maths teacher and came out specifically to help at our revision schools and to teach the Upper Sixth Further maths.  What a blessing she was to us – she taught tirelessly and gave 200% of her time.  She kept telling us that she had come to serve and that is exactly what she did.  She came with resources and sat up late each night with Mark preparing.  Here heart was incredible and we so enjoyed having her in our home.  She was also so incredibly adaptable with the unpredicatableness of Africa sometimes!!!  Thank you Denise!!!

 

Hope and one or two volunteers have visited 50 township schools distributing application forms for places for next year.  We will then collect the forms mid October and start the hard testing process in November.  It is the 3^rd year now we are doing this exercise and Mark has been a little sad not to have been so hands on in the distribution process but will obviously be very involved in the selection process.  What a big responsibility!!!  Well done Hope for all the school visits!!  If you visit our charity website www.makomborero.info you can find our application form and brochure.

The term has felt incredibly busy as the students all prepare for their final exams and Mark works madly to get his Hellenic and Makomborero Zimbabwe students ready!!  I have felt quite emotional the last two weeks as they write their first exam on Wednesday 10^th October!!  We have all 23 of our students writing this Maths exam and Mark has 30 Hellenic students he teaches – so a total of 53 students writing this exam that he personally teaches – eek!!!  Needless to say he is a little nervous too.  I find myself on the verge of tears as I look back and see how far we have come to get the students to this point – proud of Mark, proud of the students, proud of our house mum, administrator etc – we had nothing to start with and God has been so incredibly faithful!!  It has felt like a marathon at times but we have done it!!!  I am also sad as I know we have to let these guys go too!  So tearful I entrust them to God – knowing that our season of feeding into their lives are nearly over and we have to let them fly!  We are working on University applications at the moment and slowly getting scholarships trickling through!

A former student of Mark’s from Benenden visited us again!  She came out at the infancy stage of the project when we had just moved into Harare from the rural areas.  It was wonderful to welcome her into our home again – our children love her and she them!!!  We were able share our lives with her!  She helped with the distribution of application forms, visited an orphanage a few times, interviewed our students, did a fun Greek lesson with the students and they taught her a little shona, took part in Bible Study, invigilated exams, shopped at the market etc!  We think she had a great time and appreciate her visit and heart for the work we do!

This term has been quiet in the sense of co-curricular stuff due to the students studying but our Lower Sixth have been very busy still at their schools.  Lisa took part in the combined schools choir – which was a wonderful evening.  I have enjoyed my bible study evenings with them and love the beautiful singing that takes place in the boarding house – such wonderful harmonies!!! 

The Upper Sixth Students had the opportunity to visit Kutsaga.  This was an amazing opportunity for them to see a lot of the theory they have learnt in Chemistry put into practice.  Mr Muchoko their Chemistry teacher took them. 

Our Lower Sixth have been paired up with a Global Citizenship Course in Finland.  This has been a great opportunity for them to learn about another culture and share about their own.  Mark and I hosted a Finnish evening at our house and cooked Finnish food and had some special goodies for them to taste - one of our Makomborero Trustees is out from the UK and they were brought with them!!!  It is great to have Nicky here to see what we actually do!!!

So we enter the exam season and have had the privilege of going to all three schools Prize Givings that our 8 Lower Sixth Students attend.  So proud of all their achievements!!  We will hold our own Prize Giving ceremony once the exams are over to celebrate our Upper Sixths achievements and have a good send off for them!!  We also hope to do a big group trip to Mukuvusi (a local game park) with all the students before the end of the year and of course the all important Christmas Party!!!

 

Family News
Matt's sports day was at the end of the 2nd term - what a fun day it was.  We were very proud parents!

Mark worked crazily all holidays and we did not get a break but I took the kids away for 3 nights to a little dam just outside town – we had a fun few days together. Though the night before I left we had another burglary – we saw them this time and it wasn’t a very pleasant experience – thankfully we were all ok – but this totally threw me and I then proceeded to leave most of the essentials for Ella at home – thankfully I packed nappies!!! We missed Mark but enjoyed quality time together just the 4 of us and Mark joined us for the last night!!

 

Mark's folks came to visit for 2 weeks - it was very special to have them around.  They are always so generous to us and we love the time we have with them but especially seeing our kids bond with them!!!

 

Our 3 kids are all doing so well and growing up way too fast.  Ella is 9 months and nearly crawling!  She is a delight to all of us and so wonderful to see how Matt and Zoe play with her.  Her name means 'Shining Light' and we often hear Zoe and Matthew telling her that and reminding her that that is what she is to us!  So precious!! 

