Spring flowers, temporary home and reality of teaching at Wanganui!

Well spring is here – sure feels like summer though – hot but not humid – so nice!!! Also my folks house is very cool so feels like they have air con to some degree when you walk inside - lovely! Here are a few pictures of the spring flowers in their garden at present – so pretty! We even had our first family swim this weekend where it was not just the kids in the swimming pool! Though where Mark is it is about 7’C hotter and with no ceilings in the classrooms is extremely hot and dry!!!


I am making friends and settling in – still all feels very new and scary at times but is nice to mix with other mums and kids. Matt has made two friends he now regularly talks about which is special. Here are a few photos to show you what the kids have been up to in the last few weeks!








We are enjoying our new church and the people we are meeting there. So refreshing to be in African praise and worship! There is a nationwide prayer meeting on Sunday and a training day in foundations for farming to initiate a program to feed Zimbabwe. We are trusting this will be a huge success!!!! Visit this website for further information www.lovezim.org

The kids continue to be such a delight to us!! Zoe is walking confidently now and is so proud of herself – quite happy just to walk around not really doing anything! She is fearless when it comes to animals, climbing, jumping, etc. We have to watch her like a hawk as she often ends up in dangerous situations – nearly falling down the loo etc!! Matthew continues to talk continually – he loves the world around him and is such great company! He has really struggled with Mark being out of town during the week and often asks when we can all be together again! As you can imagine this breaks Mark and my hearts!

As has become a tradition – here is another Matthew Quote – ‘I knew it!’ – pointing his finger at you! It is very cute and is often done when he is playing with his toys and manages to figure something out himself, do something he was struggling to do etc. He is also learning Shona and I am amazed at how quickly kids learn. He says good morning, thank you and good afternoon unprompted now! He will soon be putting Mark and I to shame.

We (the kids and I) had the privilege of going out to the rural areas just outside of Harare to visit an old family friend on Thursday. Here are a few photos of our trip out to visit Prisca – Gogo as Matthew calls her (which means Granny). We’ll be visiting quite often I think as the kids loved their time there and it’s not that far!! As you can see from the photos my kids were slightly obsessed with the goats (excuse the pun)!!!


Not sure if you can make out from the picture below but basically this is a tap outside someones walled house offering free water. Many houses – in fact most homes in Harare – have lived without running water for a couple of years now. A lot of people have been able to drill boreholes but for those who can’t afford to or do not have any underground rivers running under their properties – obtaining water has been tough. As you can imagine there have been lots of people jumping in on the band wagon and selling water at astronomical prices to those people who don’t have. This house is offering free borehole water to whoever! I love it! What a great heart!!!!



The revision school was a huge success and one of the volunteer teachers paid for me and the kids to visit for one night! What a great treat to feel part of that week for us 3! We drove out on the Thursday afternoon and came back on Friday lunchtime. The highlight for me was having dinner in the mine compound with the volunteering teachers – I don’t think I have laughed so much in a long time. They were such special people – so thrilled to be able to give back something to their communities. Mark found it such fun to serve with them. The pupils loved their time and hopefully benefited greatly from the lessons. So many special memories and heart warming encounters for all involved!

We have made slight progress on the home front. We will be moving into a house about 60km from the school on a safari park. This means that Mark will only have to spend 2/3 nights out at Turf as opposed to 5 nights, which will be great for our family!! Still not perfect, as I will be more isolated – in the middle of no where – compared to Harare where I can fill my days with things but the big up side is more time with Mark and being able to support each other as a family! We will live there until we are able to build something. So Mark continues to commute out to Turf till the end of next week –he leaves on a Sunday afternoon and is back on a Friday evening. In some senses he is working such long hours that not having us around is probably a good thing!! Mark is staying in a tin shed on the mining compound.

Our more permanent dwelling place will begin to be built within the next two weeks. It is three rooms – two of the rooms will be used as bedrooms and the other room will be used for our lounge/kitchen. We can’t wait for this to be built and for us to be in the community!! We have managed to secure a very small loan to build.

Mark has shared with his Sixth Formers photos of our life in England and it has literally blown their minds!!! Especially snow and Benenden!

