Happily Ever After

Most of you know that I have had a “daughter” living with me for the last year or so named Nyarai. I met Nyarai during my first trip to Zimbabwe in 1998 when she was 5 years old.
God has taught me so much throughout my relationship with Nyarai, so it is only fitting that as she begins college this week, I share the end of her story at Fairfield Children’s Home.
I am sure, however, that this is just the beginning of many other stories as she begins her life as an adult.
(I have been given permission from Nyarai to share this information with you)
Nyarai was brought to Fairfield when she was just a few months old by her great-grandmother. She had always been told that there were no other living relatives and that by now her great-grandmother would have passed away. We often told her that although she may not have blood relatives, she had so many people who loved her and accepted her as family.
She would never be left alone. But still, Nyarai said that before she left Fairfield, she wanted to see her home area for herself and know without doubt that there were no relatives left.
So two weeks ago, four of us set out to find Nyarai’s home area: Mr. Mufute (administrator), Mrs. Mabvumbe (assistant administrator), me and Nyarai. The only clue we had from her file was the name of a school near where the great-grandmother lived about 40 minutes away from Fairfield. We stopped at a house near the school and asked if anyone knew of a family from long ago with Nyarai’s last name. God was on our side, because the family knew exactly where we should go and even sent a girl with us to guide us. Five minutes later we were sitting in a kitchen hut greeting a woman with very kind eyes. She listened to our story and we asked if she had any information for us about the great-grandmother or her relatives. She smiled and said, “The woman you are speaking of passed away 10 years ago. I am married to her son. We knew of a baby girl named Manyara who came here with her mother before the mother passed away.”
Our administrator said to the woman, as others now began to enter the hut, “This is Manyara , your daughter. We have raised her and now we have brought her home.”
The women came over to where Nyarai (a nickname for Manyara) was sitting on the floor and hugged her and welcomed her into the family.
Then a little old man was called and stepped slowly into the hut using a cane. This was one of Nyarai’s great uncles. He also accepted her into the family and they all thanked Fairfield for raising her so well. When I went to snap a photo of Nyarai and her uncle, we noticed they had the exact same nose! She has 2 great uncles, a great aunt and many cousins. Before we left, Nyarai was given a chicken to take home as a welcome gift. She hopes to go back for a visit soon.
One week later, she received her high school exam results…she had passed 8 subjects! After 3 days of looking for the right place for her to continue studies, she finally decided on a Fashion Design course in town. She moved into the dorms there and has started classes, but is only a 15 minute drive away when we want to visit.
My house feels very empty and quiet these days. I remember walking her to preschool down the long dirt path. I remember showing her the swing set and new houses being built for Fairfield when she was 9 years old. I remember the day she blew out the candles on her 12th birthday cake and how she used to hum the tune to “Dawson’s Creek” that we watched so often together. I don’t suppose she remembers all those things, but hopefully on these first nights away from home, she will remember that she is well loved always.
Pictures from top: Nyarai trying on a pair of shoes at preschool in 1998, Nyarai on far left receiving her first Bible in 2002, me and Nyarai in 2005, Nyarai ready for high school 2007, meeting her family in January 2011 with Mr. Mufute, college dorm with Mrs. Mabvumbe in February 2011, My cousin Tiffany and me with Nyarai on my back in 1998