We celebrated Zoe’s 3^rd Birthday in August – which was a Sleeping Beauty party and thanks to Debs (who sent out a Sleeping Beauty dress up outfit) we had a wonderful day!  She is such a girly girl and I love my mornings with her when Matt at school.  She has a wonderful imagination and is incredibly caring but also has a very, very strong character!!!  Just can’t believe she is 3! 

Poor Matthew has a big hernia in his groin and will need to have surgery on it – sadly not a day surgery op and will have to be in over night!  He is being very brave about the whole thing and sometime I think he has more of an adults brain than I do! 

Both Matt and Zoe are back at swimming lessons – we can’t wait till they are confidently swimming – so sweet to see them improve and gain confidence each week!!  I’m often sitting on the side of the pool in the mid day heat wishing I could jump in with them!!!

We took the opportunity while Grace was here to enjoy time out of Harare at Paradise Pools.  We went with a few other families and had such a lovely day.  It was very hot and no shade - but wonderful to have the pools to cool down in!  Grace enjoyed the outing too!

It has taken our precious little boy to kick us up the butt to learn Shona!  Matthew declared the other day in the car that he was embarrassed to live in Zimbabwe and not know how to speak Shona and that we need to learn it!!  (Something Mark and I have often said but done nothing about).  So the wonderful lady who has recently come to clean our house 2 days a week is teaching us - after Matt asked her to help us!!  She is a huge blessing in our lives in so so many ways - not only the way she is like a fairy in our home and makes everything sparkly and shiny but how she has become a good friend.  So when she is around the kids learn a few more words and so does their mummy!!!  Thank you Sekai!!!!  She is an inspiration with the obsticals she has overcome.  We are also the first job she has ever had - she is an orphan, who is married with two precious boys and her husband and her have struggled for years to make ends meet as neither have had a proper job in their lives.  She is an incredible entripenour who has managed to provide for her family against incredible odds.  I am blessed by having her in our home and inspired by the way she has fought for her family.  She is beautiful, inside and out!!  She is so lovely that she now is working for 3 different people over 5 days on my recommendation - able to support her family better!!!

Amazingly water has been flowing through our pipes – be it every now and then and only a very little trickle at night but this means we are not asking for as much water from our next door neighbour.  I do wonder when the under ground water supply below Harare will run out as so many people no rely on it as their only source of water.  You hear of boreholes drying up all the time now!!  Also we have just had an incredible week of power – no power cuts for a week – normally have no power every day!  Sadly the boarding house has not been so lucky!!

A very close friend from South Africa who I had not seen for 3 years visited for a day last week – what a treat!!!  A day that will stay with me for a long time – shed tears together, laughed, talked, did kiddies together – God is good when He brings special people into our lives!!

Mark is weary and I am so blown away by his capacity this year.  I honestly do not know how he has done this year – God’s grace boy!!!  He is exhausted and looks it too – so trusting there will be some time out over Christmas even with all the recruiting for the new students next year!!!  We are thankful this hard year is nearly over and look forward to next year with half the work load for Mark and adjusting to being able to spend time together as a family!!!  And hopefully build some special friendships.  Mark I am so very very proud of you!

We still miss England and our friends terribly!!  Friendships are the hardest part about moving – leaving friends and making new ones!!  There are a few luxuries I miss most of all – humus, being able to do all your grocery shopping under one roof and not drive all over town getting this here and that there, cheese, chocolate, NHS, fresh pasta, goat’s cheese, fruit pots, cream cheese – I could go on.  But just over 2 years here I can say we are slowly beginning to feel like this is home!

Thanks to all of you for the continued love and support!!  We could not have done these past two years without you!!!! And God of course!!

A few more photos:
The kids love Rosie our dog!

This is the way the lady rides - with three on my lap!

 

 This is what a pile of building sand is for!

  

 Cuddles with my best friend!

 
 Enjoying cuddles with Granny Alison

There were four on Matthew's bed for story time

Oh mum please can we go in Ella's cot!

 

 

Ella at 8 1/2 months

 

 

Fun in the paddling pool together!

 

What a great term so far !!!

Yah term 2 of 2012!  It has been an exciting term already and we are only just over half way through.

The students are all back and enjoying their studies.  All preparing and in the middle of their end of term exams and trying to keep warm in the evenings.  Winter is here and we have glorious sunny days and chilly nights – though the last few weeks have been much warmer – but nothing beats a Zimbabwe winter.