As you can imagine it has been an interesting four weeks for Mark getting his head round how the school runs etc. He has been given a very heavy timetable for this term (the last term in the academic year) and is teaching from Year 9 to Upper Sixth – Mathematics, Physics and General Science. The school is terribly over crowded, so they run one school in the morning and one in the afternoon – 9 periods of teaching for each school, so a total of 18 periods a day. First lesson starts at 6.55am and the last lesson finishes at 5.00pm, with a 15 minute teaching break in the middle of the day.

Mark has obviously found the work load massive but has also found that the gaps the pupils have in their education is something that possibly can never be rectified – something so well explained in a recent documentary – The forgotten Children of Zimbabwe. He has found this incredibly sad, as he wants to be able to make a difference in these pupils lives but educationally for some of them it is too late and for a lot of them the gaps are so big that years of teaching will not fill all the blanks. We realise that we need to start supporting junior schools to get pupils to the place where they have a chance of passing at least a few O’levels, let alone A’levels. The examinations that the pupils write here are so much harder than what Mark was teaching in the UK and it seems so unfair in so many ways – all the odds are stacked against these kids. Mark said that they are eager to learn but often have already given up as they know they can never know enough to get them through – due to the instability education has experienced over the past 10 years in Zimbabwe. Sadly most of the teachers are unmotivated a) due to lack of resources, b) poor working conditions, c) next to no pay, so at times Mark feels like he is the only fish swimming in the other direction – arriving to all his lessons, teaching, marking etc. Mark was saying this weekend that he is so proud of some of his Sixth Formers, he can’t believe how they have managed to get where they are with so many gaps in their education and knowledge. They have purely relied on their gifting!!! So many of the kids writing their O’levels in 4 weeks have pinned such high hopes on Mark being there to teach them but Mark feels so sad as he knows he can’t make much difference other than to encourage them to do their best and try and cover as much as you can in a short space of time (and he’s only teaching two subjects). These pupils have given up so much to write their O’levels and A’levels – so expensive! It just seems so unfair that they are set to fail before they’ve even started! So as you can see the magnitude of what we are dealing with is dawning and we just need to get our heads round how the best way forward is and where we can make a difference and to focus on that and not feel overwhelmed by it all!

We are partnering with a Trust here in Zimbabwe. Sadly, their main funder has gone bust so we have been running on literally thin air for the last two months. This has also made us have to rethink all the things we thought we would be able to do in the community and Sixth Form during this next year and are trying to reinvent the wheel to try and make the A-level centre work effectively but also support the kids in the best possible way. So watch this space! Hopefully we can have some concrete plans in place soon!!

We could lie to you and say the last few weeks have been easy but they have been tough. At times we have questioned whether we have made the right move but we have had some encouragements on particularly bad days, that remind us we are not forgotten and not alone. So thank you to those of you who have texted or sent messages that have kept us going!!! One verse in particular has really spoken to me, 1 Peter4v12 and this song has played on my mind too – Oh no you never let go through the calm and through the storm.

I was given five pebbles when I left England with the following words written on each pebble – Love, Dream, Peace, Hope, and Laugh. They have been sitting on the dressing table in the room I sleep and I have been so encouraged by them over the last few weeks. One word will hit me and stay with me all day!

I’ve been reminded:

Love – God’s love for me is endless and limitless! My families love for me and my love for them is unchanging!! How truly blessed I am to say that I know what it means to be loved and to love!!!

Dream – that God has given us a dream that we are trying to fulfil – He knows our hearts desires and knows the journey we will travel – even if at times we feel forgotten and alone. Dreams keep us putting one foot in front of the other and we don’t let us get bogged down in life.

Peace – that His peace would surround us daily!

Hope – I have a hope that goes beyond the grave!

Laugh – I am blessed to have two precious children that enable me to laugh each day!!!!

Well enough from us!! Till next time!

8 weeks of living out of suitcases!!!

