February Followings



1st Grade students writing letters to their new sponsors!



February has been a great month for HOPE!  The weather has been beautiful and we finally received the rain we had been waiting on for a few weeks.  I am very thankful that two of our Form 4 (11^th grade) students passed their exams well enough to go on to Form 5 and 6 (two additional years of high school in preparation for university).  One received 6 A’s and the other received 7!  Most of our children finish high school at Form 4 and either go to a training school or try to find employment.  It is our hope that each year we will be able to have a Form 6 student graduate with high enough grades to continue on to university. 



Loreen, a 1st Grade Student in need of a sponsor



Although we accepted 30 new students into the HOPE program last month, some of them still do not have their own sponsor.  If you or a group you are involved in would like to consider sponsoring a child, please send me an email and I will make sure you get all the information you need to help make a decision.  Most of the new children we accepted are in 1^st and 2^nd grade and were recommended by the principals because their family could not afford to pay their fees.



Chenai and his Fairfield mother and brother



The HOPE staff was able to visit one of our children who used to live at Fairfield, but has now been reunified with his extended family.  He was very happy to see his “mother” from Fairfield who brought him some treats to eat!  We hope to continue supporting these reunified children as needed once they rejoin their family to make sure they have everything they need to do well in school.







Abby enjoying a splash!

Abby and Grace have had a great 16^th month!  Two of Fairfield’s board members came to visit from the US and along with friends already in Zimbabwe we took the girls to see their very first waterfall in an area called Nyanga.  Unfortunately, it started pouring the rain on the hike back and we discovered Grace does not like cold rain!  They also had their first swim in a baby pool, which they loved.  Friends from college, Stacy and Todd, also joined us for a few days as part of their honeymoon around Africa.  The girls loved having visitors to entertain them!  Both girls are healthy, happy and moving.  Grace can now stand by herself and crawl.  I am sure she will be walking on her own soon.   Abby is close behind and can now walk holding onto the edge of the table.  

Thanks for all the love, prayers and support!  Janine







Happy 2012!

Tsvingwe Primary students receive flip-flops (patter patters!)

Bonnie passing out school supplies

New uniforms!

It has been a very successful start to 2012!  Thirty new children have been added to the HOPE education program, giving us a total of 103 students.  It is our goal to have 150 children in school by the end of the year.  One major blessing was finding a sponsor for Samuel, our only HOPE student so far to attend university.  Samuel is just beginning his 3^rd year in engineering and a sponsored has been secured to cover the remainder of his education!  We are hopeful that more students will follow in his footsteps in obtaining a college degree.

Mitchel and Faith with new dresses

New uniforms were distributed at the beginning of the school term, along with books and all other school supplies.  Thanks to Lerona United Methodist who mailed us enough flip flops to give out to all the HOPE children as well as the children at Fairfield.  Also a special thanks to the women of St. Paul’s United Methodist who sent pillowcase dresses.  All the little girls who received them were so excited to show off their brand new dresses!

Belinda receives a new dress!

 
It was great to have Dave and Bonnie Naas visiting Fairfield for most of January.  They have been friends of Fairfield and HOPE for many years.  “Uncle Dave” and “Aunt Bonnie” spent lots of time with Abigail and Grace.  The girls are now up to the right weight for their age and are so happy.  They can both stand holding onto the couch, so it won’t be long before mom will be busy chasing them as they run in opposite directions!  They are officially my foster children now, and we will next work on getting their birth certificates so that the adoption process can begin.

Excited about their new matching dresses

We are still enjoying the rainy season, with everything growing green and beautiful.  Thanks to all for your continued support and prayers as we begin the New Year.

Abby and Grace send a big hello to everyone!

Wenyu Munashe,

Janine

It's a girl...and a girl!

Many of you might have heard already, but my family has now expanded! I applied to be a foster mother last March through Zimbabwe Social Welfare in hopes of eventually being able to adopt a little girl. This is a very difficult process for a foreigner, but is made easier since I have lived in Zimbabwe and plan on staying for as long as I am given a visa.

An officer came to do a home visit in May, but I never heard anything after that. A friend of mine from the United States is the administrator of an orphanage about 3 hours from Fairfield in a place called Mt. Selinda. One Saturday early in October, we went for a walk. She mentioned that they had twin one-year-old girls at her orphanage. My first thought was,
“I could never manage twins by myself!” Over the next few hours, however, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. We went to a program church that evening and through the songs and talks, I felt God saying, “You are right. You cannot do this alone. But you can do this with My help, and with the help of those I have placed around you.” My brain had automatically said no, but the Holy Spirit had whispered yes.

Four days later, I drove with Cecillia, our Acting Administrator, and a good friend, Julie, to visit Rumbidzai and Nomatter in Mt. Selinda. We instantly fell in love with our two little girls (now named Abigail and Grace). We were told by the Social Welfare officer that the mother had died giving birth to the girls. The father is still alive, but said he is too old to look after the girls. He brought them to Social Welfare offices when they were just five days old, when they were brought to the orphanage in Mt. Selinda.