We started the term with a Birthday Party – we decided to celebrate all 23 students birthdays at one big party.  What a great afternoon it was!  It was a first for all of them and we were able to play silly party games which they have never played before.  Sian did a brilliant job as usual in this department.  They played pass the parcel with forfets, ladders, musical statues etc.  There was a birthday cake with candels.  A few students baked brownies for the first time – which were delicious.  It was a lovely afternoon and very special too!!

Charlotte continued to help the students prepare for their SATs at the beginning of the term.  She so loved her time with the students and will continue to provide extra English lessons for preparation for their end of year exams.  The students wrote their SATs and now have that behind them. 

Such exciting news – 9 of our students did really well in a Science Olympiad and were invited to South Africa for an amazing week of visiting different industries and attending an awards ceremony – all expenses paid.  What an incredible opportunity for them!!  We were so proud of them and thrilled they got to experience something so amazing!!!  None of them had passports and getting passports can be a little tricky here but God was good and my dad and Hope spent a lot of time knocking on doors and finally got them – our poilciy is no bribary and we did it – even though it was not looking very hopeful.  The organisors in South Africa were so patient with us as we literally did not know who would be going until a few days before they were due to leave!!!  The 9 students had an incredible experience visiting mines, car manufacturing plants, a zoo, museums etc.  There was also an awards ceremony and 3 of our students received awards.  Destiny for coming 2nd in SADC (he won a computer), Ryan for coming 3rd in SADC (he won cash) and Lesleen for coming 3rd in Biology in SADC (she won cash).  We were very proud of all of them!!!

The Minibus is working out brilliantly!  What a blessing it is to the project and has made such a difference to the students lives and how much time they spend travelling!!! 

Sian continues to do brilliant games evenings this term.  What a gift she has in this area!!!  We haven’t had any successful DVD evenings this term due to lack of power and our invertor can’t run the projector for very long!! 

We had some amazing visitors from the UK for two weeks – Hugh, Rosie and Sam.  Hugh and Rosie are both Consultant Doctors in the UK and Sam is studying computer programming.  What a wonderful family they were.  So adaptable and easily fitted into the Zim way of doing things – from no power, no water, driving on Zim roads with no traffic lights when there is no power, lack of time management by Zimbabweans, having to make a plan when things don’t go as they should etc – they were brilliant.  They had a very full itinerary which kept them very busy but we think they enjoyed it.  They spent quality time with the students, doing Biology, Ultimate Frisbee, Computer programming, then visits to Township schools doing revision classes and microscope work and visits to HIV work in the Townships etc.  We also had a wonderful evening climbing Domboshawa with them.  They introduced photography to the students - which was a hit and we now have a photography club running in the house!!!  Hugh, Rosie and Sam hold a special place in our hearts and we hope to see them when we visit the UK one day!  I have a funny feeling we will be welcoming them back here one day!!!!  Think Zim has stole their hearts - though Sam's was already stolen as this is his third year back!!!!

We organised parents days for our students parents/guardians to come and chat to Mark and Denise (our house mum).  The first one was for Upper Sixth (our 15) and they also met their other subject teachers.  It was a lovely day, we provided lunch for the parents/guardians and really enjoyed getting to know them.  We did an afternoon for the Lower Sixth (our 8) as they are not taught by us so only needed Mark and Denise there.  We felt that this time was very positive and nice to have the families involved.  Mark has also had to attend 2 parents evenings for the 6 of the 8 so far at their private schools.  Wonderfully the parents meetings were so positive and so complimentary of the students.  Made us sooooooo proud of them.

Pamela, Blessing and Phillip who attend Gateway High School – went on their Lower Sixth Leadership Camp for a week and this was an incredible time for them to feel more part of the school and to make friends out of just the 3 of them. 

I have so loved my bible studies with the students and we have had some wonderful times singing together.  What beautiful voices they all have.  Lisa is brilliant at leading them all!!!

Atlas Copco who sponsor 4 of our students came to visit the boarding house and meet their students this week.  It was wonderful to share the project with such lovely people who were so enthusiastic with all we were doing.  We have so appreciate how they have embraced Makomborero Zimbabwe and want to play an active part in the lives of our students.  They even donated wood for us to build most of the boarding house furnture from, as well as housing our minisbus over night to reduce travel time for our Driver.  

Fundraising

Megan from Ralph Allen School in Bath did a Zumbathon to raise money for Makomborero.  thank you Megan we were so proud of you and all who took part.  We don't even know Megan but she is taught by a lady who will be volunteering during August at our township revision schools - Denise.  We don't even know her!!  We look forward to sharing Zim with Denise.