Yes – from the title I think you can tell reality has hit – with a bit of bump too but that is all part of moving countries! Honeymoon has to end sometime and we’ve done a country move before, so were expecting it! Doesn’t make it easy but it reminds us to keep our eyes on why we are here and not all the obstacles!!!

So what have we been up to! Lots!! Zoe turned 1 on 17th August. What a special day 1st Birthdays are! They make you think back to that moment they entered the world and also give you the opportunity to marvel at how much they change in just one year! We love her sooooo much and are thankful to God for our precious girl!!!!!! Here are a few photos from her birthday tea and her actual birthday! We took the kids to a safe place to ride bikes – Matt mastered peddling on his own!!



A friend of ours here had their first baby last week and I got to meet the little one on Saturday – what a precious little girl and reminds me again what a miracle new life is – so thrilled for them! Welcome to the world Savannah Mae!!!

Sadly we had friends attacked in their home this last week – robbers broke in just wanting money, mobile phones and jewellery. Such a traumatic experience for them. They have been so brave and courageous through this whole ordeal. It has made us all tighten up with security in the early evening.

My parents have been away for two weeks and get back on Monday. The kids just love having their granparents around - especially with no daddy during the weeks now!

Managed to organise a few play dates for the kids – stepping out a little!! They have loved being around other kids again and good for me too!! I miss all my mummy friends so much and miss the fullness of my days in England. I know once we are out at Turf my days will be full again – a different full but this limbo stage can be a little lonely at times. The kids and I are also walking twice a week with a family friend – I went to school with her kids. I’m really enjoying having something structured to look forward to and it’s good company for me and the kids! We also walk lots to the local shops and chat to all the market sellers! They know who we are now!

The kids are doing well. Zoe is not quite confident to walk totally on her own but is so nearly there. She is learning to say more and more each week and really understands all that is going on around her. She has a little sense of humour that is coming out and is an incredibly strong character! Matt chats nonstop – so lovely and endless questions of ‘What’s that?’ One of my special school friends brought a box of Weetabix for Matt when she popped round to visit the other day – she had heard they are one of his favourites!!! This was a particular treat for him, as they are a luxury here!

Spring is here and the trees are getting their leaves, flowers on trees and bushes, masasa trees changing etc. It is beautiful – but I have been rather spoilt my England springs and the changes in seasons here are really just winter to summer and spring is defined by what you see and not what you feel! The mosquitos have arrived – so we have bought the kids their mosquito nets. Matt loves his and calls it a tent! Here is a photo of them in use in our cottage at National Parks!

Soft hearts!!! There are so many people selling things and you get approached whenever you park your car somewhere to buy something from them. Ranging from vegetables, fruit, toys etc. One thing Mark and I have found really hard to resist are the handmade toys they make! So we have two toys for the kids – the first was made by a little boy of about 5 years old and when pushed along the man peddles a bicycle.
The second is a poacher being chased by a rhino – all moving bits - for Laura Singer's benefit - 'a rhino searching poacher'. So clever!
So needless to say I think our home might become quite full of little toys that we don’t really need but we know puts some food into someones belly!! We love the ingenuousness of people here for make a living! Can’t wait for our own home – to get one of these guys to make a climbing frame for the kids – what a blessing to know how important that job will be to someone.

Matthew Quote – it seems we can’t have a blog entry without a Matthew quote now! There have been a few classics these last two weeks but this one is one that is being said the whole time. I started it months ago and Matt has now picked up on it!! He’ll come very excited to us and point at us and say “I’ve got an idea, Mummy?” We reply “What is your idea Matthew?” Sometimes there is a really good reply and other times he is not too sure, so you get jumbled up words. This must happen about 50 times a day and to any one prepared to ask him what his idea is, they either get a great idea or a little boy who isn’t quite sure what to say, but is thrilled you asked! As you can imagine we have all picked up the phrase too!!

A lesson is making our money stretch!!! US dollars is what is used here but the lowest denomination is $1USD. So change is tricky – you either end up collecting credit notes from lots of shops, buying sweets or pens you don’t need etc to get your change. Mark being Mark – has decided that the most cost effective way to get change is to buy eggs! So today I bought a loaf of bread for $1.10 and had 80c to spend on eggs (got 5), though was tempting to buy two chocolates instead!!! Makes me smile!!

