Where Did Two Weeks Go?

June 25, 2012 - Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Incredible Rock Formations in Matopos

Jodi has left us and returned home.  We will miss her, as she is kind, affable, knowledgeable, loving, and sweet.  She also has so many talents!  If she had stayed here all summer, she would not have run out of things she could teach and share with others.  I do hope she will return one day soon, but this time, with Ed.

straw used for roofing

This morning I meet with folks from Forgotten Voices (an NGO from PA who also work here, but in a different capacity than AFCA), introducing Q and ZOE to them.  I think the meeting goes well because we are like-minded in our approach to development and in how we work. I like these folks and what they do.  Hopefully, we'll be able to do something together soon. 

Work at the office went smoothly as I search for grants to help each of our programs.  I so wish that we could raise more funds through churches and schools, rather than through grants, as these take long to research, long to write, and longer to wait for a response.  But God knows what we need and if this is way we can help, then, I'll do it.  I am grateful for Yasmina in South Africa who is helping me compile a list of possible grantors an for Mary who is helping with with PA company info.  It is only through the work of many that a load gets lighter.  The next two weeks is dedicated solely to grant-writing, with some animal distributions mixed in the middle of the research and writing days. Then, the next week, I'd like to focus on writing various companies in PA who might be interested in supporting our work. Then, at some point, we are taking a week off to visit a large game park on our way to Victoria Falls.  Before you know it, our time here will be over and we'll find ourselves packing up to return home. 

Rainbow Lizard

It doesn't seem possible that tomorrow, we've been here two weeks.  Where has time gone?  So far, we've distributed 116 goats and 84 chickens, attended church twice, washed clothes four times, consulted with two other groups on how to write grants and how to fundraise for projects, gone to a game park twice, gone to a b-b-q, seen rainbow lizards, met countless new people, gone food shopping 6 -7 times (we buy a little at a time so it stays fresh), Morgan has had one sleep over, Juju has gone out with friends to a game park, we've had four children over to play, and we've lost electricity and water half the time we've been here.  What a trip it's been! 

Last weekend while visiting another part of the Matopos game park, we got out of the car to look for hippos at a lake.  The water table was very, very low, we everyone made it down to the area where water would normally be.  Instead, we were walking on dry sand between large puddles, looking for the hippos.  Suddendly, we saw a baby crocordile not too far away and while we all stared and took photos of it, it occured to me that the mama must be somewhere close by.  So, we pile back in the car and drive off.  Turning back, we read a sign...see it here.

Oops!!