The Busiest (Best) Day of the Year

My eyes pop open as soon as the sun begins to filter in at 5:15AM. I feel well-rested, considering my favorite bedtime is 9PM (no one makes fun of you in Zimbabwe for going to bed at 9PM-or even 8!). I hop out of bed and do a few stretches, enjoying the peaceful time before music starts blasting throughout the house (I live with an 18-year-old, so what else can I expect). I take a deep breath and open my bedroom door to the mayhem, as this morning, I have not one, but 3 teenagers moving up and down the hallway. Benji and Chipo arrived last night from their rural area to get ready to leave for boarding school today.
The electricity cuts, (surprise, surprise) so Nyarai heads out to cook chicken over the fire for Benji and Chipo’s lunch while they are traveling. I stay inside and start the rice on our small gas stove, and then boil water for baths, and more water for baths, and even more water for tea. By 7, I see Cecillia (our assistant administrator) walking past on her way to the office to start gathering the school supplies. By the time I arrive at 7:30, she and Peter (our administrator) are already in full swing. Papers and bags are flying around the office, as the Fairfield children line up (or form a mob, let’s be honest) to receive their school supplies and books before heading off to school.
Peter packs the combi bus full of boarders and their luggage and heads off on the 2 hour trip to Marange School, where some of our children attend. Cecillia heads off to Hartzell Primary and Secondary to pay fees for the Fairfield children. I use guilt and begging to convince Linda (our secretary) to come with me to all the other schools, even though she is on leave from work (she graciously accepted, thank you Linda). We pack Benji and 2 other students in the car and zip off toward St. Augustine’s (why can’t everyone go to the same school?!). It poured the rain last night, so we move slowly up the steep, muddy mountain (who builds their school on top of a mountain, and why?). We stand in a line to pay fees, we stand in a line to pay teacher incentives, we stand in a line to collect Benji’s mattress.
Now the car heads back down the mountain toward Tsvingwe Primary and Secondary Schools. At one point while concentrating on the deep, muddy rivets in the road, I look up to see that a bus has become stuck in the mud and abandoned in the middle of the road a few feet ahead. We’ll have to somehow turn around and go the long way around (this requires all my thinking skills, and I think my jaw is permanently clenched shut). We finally reach the primary school. Papers and bags fly again as all the HOPE children are given their supplies to start the year-same scene at the secondary school.
It is now late afternoon as we make our way back to Fairfield. Peter and Cecillia arrive back home just after us. We have forgotten to eat all day and suddenly realize we are very hungry-and tired. The first day of the school year each January is the busiest day of the year, but we will all sleep well tonight, knowing that all 74 of the Fairfield children and 100 HOPE children are happy, healthy, and exactly where they are supposed to be. Good night my friends…and thank you that at the end of every line, I had enough money to pay, and for every moment I almost felt overwhelmed, I knew that one of you out there had sent up a little prayer for us over here. What would we do without you?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Zimbabwe! Cleopatra has found the 2 additional sponsors needed to go to boarding! The 7th grade results came out on Friday (the exams which determine what junior high and high school a child will be able to attend based on their grades) and Cleopatra, as expected, received very high marks. She was immediately accepted to Hartzell Secondary School which offers an excellent academic program.

Cleo was so excited to learn she was going to boarding school, and we even visited her grandmother (actually her great-grandmother!) to deliver the good news. We will be purchasing all her items for boarding this month and she will begin in January. Please pray that she does well in school.

We were also blessed with a special donation that helped us to buy Christmas dinner for all the HOPE families!

Below is a special Christmas message from all your friends in Zimbabwe. If you need a game to occupy your time during the holidays, you can locate the page number each of the following people are mentioned in the book “Dare to Love Completely”:)

Merry Christmas!
Love, Janine





















Nyarai (who lives with me at Fairfield), Peter Mufute (Fairfield Administrator), Jane and Larry Kies (Missionaries at Africa University), Juliet Chimuka (mother at Fairfield), Rutendo (child at Fairfield), Cecilia Thobani Mabvumbe (Assistant Administrator), Linda Manhiri Nyatwa (Fairfield Secretary), Angela Mari Jeni (mother at Fairfield), Jayne (child at Fairfield), Tendai Munashe (child at Fairfield), Benji Mariga (HOPE child), me, Sylvia (child at Fairfield)