We went out to Turf last Wednesday for two nights. We stayed at a National Parks cottage about 20km away from Turf on a difficult dirt road. The cottage was very slightly better than camping and had no running water – so we drew our water from the dam (had to be boiled before we could clean in it) and brought all our drinking water with us from Harare in two 20L containers – no such thing as bottled water here!! Here is a photo of our bathing buckets! White for feet, Black for body and silver for face!
The dust in the rural areas is so thick this time of year – about 2 inches deep. Rains have been gone for a couple of months and are only due to start in November so everything is very, very dry and dusty. Matt loved it, as all the dirt roads provide an excellent surface for drawing all his trains on!!! The kids were filthy at the end of each day – clothes red from the mud and legs, arms, faces and hair looking very dark brown!

We loved showing the kids the school Mark will be working at – Matthew calls it “Daddy’s new school”! We were welcomed by staff who were around, as it is the holidays at the moment. Our friend Marcus, who has been running the 6th Form since it started last year, was there to welcome us and show us around. What a lovely man, so humble and has an incredible heart. We have been encouraged to hear his ups and downs with adjusting to rural life. He is a retired Head Teacher of an Independent School in Harare – so a big change for him. He is also so aware of the challenges we will face as a family adjusting to our new lives out there. So it feels like we have a real partner!!

Our main aim of the trip was to try and find accommodation and Marcus and another teacher kindly took us around Turf. So good to get a feel for where we will be living. Since we last wrote this has become critical!! We realise that for us to live in Turf we have to build something. Thankfully the charity we partner with here has a plot of land which just needs to be built on. So we have arranged a loan for a house to be built and now are working on all the hoops we have to jump through for this to happen – not an easy or simple job! We are hoping the actual building will only take 8 to 9 weeks to complete but it is now finalising things and getting that process started that is causing quite a lot of stress. Also the where to live in the meantime?

Here is the plot of land the charity we are working with owns:


A cluster of huts on the outskirts of Turf village - beautiful! These clusters line the dirt road into the village.


We were also told that someone has three rooms that we could possibly rent out. Not ideal as in the middle of a building site, very dusty, incredibly hot during the next few weeks, no ceilings, not ideal for kids etc. But beggars can’t be choosers, so feeling we will make it work in the time the house is being built.
Also, one of the teachers has offered us one room in their garden (Mark will stay here the next 3 weeks - a matteress on the floor of an empty room). So have two options. We feel the three roomed place is what we have to go with but if something just outside Turf comes up, we might take the one roomed place to base ourselves at during the day and go back to a house out of Turf to sleep! So as you can tell – not 100% there!! But God knows! If you are the praying type – please pray we make the best decision for our family and that building starts soon. We have friends from the UK coming to visit in November – so would love to be in our home by then!!!

Mark is teaching and running a revision school at Turf this week – the last week of their school holidays. Been a little stressful as he only found out on Friday that he was running it! He has had to find accommodation for 8 volunteering teachers from Harare, organise food for them, find paper and pens for the kids etc. He is staying out at Turf for this week and will be back at the weekend. He will probably do this for the next 3 weeks (as school starts next week)and then hopefully we will all move out there. We feel at times quite vulnerable and low but we know it is just the uncertainty of not having a home that is making this so tough at the moment. The good thing about being at Turf was that it reminded us again why we are here. Such incredible people, such a desperate need and makes us buzz with excitement!! I even ended up doing some admin work for the senior school in the 2 days I was out there!!

Here is an email I got from Mark last night:

I am in Turf Village this week “helping” (…but has pretty much turned into running) to teach at a GCSE (…still called O-level) and A-level revision school at Wanganui school. We have some teachers from a school in Harare that have volunteered to spend a week away from their family (….and the last week of their holiday), helping the students at Wanganui school prepare for their exams.

