Home Again!
Settling in back home seemed
easier than last year. Maybe we are
getting used to cross-cultural, time zone changes in our lives.
We arrived home in Ann Arbor June 19 and since have been getting our
personal lives in order—unpacking, finances, daily schedules, catching up on
church news, political news, plowing through mountains of mail, gardening,
washing, etc., etc. Our lives here seem much more complicated than in Zimbabwe.
However, it seems good to be home to our family and friends and
“conveniences,” even though we did very nicely for 5 months, thank you,
without a dishwasher, TV, garbage disposal, or other equipment, clothes and
“things” that we have here. It is so easy to get sucked back into the “new
and better” materialism of our society, however.
In trying to decide what to say
about this second stay in Zimbabwe, we realized that our having become
accustomed to things there made our letters far less inspired. “Less that is
new and exciting” was accurate, but not the entire story either.
For example, we took the diversity of the worship at AU chapel and
St.Peter’s Inner City UMC for granted. The
continuing enjoyment of the beauty of the mountains and morning mists was less
commented on. Rather, we appeared
more preoccupied with Cyclone Eline, the fuel shortage and political violence.
Maybe in settling in, we had allowed routine to obscure some of the truths that
had impressed us the first time. Were
we taking the openly friendly and helpful national traits too much for granted?
Ought we to have commented more on the important role people’s
religious faith played as they coped with the cyclone, a crumbling economy, and
a multitude of vicissitudes? Certainly, we Americans could take lessons from the cheerful
way they lived their faith in such trying times. The fact that we empathized
with the Zimbabweans and their stresses made this year’s stay less of one of
joy and happiness and more one of admiration and deeper involvement. We have
never before been so close to virtually an entire populace facing such
challenges. It challenged us to get
more involved than we often wished to do.
Probably most of you were aware
of the elections in Zimbabwe last weekend.
We kept in touch with what was going on through the Internet and from
friends in Zimbabwe who sent us e-mail on the developments. The vote was 57 for
the opposition party, MDC, and 61 for the ruling party, Zanu-PF. In addition,
President Mugabe can appoint 30 of his own people to Parliament.
Last Parliament had only 3 representatives from the opposition party, so
this is a big change. This does not give MDC a majority, but will keep the ruling
party from continuing to make more changes to the constitution that favor
massive Presidential power and also gives them a strong message that the people
don’t like what is happening to their country. The most poignant and inspiring
impression from our stay is the quiet bravery and fortitude of the
people—undergoing persecution and intimidation to run for office and attend
political rallies for the MDC, and the summoning the courage needed simply to go
out to vote. It was an unprecedented turn out of voters. People often gave us
the wide open handed salute of the MDC as we drove by. At least doing this to us
wouldn’t get them beaten up. Most African newspapers hailed the election as
being fair and forward looking towards democracy; we saw the intimidation that
cost the opposition a clear majority. Your prayers are needed for this country
so that they will go into this new era with a spirit of reconciliation and
perseverance.
We were again lovingly received
and supported in our work. Going away parties dominated our last week there—AU
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences gave us a lovely farewell at the
Holiday Inn in Mutare that included speeches of gratitude and gifts.
The next evening, the Old Mutare Mission community put on a meal cooked
by Hartzell Primary’s women teachers, again with gifts and speeches of thanks.
The most touching farewell was an assembly by all the primary children at
Hartzell at which we were presented with gifts bought with money donated by the
children, and were thanked again in many ways.
One recurring theme was the expression of wonderment and gratitude that
so many people in America, who didn’t even know who they were, could be so
generous and kind to them. Morris
reminded them that his college education had been made possible by a Methodist
scholarship funded by people who didn’t know him.
We have also felt supported by
the prayers and good wishes and generosity of you people at home, and we gave
credit to you and your support when we received the thanks of the people at AU
and the Mission Station. As we look
at what we accomplished this 5 months with your help, we realize that a lot of
people’s lives have been changed for the better. This is especially important
as the killing inflation (100+% in two years) is making it both difficult for
families to survive and has doubled most education costs. The list of what you
made possible is impressive! Tuition
was paid for 125 Primary and 7 High School students for the year who otherwise
would not be in school. The money for the primary and four of the high school
students came from your special gifts, the others from some of your undesignated
funds and our own. We need to continue this support for subsequent years, so
these children can stay in school. (A
scholarship fund and committee have been established at the school for providing
a vehicle for that ongoing support.) We
paid the very costly fees for the Advanced Level exams (necessary for University
entrance) for 3 bright H.S. students who will take the exams in October.
