Today, Thursday, we opened the activities to the whole village, expecting to be able to share the love of Jesus with everyone. Jen was in charge of relay races, Linda did glitter tatoos, Marybeth and Kim ran a dancing and bubble blowing station, Paul and Kevin were trying to maintain some order on the inflatables (3 bounce houses of different sizes) and I did face painting. Let the fun begin!!!
Organized Chaos…. that’s all I have to say!
We had planned to move the kids from station to station every 20 minutes, so they all had a chance to participate in every game area…. the key word is PLANNED, which didn’t happen quite as anticipated. I was surrounded by kids all day, vying for position to be next at the face painting. I heard a whistle blowing at one point but that’s about it.
At lunch time, we took count of all the kids and there were 187! No wonder it seemed like there were alot of kids… because there WERE!
The children lined up and received and apple, orange and banana along with a bologna sandwich and drink. As they recieved the food, they clapped their hands twice and then held them out. This was a sign of respect for the person giving the food and a way to say thank you. For many of the kids, this is the only food they will get today. Many of them packed up several pieces of the fruit and took it home. One of the sibling pairs came to the day sharing a pair of shoes. One had the left shoe and one had the right. So much is needed here but you would not know it by the kids smiles and hugs all day!
Having fun today was like being at Sesame Place… for free. Games all day, smiles, singing and lunch, what an outreach for the community!
After 7-hours of playing, we went to a Zimbabwean market where the local people shop for everyday items. We were definitely the minority bit with Abigail and Peters help, we got some souvenirs for a fair price. It wasnt a tourist place so we were not harassed but rather helped by the vendors needing to sell their goods.
We were then off to Pastor Peter’s house for dinner. We were introduced to several of the aged-out girls ranging from 22-26 years old. They were all either in advanced school or had completed a course of study, preparing for the next step in their lives.
At age 18, Zimbabwe government says you need to leave and go on your own… That’s not exactly a realistic expectation if you want the youth to be successful. Covenant Church purchased a property with several buildings on it so Peter and Tsi Tsi could have a place for the over 18 youth. Peter and his wife, 4 natural kids and 5 older girls live on this property. There is one building that needs a lot of help to come up to livable standards and this is where the 18+ boys will eventually live. In the meantime, they are at Domboshava, living with the caregiver and working on the property at the Children’s Home.
Tsi Tsi and the girls made a magnificent meal including the traditional Sadza (white corn meal), chicken, beef and greens, potato salad and cole slaw. YUM! and boy were we hungry… no lunch today, just soaked up the joy all day!
We are truly filled with the Spirit!