It could not have gotten off to a worse start (…if you are from the UK that is….completely normal for Africa)….I was meant to get to the school at 7am to set up room label, brief the wanganui staff about the timetable etc…..but got caught at the mine security, negotiating for 90mins trying to drive through the mine….the other dust road is impassable with the low clearance car I was driving!. So get to the school at 8.30am…timetable set to begin at 8am! Students waiting…I delegate room labelling…which is passed to the head…who calls me to ask me what needs to be done…who then delegates it to anther person who calls me to ask me what is to be done…..and then proceeds to mix up all the labels for the rooms….grrrrr!

Assembly is called by the head….i am introduced by the head…..i start talking to the kids….can feel my phone vibrating in my pocket….I show them a picture of Laura and the kids form my wallet….a few wolf whistles (…not for me!). I send the kids off to their rooms…..wondering where the other teachers from Harare are who were meant to be arriving at 8am!! I check my phone to find out that they will only leave at 10am due to “a few problems”….so will get here at 1pm! – first 4 lessons with no teachers……

…..so I “made a plan”: The heads husband is an English teacher in Namibia…he took 50 o-level students to do some English, I took about 50 o-level students and did some maths.

Teachers turn up at 1pm…..lunch only finished being prepared (…by the lovely ladies who work in the admin office and the library…they take real pride in serving us…really humbling) at 1.30pm…which is meant to be the start of the next lesson…..no worries….lunch must be had….despite my attempts to suggest that I will save some food for those that should be teaching…..lessons got going at about 1.50pm…..come 3.30pm I was relieved to know that the first day was over….I had survived my reintroduction to working in Africa.

I felt like Mr Bean in Church at Assembly every morning this week, as I have forgotten the words of the national anthem....guess what I'll be learning over the weekend!

The people here are really amazing…..they just want to help! The students are still getting used to me!....I must talk slower!! (I had one student come to me today an say he will try and find us a home to live in!).

Here are a few photos of Assembly, teachers and pupils, lessons, Admin block and classrooms.


My song this week has been – Your Grace is Enough!! It really is!!

Hope all you UK people enjoyed your long bank holiday weekend!!! Haven’t been keeping an eye on weather – I know this plays such a big part in bank holidays!!

Till next time!!!!

Price Comparison.com and other news!

We thought some of you might find it interesting to compare the prices of goods in Zimbabwe. We have found that a lot of things are the same price or a little more expensive. Just an interesting exercise when you consider the salaries here and how little people earn!!

1L of Milk - £1
1L of Yoghurt - £2.88
Box of Cereal - £2.80 (Mark and Matt having cereal withdrawals!)
Coke - 65p
Loaf of Bread - 65p
Disposable Nappies - £24 (so glad we don’t have to buy these and we have reusable nappies)
Tin of Baked Beans - £2
Cocoa 50g - £2.60 (decided to have a vanilla cake instead for Zoe’s birthday!)
B&Q equivalent plastic stack of 3 drawers - £48 (didn’t buy – just shocked)
1hr in a soft play area - £3 (won’t be visiting this to often!!!)

Well another week down and a busy but good one! Mark was away Monday and Tuesday with Scott in Gweru and attended a few meetings and an education conference. It was good to reconnect with Zim people and education stuff! Mark then travelled out to Kadoma on Wednesday, the nearest town to Turf, to meet with the local education authority and introduce himself and let them know we will be moving out to the school. It was a good meeting – I was offered to run the nursery school in the village – very tempting so will see what happens. Still haven’t quite made it out to Turf – hoping it will be soon! We are pushing on lots of doors this next week for a house!!! Trusting God we’ll get break through here, so that our new lives can start soon! Finding this a little unsettling! There are no houses available and a massive housing shortage in the village – so we need a miracle!!

Mark was brilliant with his perseverance this week with sorting out the kids residency. He registered both their births here. Just need to collect the birth certificates and then the residency process starts. As I’m sure those of you who know Africa – these are not simple tasks!!! We’ve also had a few doctors visits and jabs for he kids getting them all up to date for this country. A very expensive process without the NHS! Done boring things like open bank accounts, get mobile numbers, health insurance etc – so slowly setting our lives up here!! All these things take 50 times longer here than in England and we are slowly adjusting to Africa time and pace! It’s good for us to take life a little slower – so trying to see the positives of it all rather than champ at the bit!!!