Cleopatra's Dream

Years ago, I was traveling to do home visits at Meikle’s Farm with a visitor from the states named Jim. We were visiting all the children on the HOPE nutrition and education programs in that area. One little girl named Cleopatra caught Jim’s attention. She was an orphan and lived with her sickly grandmother. Cleopatra attended Hartzell Primary School where she was always number 1 in her class. That was about all we knew about her because Cleopatra was not on our program. She was being taken care of by another program that paid for her school fees each term.
Throughout the years, Jim would consistently ask for updates about Cleopatra. How is she doing in school? How is she managing to take care of her grandmother on her own? Does she need anything? We would always do follow-ups with Cleopatra, and the answers were always the same. She is still top of her class, she is doing well living with her grandmother and since she is part of a different sponsorship program, we aren’t really able to help her with anything else at this point.
Last month, Jim’s persistence paid off. The principal from Hartzell was discussing how upset he was that one of the programs assisting with school fees was now ending. It would not be able to cover children moving on to junior high and high school. The principal was most concerned about one student in particular, who was top of her entire class. He knew she would do well on her 7th grade tests and be given a place at Hartzell Secondary. She excelled at science and math. The only problem was her grandmother had become very ill, and the little girl would not possibly be able to afford the high fees. Of course, I knew right away who he was referring to…our Cleopatra. Cleopatra, who we may have never known about if Jim had not taken an interest in her years before and persisted in having us follow up with her regularly.
So Jim’s email came again asking about Cleopatra. How is she doing in school? How is she managing to take care of her grandmother on her own? Does she need anything? She is still top of her class, her auntie has come to help care for the grandmother, but if we don’t find a way to help her, Cleopatra won’t be able to continue in school.
And so, after years of patient waiting on Jim’s part, he was able to make Cleopatra’s dream come true without so much as one day’s worry for her. He has agreed to pay for day school fees, and if we are able to find two more sponsors, we will transfer her to boarding school where she can have time to study at night and have extra help from her teachers. Hartzell is not far from her home, so she will be able to visit her granny often. If you would like to join Jim in sponsoring Cleopatra, please email hopeofzim@gmail.com.
If you would like to read a continuation of Cleopatra’s story, please see the blog entry below entitled “Cleopatra’s Purse.”
Wenyu Munashe,
Janine

Cleopatra's Purse

Last week, I was sorting through my clothing and other items to see what I needed to give away. I came across an empty purse and smiled. This had been my favorite purse: the perfect size to hold everything I needed and a style and color that went with any outfit. Unfortunately, a few weeks before, I had emptied the purse for the last time. It had become torn on both ends and no longer looked nice for me to carry around. The outside was dirty from lots of use and I hadn’t bothered to clean it since I was not using it anymore.
I considered throwing the purse away, but it seems that in Zimbabwe, everything can be recycled into something useful. I asked Nyarai if she thought anyone would be able to use the purse, pointing out the rips and tears on the sides. Nyarai’s immediate response was, “Give it to Cleopatra.” I found the suggestion odd because Nyarai had met Cleopatra only a handful of times. But, as often happens, Nyarai seems to have an uncanny way of knowing exactly who might benefit from a particular item. I trusted her instincts and sent the purse to school with her to give to Cleopatra without giving it a second thought.
A few days later, Nyarai placed a piece of paper in my hand. It was folded many times and taped on all sides. After managing to unravel it into its full form, I found it was a letter from Cleopatra. The opening line was, “Dear Janine, I am very glad to write this letter thanking you about the bag you sent me.” At first I looked at the letter slightly confused. What bag was she talking about? I had forgotten all about it already.
As I read on, shame covered me. She wrote of my tattered, dirty purse, “it is the best present I have ever received. I love it very much. Even my grandmother will love it. I promise to take extra care of it. I am going to put my books and carry it to school always. I will try my best to keep it clean. May God bless you a million. Yours with gratitude, Cleopatra.” Tears flowed down my cheeks as I thanked God for this beautiful little girl who reminded me of something very precious.
At times in our life, we might also consider ourselves tattered and dirty as sinful human beings. Our shame covers us. But then God speaks over us, “You are the best present I have ever received. I love you very much. I will place others in your life who will also love you. I promise to take extra care of you. I will give you a special purpose always. I will keep you clean; you will be whiter than snow. I will bless you a million…”
May God bless you a million this week:)
Janine