Peter’s Commute happened again this year – so exciting – thank you Stu – so appreciated - especially so soon after the arrival of your second child!  We do appreciate the sacrifice that this was!!!!

Britian London 10km – we had a team of 6 – Debs, Rich, Sarah, Chris, Bridgit and Simba running for us in bright yellow t-shirts with Makomborero on the back!!!  We were so proud of you guys – thank you so much!  We hope you enjoyed it!!  Debs thanks for organising!

We also had a company running for us Acturis – organised by Shaun Orpen (an ex-student of Mark’s).  Thank you guys for your continued support of us – so so appreciated!!!  42 of them ran!!  Here is a photo of Shaun on his run!

We are working on local sponsorship to go towards the running costs of the minibus – so trusting for some break through there!!!!

Personal news
The start of the term was extremely hard for us – I think the reality of the pace of life after two weeks off, not seeing each other very much etc took it’s toll and we did struggle for a bit.  We have found our feet now – not enjoying not seeing much of each other but better adjusted to it and are deliberatly carving in time together as a family.  This has been my song this term http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwaKvZWE6t8

Matt is very happy at school this term – thank you Lord!!!!  I’m even getting to know mums and finding my feet a little there!!!

We have a new addition to the family – a Labrador puppy called Rosie!!  She is gorgeous and is just like having a baby!!!!  She is hard work but so worth it!  Hoping she will grow into a good guard dog for us too!!!  So including Chickens, cat and dog – there are 7 girls and 4 boys in our household!!!  Just had another 3 chickens so trusting they last a little longer than our last lot who were stolen by crows!!!  The kids love Rosie and as she begins to settle down a little they love her to bits!!!

Mark's Dad came for a visit for 5 days.  It was a great surprise and the kids loved having him in our home.  We were amazed - he is 76 years old and he did a coach trip from Cape Town to Harare and back again!!!  With a horrendous boarder experience!!!  Thanks for making such an effort to come and visit.  They will be back in August for a few days which will be lovely and will be flying this time!!

Powercuts have for the first time had a schedule gazetted and it has made such a difference to our lives.  You can plan!!!   We have a power cut everyday either from 5am to 2/3pm or 1pm to 10pm.  This alternates every day – one day morning, next afternoon.  It is wonderful to not have 18 hour power cuts anymore which would be a few days in a row and then nothing for a few days.  You know when you can cook in the oven, there is always hot water as boiler can heat up at some stage during the day when there is power!!!! 

As I’ve been a little more fragile emotionally I’ve found the harsh reality of life in Zim a little hard to handle at time.  Some days it just feels like you are surrounded by suffering and there is very little that you can do to help.  Life is so tough for so many and with unemployment in the 80% it is no surprise that everywhere you turn people are suffering!!  I’ve found myself in tears at many situations we find ourselves in.  This country is a tough place to be but also comes with a responsibility and it is figuring out what roll you should play in each situation that you are faced with.

Mark is loving teaching at Hellenic but is taking strain with working two jobs.  He is absolutely exhausted and works the oddest hours.  We don’t see much of each other but do try and keep Friday evening free as a catch up evening for each other.  Though Mark is often in bed by 7pm and then works the rest of the weekend.

We are going on lots of family walks – especially with Rosie – taking her to the school fields to run or just walk around where we live.  The kids love it and so does she.  Sadly she ate rat poison this week so are trusting she will be ok.

Ella is now 6 months – slowly getting used to solids.  She is such a precious gift from God and we are sooooo thankful for her.  She adds life to our family and keeps us on our toes.  The kids just love her to bits and we love watching them with her.  Matt and Zoe are such special little friends and play so beautifully together!!!!  I love being their mum and feel incredibly blessed to be in this season of my life – if not wishing at times the other pressues were less to really enjoy them to the full as I know this time of them being little will be gone so fast.  Love pancake Saturday mornings, devotions together in bed in the morning, cuddles, bedtime stories, chats togethers, spontaneous kisses, their love of nature etc!  We are blessed!

Thank you again to all of you who support us so generously – words are not enough!  You are what make Makomborero Zimbabwe operate!!!  Thank you, thank you!!!  So till next time!!! 

A few photos:

Hugh with Zoe and Matthew!!!

Ella ready for a walk!

Sisters 

Best friends!!!

What you do with the empty buckets at the golf driving range!

Mother's Day picnic in our bedroom as Matt was most upset I did not have breakfast in bed!

Sam and Ella!

 Five on the armchair!

Zoe taking her babies for a walk

Zoe washing her hands!

Matt's best friend!!!