Meet the new additions to the Albertyn family given to the kids by the Peirson’s. A great empowerment iniciative – www.gogo-olive.com – gogo means granny in shona. Matt got given an Elephant whose name is Givemore and Zoe got given a Leopard with a baby on her back – Katie and Sara! Love it! This is just one of those things that reminds you of some of the amazing things that are being done in Zimbabwe. We have been blown away by the people who stayed during the toughest years in Zim where there was nothing here – we salute them!! I’ll try and keep my eyes peeled for more things to share with you but sadly Zim is not very world wide web friendly – so a lot of incredible things are hard to share because they’re not online!!!

Family news – kids doing really well! Zoe is taking about 6 steps between people now – too cute! She is soooo proud of herself! She turns one next week and we can’t believe how quick this year has gone! Matt is struggling at times with trying to understand that he won’t be going back to his home but we are very proud of him and is generally taking everything in his stride. He is a very open, friendly little boy who breaks the ice for us in many situations!!! We love them both so much and are so proud of them!!

They are loving the swimming pool, tree house and sandpit! Turning into outside bodies. We took the kids to a park that runs a train in it on Thursday – it hasn’t changed since I was a kid (feels a lot smaller than I remember it) – all needs a lick of paint but Matt had a ball!!! Zoe loved the train ride too, though is probably not as big a train lover as her brother!!


We went to a game park yesterday with the kids – their first taste of African animals (and a few farm animals mixed in the pot)! What a treat for all of us!! Even got a little sunburnt!
Watching lions:

Picnic in the back on Mark's brothers pick-up (Bakkie)at the end of our animal exploring

Matthew Quote for this week: This one needs a little explaining! On Matt’s last day at his play school they visited Zimbabwe on a map and gave Matt a Zimbabwe flag (which he calls Matthew’s flag) and a UK flag – needless to say everytime we are driving along and see a Zim flag this little voice pipes up with great excitement – ‘Look Daddy, Matthew’s flag. Might see another one?’

Quiz - What's wrong with this picture? (not sure if it's very clear)

My heart is way too soft and I find myself in tears or on the verge of tears often! We are surrounded by people who are so struggling to survive and life is tough. As a couple we want to help as many people as possible but there is a limit and we’re learning what we can do and what we just have to toughen up about! So so hard!! As a mother my heart aches and I want to open my home to all!!!! But I know it is not realistic and we have to focus on the little bit of difference we can make and not try and rescue the whole of Zimbabwe. Saying all that though, we are blown away daily by the character of the people of Zimbabwe. I feel so proud of my nation and it’s people!! They have stood and continue to stand!!!

So another update soon!!!

Our first few days in Zimbabwe!!

From the land where 'just now' means later, 'now now' means now, BBQ's are Braai's and traffic lights are called robots! We have arrived safe and sound! A stressful flight but it’s behind us now. We were at times quite sad and found it hard leaving but even during the flight Mark and I had planned what we would watch on our return flight – forgetting there would not be a return flight! Our last few days in England were hectic but we had some good times with friends too. We loved arriving at the airport to family – Mark’s brother Stephen, our nephew Jordan and my folks, Dave and Alison! Matt was so excited to see all the trucks, buses etc on the journey to their home. It doesn’t feel like we are here for good yet – just a holiday – so the reality of it will take a few weeks to sink in!

The Albertyn side of the family reunited:



Matt has come out with a few classic comments that have had us chuckling!! The first was ‘Daddy, where are all the pink people’ and ‘Daddy, poor Granpa’s car keeps tripping’ (driving through potholes and on roads that are falling apart). He has also been carrying a dead rhino beetle around with him.



I think this whole bug collecting will become a huge part of our lives! The kids even had their first swim yesterday! We are considered mad people for even contemplating swimming in winter here – the water was freezing but a bit like our beach holiday in North Devon last year!! The weather is amazing – just feels like a chilly summer in England with cold nights.