Money was contributed to provide school uniforms for over a hundred of
the neediest children, most of who had no decent clothes to wear.
A student at Marymount Teachers’ College was helped with special
donations. A family of four was
given food, clothing, school fees and uniforms. Their parents died two years ago
and the oldest sister, who is 20 and looking for a job, is trying to keep the
family together and the younger children in school.
Major contributions were given
to Ishe Anesu (Shona for “God with us”) an underfunded program run by
missionaries which takes neglected Mutare children off the streets, pays school
fees to get them back in school, feeds them, gives them clothing, and provides
tutoring and Bible study. Donations
of money and clothing were also given to hurricane relief after Cyclone Eline
devastated Mozambique and Southeast Zimbabwe in February.
Donations to the Africa
University endowment and scholarship funds, books for the library, and payment
of the arrears for two students so they could graduate (one of them was an A
student in Morris’ American History class) were a part of furthering AU’s
dream of providing trained leadership for Africa.
The salaries of Hartzell Primary
School library aides, including the raises necessitated by inflation, continue
to be supported on an ongoing basis, as is that of the newly hired, trained and
highly qualified, librarian. Supplies of pockets, cards, plastic tape, etc. were
purchased for the library. Last
year’s outpouring of support encouraged the school’s PTA to undertake
erecting a three-room library building. They
raised nearly 40% of the cost locally and the visit of volunteers from Midland (MI)
First United Methodist Church led to the contribution of the remainder.
It will give more room for books, a reading room, and a workroom for the
librarians. The present library
will become the computer room. A
special donation from friends of Glenn and Jane O’Kray in Dearborn will
provide furniture for the new library. A
shortage of brick after the April groundbreaking slowed construction, but the
workers were installing the metal window frames the day we left for home and the
roof should be going on any day now.
Future library building -- as of June 15, 2000.
In the future we do not intend
to go back to Zimbabwe for any more than 3 or 4 weeks. We are planning on returning for a few weeks in October when
the new library is scheduled for dedication.
But we hope to keep our mission there alive by continuing to pay for
tuition and uniforms for children who need them. We are hoping those of you who
are sponsoring a child’s tuition will be able to continue at least another
year or more. (There are also many bright 7th graders for whom
schooling will end in December unless somebody comes up with roughly $400 for
the year’s tuition.) We promised to pay the salary for the librarian and
library aide for at least for 3 more years. Donations of books and supplies will
still be needed for the new library. For those of you who asked last year if we
wanted more books sent, the answer now is “yes” because of more room in the
new library. So your help is still
needed.
Just before we came home, we
treated ourselves to a camping safari in remote Botswana.
We had a desire to see more animals—especially members of the cat
family, and see animals we did! We
were cold and dirty a lot of the time and the last day getting back out to
“civilization,” a heavy, unseasonable rain created a massive challenge of
slippery, rutted roads, thick with mud and quagmires, with many risky
situations. However, the wildlife
we saw made up for the discomforts—lots of lions, a cheetah, wild dogs, a
leopard (have you ever heard a leopard making a loud grunting noise nearby while
you’re sitting outside around an evening campfire?), many, many elephants,
several different kinds of antelope, and birds of all varieties.
Of course zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, wart hogs, guinea fowl, impala,
eagles, and hornbills were common. What a wonderful trip!
To actually see all these animals where they roam free is such a treat!
Ask us to show you our video if you’re interested—if you dare!
The slides and photos are not bad, either.
A Lilac-Breasted Roller (left); A leopard taking
it easy (right).
So concludes the most recent
chapter in our book “Mission to Zimbabwe”. But don’t close the book
yet—it’s not finished. We still
have work to do and, with your help, will continue to write in the book with
further stories of helping the people of Zimbabwe.
We are available to do
presentations to update the Zimbabwe story for churches or other groups.
Give us a call or e-mail and we will set a date (734-662-9880 or annt63@aol.com).
We also have a large number of Zimbabwean crafts for sale to help raise
money for the needs there.
God’s Peace,
Morris & Ann
Web site for letters and pictures--http://www.taber.net/anm/letters.htm