Container Blessings

Hello from Zimbabwe! We were excited this month to receive a container that was sent from South Carolina. Many of the boxes that came for HOPE were full of preschool supplies donated by my mom and her friends at First Presbyterian Preschool in West Virginia. All the supplies were divided up and are being distributed to 8 rural preschools in the area, as well as our preschool at Fairfield.
The children have been so happy to be able to play with the blocks, books, puzzles and other games that came especially for them. Also on the container were boxes of children’s clothing, mainly for the babies and younger children on the nutrition program. Every child received a bag of clothes and stuffed animal from their HOPE friends.

We have a new addition to the nutrition program this week. An aunt came with her small nephew, Tinashe in search of assistance. She received counseling on how to best care for the tiny baby, who is nearly 5 months old, but is the size of a newborn. Tinashe’s mother was not able to care for him or feed him, so the aunt had been feeding him only porridge since he was born (mixture of corn meal and water).
Thanks to donations that have been coming in, we added Tinashe and others in need to the nutrition program. He will be receiving milk every day, as well as peanut butter, eggs and bananas as he grows up.


The container carried a wheelchair that we gave to one of the children who has been on our program since she was still a baby. Chipo, who is now almost 6, has a disability and is unable to walk. Her grandmother works very hard to take care of her and provide for her. We are hoping that she will be able to find a place at a boarding school this coming January that can provide for her special needs.


It is an extremely hot October in Zimbabwe, but I have been enjoying the bright purple Jacaranda trees that have come out everywhere. I am looking forward to the rain that will hopefully be coming soon bringing even more flowers and flowering trees!
If you are in a place where the leaves are changing colors for fall, find a bright yellow one and enjoy it for me:)
Wenyu Munashe,
Janine

Are you the 1 or the 9?

The last two weeks have been busy. The staff of Fairfield and HOPE has been buying supplies, delivering children to boarding school, and going to pay school fees for all the children who began school on September 7. I was happy to be able to visit all the schools where our HOPE children are attending and see most of them when we were paying the fees.

God worked another miracle this term. I was worried our money was not going to be enough to cover the fees and supplies because some of the rural schools had increased their prices. Each time I would think we were not going to have enough, we would find that a few of the children had transferred or been picked up by another program, so we did not owe for their fees. The last day, I ended up with exactly $120 left after paying out over $5,000 in expenses. We had three children left to pay for. For one we owed $80 and the other two were $20 each…exactly $120. God provided for us down to the exact dollar!

When the assistant administrator and I went to visit the children at Tsvingwe Primary, we called the whole group to the car to pass out supplies and some socks that had been donated. All the children were very polite and did the tradition clapping of hands and curtsey to say thank you before receiving their items.

A group of girls left together talking and laughing on their way back to the classrooms. As they were going, Belinda, one of our 7th graders, shouted back, “Sister Janine.” I looked up and saw that she had stopped halfway back to the school. “Thank you,” she said with a sincere smile, before turning back around and running to catch up with her friends. I was truly touched by this simple gesture of gratitude.

I am reminded of Luke 17:11-19 where ten men with leprosy ask Jesus to have pity on them. Jesus tells them to go and show themselves to the priest, and as they are walking away, they are healed. Only one of the ten, a Samaritan, came back and gave praise to God. Jesus wanted to know, “Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

Am I the 1 or the 9? God has provided in so many ways for each of us. Will I remember to stop, turn back and give praise for what God did? Maybe God is also touched by our simple gestures of gratitude for what He does for us. Today, I thank God for the sponsors who provided all the funding for this third term of school so that we did not have to turn anyone away…down to the very last dollar. I praise God for giving me, a foreigner, a home and a family in a far away land, and for taking care of my family and friends back home while I am away. Are you the 1 or the 9? No matter what your circumstance today, what can you return and give praise to God for in your life?

Now, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:19