Zimbabwe has changed so much in the 1½ years since we were last here!! Things are on the up. The country seems to be functioning more normally and every day life for people who have jobs is much simpler. But for people who earn very little or are unemployed life in Zimbabwe is still a daily battle for survival. Unemployment is still in the 90%. We have been shocked at the cost of food – on the same par as England but salaries so much less. We took a wander around the shops figuring out what kind of things we’ll be able to live off. The shops are very well stocked now but with mostly imported goods. Sadly if you do find local produce it is often more expensive than the imported goods. Milk is around but mostly UHT – which is great as we thought we would be living on powdered milk!! It is wonderful to be in a country where everyone is so friendly. Matthew is a real ice breaker – chats to everyone and breaks down barriers straight away. Makes friends when we are queing for things etc. Driving around and meeting people has been a joy and exits us for what lies ahead.

Have to share with you - this morning a man came round to my folks house to cut branches off a very, very high tree - no harness or anything - left me feeling stone cold watching him. He was incredible but reminds me I've been in England for a couple of years and health and safety was playing on my mind!



The reality of moving here has not really sunk in and it feels like we are on holiday. We are enjoying not having too much to think about and will take a few days out to chill. We look forward to catching up with family and friends, settling into church etc. One urgent thing we are working on is getting the kids residency here – they were given a 30 day holiday visa on entry into the country. We also need to open a bank account, find a home etc. Trusting God for His favour in all these things. Mark is away on his first business trip on Monday – just away for one night. He will be travelling with Scott Marques to Gweru for an education conference. He is looking forward to it and connecting with people and education in Zimbabwe. We will also travel out to Turf on Wednesday, to visit the school before it breaks up for a 4 week holiday and hopefully try and find somewhere to live!! We can’t wait for this visit!!

Sadly my gran passed away today but I was able to visit her last night and am so glad she held out till I got to see her. Sad that she did not get to see her great granchildren but know she is home and in a much better place. Nice to be here with my mum and dad during this time. What an incredible lady she was!! Her coconut cakes were ledgendary!! We love you Gran!

Currently experiencing our first power cut! Since 6am this morning - not a lot planned for this evening - candle light dinner though!

To those we have left:

It’s a journey we must travel
Where He leads us
He’ll help us to be strong
He has taught us and now He’s brought us
To a place He wants us.

Here we stand at the beginning and not the end
Here we stand and with your blessing we have gone
And though it’s hard we will extend to you a smile
We will cherish all our memories
And we’ll always hold a place for you inside.

The Lord has planned it, we understand it
Still we find it hard to say the word, ‘goodbye’
Our time here is over, another day is done
But we know that we’ve just begun
It’s a journey we must travel.

We know we’ll miss you
And we hope it won’t be too long before we see you again!

Good bye England - Hello Zimbabwe!

We can't believe that we are leaving the UK. In some senses we have talked about this day for many years but the reality of it has always seemed a long way off! So with sad hearts we leave England. This new chapter that is about to start is before us - we face it with excitement but also a lot of nerves - what are we getting ourselves into? Will our family cope with such a big move? etc. But God - we keep reminding ourselves!!

We have had to say so many good byes and they have been hard! We are so privileged to have so many good friends, who have all some how touched our lives!! We so hope to share Zimbabwe with at least a few of you one day! Thank you to all of you!! We love you!! You have made England our home!

We've been gearing the kids (well Matthew really) for the move, the excitment of seeing his granparents (my folks), he can't wait to go on an aeroplane and do his Postman Pat magazine, which he has been saving for the flight! He has been a little insecure with all our furniture being given away, a temporary home and toys disappearing but we know that once he knows where his new home will be, he will be fine!! Zoe is nearly walking and totally oblivious to it all!! Mark and Matthew camped on the lawn of the house we are staying at last night - a great way to end a fantastic summer in England! We pack the next two nights and leave on Tuesday!!

So the next time I write we will be on the other side of the world!!! Do keep visiting to check what we are up to!

Here is an up to date photo of us four!

Time is ticking!!!! Tick Tock, Tick Tock!!