I was told that it would be at least December or January before the paperwork was complete and they would be placed in my care. We went back the following Friday and located the father. He consented right away to give the girls to me, which made the process a lot easier. I didn’t realize until we were driving back to the office, however, just how much easier the first steps would be.

The officer asked if I was prepared to take the girls back to Fairfield right away. He did not like their situation at the orphanage because they were not receiving sufficient food and their development was behind. We all watched in amazement as he signed a half sheet of paper giving both girls to me under temporary place of safety. From there he will work on the foster care paperwork, and once they are under my care as a foster parent, he will immediately begin working on the adoption process. Within 2 weeks of initially hearing of the girls, they were making the 3 hour trip back to Fairfield with a very shocked mother!

Luckily, my friends here had thrown me a baby shower (although only expecting one girl!) back in June, so I did have the basics to start out with that first night. It has been one of the hardest but best weeks of my life as the girls get adjusted to their new home. They were far behind on their vaccinations, and this new mom learned that the first day in a new place and over 90 degree weather was not the best time to get them up-to-date!

But God blessed me with wonderful friends those first few days that provided meals when I was too tired to eat let alone cook, who offered encouragement and advice, played with the girls, found car seats and other necessities, and prayed with me. Grace and Abby are eating a lot, sleeping a lot, doing exercises to get them ready for standing and walking, and having a great time playing with all the Fairfield children. I can see improvement even in the short time they have been here.

I had already scheduled a flight home for Christmas for a few weeks and set up many speaking engagements thinking that I would not have a child before January. We could have left the girls at the orphanage until I returned, but decided that the quicker they could get the right foods and assistance the faster they would improve. They will stay in my house with their big sister Nyarai while I am away, with the help of all the wonderful mothers at Fairfield. Nyarai met her little sisters for the first time this past weekend and instantly fell in love. I look forward to the day the adoption process is complete (I am sure this will take a lot of patience and time!) and Grace and Abigail can come meet all of you at home. I am sure you will instantly fall in love with them as well.

I would appreciate your prayers as we begin this journey. I am already discovering motherhood can be overwhelming, especially with twins, but God’s grace is always sufficient for us. If any of you are going through a change or a difficult time, I pray you will also hear God whispering, “You can do this with My help and with the help of those I have placed around you.”

Wenyu Munashe,
Janine

Walk a Mile in My Shoes

Many of the HOPE children have to walk long distances in order to get to school. I am often amazed at how many of them wake up before it is even light outside in order to walk over an hour just to receive a good education. We used to purchase new school shoes for each child once every two years. But when we went to visit the children in school, the HOPE staff often found that their shoes were threadbare after only one year of use.
For many of the children, the school shoes we give them are one of the only pairs of shoes they own. They also grow out of them very quickly until they reach their adult sizes. HOPE is now giving new black school shoes to each of the children once a year to ensure they have a safe and comfortable walk to school each day,no matter how far they have to go!
The school shoes were purchased last month and it has been a busy time driving to all the schools to make sure each child receives their new shoes. The children were so happy when they were able to try on sizes to see which fit best. Many were amazed at how much their feet had grown since their last pair!
Thank you to all the sponsors and other donors who make it possible for us to purchase everything the children need to succeed in their education. Please pray for the 7th graders and Form 4 children (11th grade) as they are taking their big year end exams over the next few weeks.

Also, a big thanks for those who donated toward mealie-meal at Fairfield Children’s Home last month. We received enough to last through at least next July! I really appreciate the support and the children thank you for their full stomachs:)
Wenyu Munashe,
Janine

From Whom All Blessings Flow

Greetings from Zimbabwe! We have passed the winter season and now the trees are coming out in full bloom. Spring has arrived. It has been a very exciting time here at Fairfield. Our last team for the season was here from Missouri for the last 2 weeks of July. They each came with different skills that really blessed our homes as well as the children and staff.
We had a veterinarian who helped make sure our goats were healthy so they can produce milk for the children. Together the team painted our rusty old container so that it now has a beautiful sun and mountain scene. One of the team members replaced all our broken windows, while others helped him to replace broken handles, electrical sockets and irons.
The entire team spent time forming relationships with our children and helped to fill in pages for their lifebooks so they have a book of memories and pictures from their childhood. Thank you to all the team members for all your hard work and love.
I was fortunate to have some of my best friends visit at different times recently as well. We had such a great time together.
For Kate and Christine, it was their first trip to Zimbabwe. It was a huge blessing to have them meet all the wonderful people who make up my family here. Gogo (grandmother) Lynn came next. The children always are so happy to see one of their official Fairfield grandmothers coming to visit them! My friend Melissa returned for her third visit to Fairfield.
The staff and children were so excited to see her again-especially 2 of our young boys who took their first trip to the airport in Harare to greet her when she arrived.

