Today was our last working day in Zimbabwe and it was also our anniversary. Eight adventurous years together.
And yes, after our time in Ethiopia we headed down south to Zimbabwe for a mission trip with an organization that cares for orphans and HIV positive communities in both urban and rural Zimbabwe.
We wanted to do something memorable today and we also wanted to keep working with the kids we had come to serve, so we decided to throw a pizza party for the teens from two different orphanages in the greater Harare region.
But, After seeing all the needs that exist with and for the kids, we weren't sure if it made any sense to spend a sizable amount of USD on pizza.... So we went back and forth about it.
One of the homes was mostly teenage boys who farm and weld and do hair cuts for income. These boys had a clean, decent smelling home ( which is a feat for males in my book) are doing well in school, but they faced some serious challenges. One was the fact that they only have water one day a week at the moment. They have resourcefully been storing water though as their group leader noted " water is life you know"
Very good point.
The other challenge is that they are out of power and need funds to restore it.
So again back to the question of , "does it make sense to throw these boys a pizza party or just buy them some bottled water and pay their electric bill?"
The organization staff that we were working with, at multiple levels , encouraged us that the pizza party was a great idea and we would have no way to understand what an impact it would have on the kids lives to get to be in the city and experience something of this nature.
So that's how it got started.
The kids from the other home, we had never met, so we were unsure whether or not the whole experience would be good or have flow etc. Would we have anything interesting to talk about?
Well, we have noticed since arriving on this continent that a lot of people talk about future plans. So that's where I started .
I was amazed and excited about their answers to my question of "what is your future plan?" In the group were hopeful lawyers, a journalist, a musician , a doctor, an architect, a pilot and I could go on!
These kids were so easy to talk to and so hopeful. When I asked them what their favorite food was they all said " pizza!" good answer since that's what we were having. :)
The conversations got a little more serious as time went on and we talked about life in general and favorite scriptures.
EVERY single teen quoted me a different scripture that when spoken juxtaposed against their stories of suffering , brought me to tears.
Since I am a professional counselor I am trained to be objective and refrain from taking on peoples problems.... But I'll tell you what , I desperately wanted to take on ALL of these kids problems.
I wish I could connect every single child with a mom and dad or even a mom or a dad who would solely care for and provide for their every need.
I wanted to scoop each one of them up, even though they are teenagers , and just hug them and let them cry until there are no tears left......
But obviously that would be weird...
So I didn't!
But we DID extend our lunch a little further beyond the pizza gallery because we had miscalculated the number of kids and had extra cash.
We decided to get some Ice cream for everyone. It's sounds like not a big deal but it really was. It was like Christmas! We bought cones and sprinkles and had a great time making jokes about licking the cones as only teenagers can do!
And then one teen said " This is a day to remember forever!"
Wow. Just pizza and ice cream? A day to remember forever?
But when you are coming from a place of survival , days like today ARE something to remember.
And for me too, I want to remember today forever. And I want to top it!
On the spur of the moment I decided I would help look for sponsors for these teens. So this is where you come in blog readers.
This group is not affiliated with world vision or compassion international, though They would love to be . And they have tried to connect. But the need is so vast not every kid gets the opportunity to be " marketed" that way.
So I let each of the kids take their own pictures and type in their names into my phone so i could report back to you all of their needs and maybe connect some to sponsors.
The fee is 35 a month and we are working on an efficient way to get funds back and forth. Five primary school children are already being supported by our church small group members which is great! But I also want these teens to have a chance to reach their goals.
When we are back In the states I will be checking emails and can try to connect you if you desire to help. Even just 35 a month for six months or a year. . It would dramatically impact these children .
Look forward to the posts with pictures, names and future plans.
Start thinking and praying about whether or not you have room in your budget for some " pizza and ice cream".
- Jeanette
farmgirl139@aol.com
Or Facebook message me at
Jeanette Manchester
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