Well time is certainly flying and we feel a little panicy about all that needs to be done and all the good byes that need to be said! We are both quite tearful at times at the reality of our lives here coming to an end!!! We are also embrassing the warmer weather and getting out as much as possible and carving into our memories the beauty of English countryside! The kids are loving being outside more!

We are continuing to fundraise and do work for the charity and feel very blessed to have such a great team of Trustees to keep things running once we are back in Zim. We still don't have a home to live in - so the tent we have just purchased for all our holidays in Zim might just be our first home for a little while!!! We have had a few speaking engagements, sharing our vision and what we will be doing - we have another one tomorrow evening! The 2011 Calendar is at the printers as we speak and will be ready for sale as of the end of June. If anyone could lend a hand with setting up an online shop for us attached to our website - give me a shout!! My limited knowledge on these things is proving a little tricky!!

We are also being watched! Paul a fello blogger has recently made contact and written a little article on us!! Very humbling reading about yourselves through someone elses eyes!

http://magicdartsblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/following-dream-makomberero-zimbabwe.html

Hope to post once more before we leave!!!

England vs Zimbabwe - Top 10!!

As it is a time to reflect on our time in England I thought it would be good to put on paper the things we will miss when we leave and the things we have appreciated!!

Here is my top 10!!!! (Laura that is!)

1. Spring time!!! This seems quite appropriate now - but Spring has to be my favourite time of the year here! It is such a symbol of new life. This year spring has come late due to such a long tough winter but it has meant that it has wowed us even more than normal! Spring time in England is soooooo beautiful, so life giving and so refreshing to ones soul! The days are drawing out, the need for a winter coat begins to disappear, the heating is switched off, flowers are everywhere, buds on the trees, being able to hang washing on the line, picnics etc!! Who can't but marvel at creation at this time.

2. Picnics and sunshine - there is a glorious thing about picnics and sunshine in England - the sun is never too hot to sit out in and enjoy and picnics are just such a highlight of Spring and Summer!! Some of our favorite memories are of picnics - greenwich park before children, various play grounds since having children, bodium castle, leeds castle and our garden!

3. The NHS - there are often so many differing opinions about the NHS but we think it is an incredible service - to offer UK residents free health care - wow! Yes it has it's limitations and mistakes happen but it is a great service with huge pressure put on it. We've had both good and bad experiences but over all am blow away by it - I think the stark contrast of growing up with nothing in Africa has made us appreciate it - warts and all!! A lot of the doctors, nurses and midwives that we have dealt with have been an inspiration and support at some difficult times and some joyful times - thank you!

4. Polite drivers - some people might disagree with me but generally English drivers are very polite!! Took us by surprise how little you hear people hoot/blow their horn at each other!! I had to adjust to that!!!! Flashing someone onto the road infront of you - how polite is that!!!

5. Lady Grey Tea!! - I've never been a huge fan of tea but this winter moving into a house with very little heating and having a very cold winter I have started to love tea - but it's Lady Grey that has won me over!!!!

6. Walking - we walk everywhere in England!! Such a culture of it - so good for us!!!

7. Public Transport - to have transport that is so readly available - a little pricey but a system that works! Wow!!!

8. Airing cupboards - what a great invention!!! Don't know how I'm going to live without one!!!

9. Chocolate - the best in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10. Friends! - it took us a while to settle into life in the UK - it felt a very lonely place for the first year but over time we have made some incredible friends and learnt what true community is. We shall be very sad to be saying good bye but it will be a 'till next time'!!

And here are the Top 10 things we are looking forward to - Life in Zimbabwe!!!

1. To see the stars at night - a dome over our heads

2. To smell rain!!!! A true african drenching of rain, with thunder and lightening.

3. Mind blowing sunrises and sunsets

4. Winter days - blue skies, crisp mornings with the sun coming up

5. Being bare foot 90% of the time!

6. Our children to be able to play outside - all the time!

7. A slower pace of life

8. Living closer to family

9. To be able to serve our fellow Zimbabweans again!!

10. To know we are home!

Progress to date: packers are booked, notice has been given in on our flat and we are finalising all the bits we need to get for the school before the packers come!! Fundraising going well too!!