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