The children are now all back to school for the last term of the school year. Once again, we were blessed with enough funding to pay for all the fees in full. Sometimes I look at the figures and am amazed that God provides so abundantly to keep over 150 children in school each term between the Fairfield and HOPE children.

We do have one area of urgent need for the children’s home. World Food Program has been providing mealie-meal, our staple food, for many orphanages over the past few years. They have recently stopped this service, which means we will have to source funds for 600kgs of mealie-meal every month to feed our 76 children. At the moment, 600kgs costs $240 which will be very difficult for us to find every month. If any individual or group is able to donate $240 to provide food for one month, we would be greatly appreciative.
Any donation that comes in a multiple of $24 (48, 72, 96…240 etc) will be used in full to purchase mealie-meal for the children at Fairfield. Once we have enough for one year supply, the funds will next be used to purchase cooking oil, sugar, salt, and soap that the children need monthly.
Thank you so much for considering this form of assistance!

Wenyu Munashe,
Janine

Coming Soon!

Hello all, I am very excited about our next team who will be arriving on Sunday. They are coming from Missouri and bringing two of my best friends with them! We are hoping that they will not regret leaving the warm weather to visit us during our coldest month. Last week we received a cold front with frost killing our whole crop of tomatoes. The up side was that the children saw their first icicle hanging from one of our water hoses:)

I am hoping that some of the Missouri team will be able to help me with a very important task while they are here. It is time for our yearly sponsor letters to be written by each of the HOPE children and sent to their special sponsor along with an updated photo. If you are currently a sponsor, be looking for your letter to arrive sometime in August. Some of our HOPE children have moved far away, so if your letter arrives late it just means it took us a little more time make it to their home for a visit.
The Fairfield secretary, Linda, accompanied me to Vumbunu Primary School last week to start collecting some of the sponsor letters from our children. Vumbunu is located at the top of a mountain that can only be reached by a road filled with rocks and ditches. We had to do some careful maneuvering to arrive safely at the top! We were greeted by the new Headmaster (principal) and were asked to speak to one of the 7th grade classes while we waited for the HOPE children to be called from their classes to visit with us. The students wanted to learn all about America, asking questions like “what is our staple food?” and “what sports do we play?” My favorite question was from a boy who pointed to Linda and asked, “Is she your friend?” Linda is both my good friend and young sister here at Fairfield.
There have been a lot of road accidents in recent months here. Please pray for safe travels for the team as they start the long trip here, and for us to have safe travels as we begin the annual trek to each school and home of the HOPE children to get all the letters and photos. If you would consider sponsoring a HOPE child, we have many on our waiting list and would be happy to send you information about a child for you to pray for and support with their education.
Thank you as always for all your love and support-we are all doing well here…shivering at times, but healthy and happy due in no small part to you!
Wenyu Munashe,
Janine

Ooh and Ahh

Our last month at Fairfield has been hectic, but we have emerged on the other side in much better shape than we started! A team of college students arrived in the middle of May ready to start digging. The team was led by my friend from seminary, Patrick Hutto. They dug up our old water pipes that were too thin to carry water to the four children’s homes at the end of the row, and replaced them with bigger ones. The children and mothers were dancing with happiness when everything was in place and the water flowed through all the way to the last house.

Just a few days later, we welcomed two teams from Indiana who had both raised funds to help with projects at Fairfield. One team was led by Dr. Mike Rynkiewich, my professor from Asbury, and his wife Teresa. The second team included Bob, Midge and Emily Greising who are members of the FOSA board that funds the orphanage. Both teams worked quickly and finished one project during their first few days. We needed a row of hedges along the road that will protect the houses from dust and also give privacy so people can’t see directly into the children’s bedroom windows.

The second project was to paint two of our children’s homes on the outside and one on the inside. They are now a nice bright blue and green. The teams had help from some Zimbabwean soldiers learning to become professional painters, which made the workload a lot lighter. This left time for the team to help with the children’s life books and sort our container so we know what clothes are available for the different age groups.
The children also really enjoyed popping corn kernels off the cobs with the visitors to get them ready to grind into their staple food, sadza.

We welcomed another baby boy to the nutrition program this month. His name is Ngoni and we would love your prayers for his health to improve. He has a loving mother who is doing everything she can to help him gain weight, so that is already a step in the right direction!

It has now turned cold here, especially up in our mountains. I can see my breath in the mornings and have put extra blankets on the bed.
I don’t handle the cold very well, so after a year of living within the Zimbabwean borders, I am heading for a week of sunshine on the beaches of Mozambique with friends. Someone was generous enough to donate their beach house to us for FREE…it is a tough life I live. If you start to get jealous though, remember it would take over $2,000 and 36 hours of travel time just to give my mom and dad a hug…so Mozambique will have to work as 2nd choice for my vacation destination:)

Wishing all of my American friends a very happy 4th of July in a few weeks! Say an extra loud “ooh” and “ahh” on my behalf when you watch the fireworks.

Wenyu Munashe,
Janine