Zimbabwe Partnership

Our sister church in Zimbabwe is the Harare Church of the United Church of Christ,
which is comprised of the Mbare Church and the Mabvuku Preaching Point.
We light a special candle on our altar each Sunday during worship. The candle on the altar affirms our relationship.

LETTERS FROM HARARE CHURCH IN ZIMBABWE

March 5, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,
It’s the 5th of March, and it sounds like the water has just come back on. We had a few minutes of water yesterday and not when we could fill our buckets. And the electricity is on, after some hours of being off both last night and the night before. We can’t complain – we know that many of our neighbors and colleagues do without either in their homes.

We are told that summer is drawing to a close, but the days seem hot as ever, and the nights, though cool, don’t stay that way long enough. But we don’t have a thermometer, so we don’t know how hot we’re supposed to feel, and that helps a lot. Misery undefined can be ignored.

We continue to enjoy our work. The first term is over in early April, and the children that Lindley has in math are enjoying the care and attention she gives to making sure they have mastered the basics before going onto more advanced concepts. Several years ago the economic situation here was so bad that the government was not paying teachers, and there was no school for the most part. Yet the following year the children were all assigned to the next grade, and there has been a not-so-hard-to-understand drop in achievement levels. The children are reporting to the admin that they are enjoying math because they can now do it! What a concept!

I am enjoying teaching the oldest kids (some 18, 19 and 20 year olds) in Divinity, though I find that even at that age they have not been taught to think critically. Some are very good at it, but some have depended on copying notes from the board and spitting them back on tests. Granted, they don’t have textbooks, so they don’t have anything but notes to work from, but one can teach/learn more than regurgitation even from one’s own notes. So some are having a good time, and some are kind of lost – especially if their English is not very good. The younger children I work with seem to enjoy their Bible work, and the regular teacher always gives me the best chapters to teach to her 3 classes.

One of those classes was described to me as playful – and would I do some counseling with them please! That means they’re a bit noisy and disruptive, but they are not bad by my definition. Still, I’m not much of a believer in taking a rubber strap to the hands of children who talk in class, as some of my colleagues do, so obviously I operate from a different set of standards. And since corporal punishment is illegal, immoral, ineffective and uncalled for, I am trying to address the issue – first with the admin, then with the faculty. It’ll be a very touchy subject, but it’s a cause that’s worth pursuing. Wish me luck. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the playful class.

Yesterday was Sports Day – a 6-school competition in track and field events. Chinaa – our school – has a reputation for running, but though we were at the event all day long, we don’t know who won. The competition was at Chikore High, right next to our house, and we were the first aid people for Chinaa. There was only one other first aid kit and person available, so we ended up in the middle of the track, Chikore and Chinaa first-aiders and Sue H, nurse extraordinaire, washing down fainted students and sending them off revived, some to race and win, some to faint again. Such is life.

Today is Saturday, laundry, chores, and, best of all, NO trip to town to shop. That means no getting up at 4:30 or so to catch the bus to take the world’s bumpiest ride to and from. That’s a holiday in itself!

I’m going to head off for the nearest spot that has internet access – or the hope thereof – and try to send and receive. We’ve had trouble the last few times, so I’ll hope this gets through.
Love,
Suzy, Andy, Ms J, Rev – whatever

PS Our internet charges are based on what we send and receive. It helps us if people remember to delete what we've written when sending a reply. If we can't remember, there's no hope for us anyway!

March 4, 2011

Dear Joann,

How are you and the family?

I was asked by the Harare Church Executive to send you this email of appreciation to all our brothers and sisters of New Hampshire Church thanking them all for their love and kindness to us.

We received the $1000 that you sent to us via UCC Synod last year. We have since purchased bricks towards the construction of the “footing” of the pastorage. We will be sending you pictures of the pile of bricks, per email, some time soon. We are currently working towards raising funds for the builder’s charges. Things are currently tough for us but we are trying very hard.

May you please send our sincere appreciation to all our brothers and sisters who contributed towards this cash? We also appreciate all your prayers; we know you are all with us all the time. We also pray for you and for our Ukama to remain strong.

Mbare church greets you all in the Name of our Lord Jesus.

Nolian N Mapfumo
Building Chairperson
For Harare Church

February 14, 2011

Dear Friends and Family,

Here's the February weather and climate report for southeastern Zimbabwe:

'Tis the season of ants, little bitty ones, all over everything. We put the cat's food dish down, and if he doesn't move fast, he has to fight for his share of what's there.

'Tis the season of rain and the need for it, so we don't mind carrying our umbrellas and getting our feet muddy. We DO mind when socks get dirty. In Zimbabwe, white laundry is expected to be WHITE, regardless of red sticky mud. Women soak whites in washing powder, and scrub, scrub, scrub, and there is not a trace of stain when they are finished. Only Americans, especially I, commit the sin of permanently-stained socks. Lindley is smart enough to wear black socks, while I brought low white socks. Oops.

'Tis also the season of bill-paying, and we have received our monthly rent, electricity and water bills . . . rent $3, electricity $16, water $6. There's been practically no water in nearby households for the last three weeks. We haul it in buckets from the nearest working well - it adds greatly to our daily fitness routine. I can't imagine how much water might cost if we actually had functioning faucets . . . .

'Tis also the season of reality in Paradise. We may not have serpents that wind around trees and make tempting suggestions, but temptation is coming from somewhere, and it's leading to theft. I'm quite sure that poverty's offspring, envy and need, are part of the problem, and since I'm not sure what I'd be willing to do if my children were starving, I'm determined not to analyze the situation in first world terms.

With all that in mind, it's what happened after the fact that has me pondering the theft of a mango from my desk last week. The girl who took it ran away and when she was called back, she insisted that the mango was hers, from her bag, even though Lindley had watched her pick the mango up from my desk and run out with it. Her friends ratted her out by making sure we had the girl's name and finding her for us, and that's when she denied everything. (Bear in mind that mangos are available to anyone who wants to pick them.)

A possible answer might not have occurred to us had we not seen teachers using physical force carelessly, offhandedly, in ways that showed no regard for the children affected. A teacher slaps the side of a boy's head to get him and those beside him to move along. Another teacher pushes a group of students out of a doorway with no "Excuse me" or recognition that the action has any more meaning than kicking a stone out of a path. In each case, force is used instead of courtesy, not after courtesy has failed. If this is what children expect when there's no misbehavior, how much more they must fear the consequences of doing something wrong, as when children are lined up waiting to be smacked with a strip of rubber for talking in class.

It's a cultural thing, we're told. That's the way it is. But this is a church-sponsored school, and corporal punishment is illegal in Zimbabwe, so there isn't much doubt about whether it needs to be addressed. It'll ruffle a lot of feathers and maybe use up good will and potential support in other areas, but it's a moral issue, not a political one. The headmaster, who agrees that something needs to be said, will call a meeting of administration soon to give me the chance to address the issue, and we'll see how it goes.

Stay tuned.

Andy, and Lindley too!