It’s been a long time since our last update – in fact we are so far behind … umm rephrase, no actually I think it’s all of you that are just far too forward for us back here in Bulawayo Zimbabwe…
I often wonder if things will ever catch up for me or is this how my life has been designed ?? Nonetheless a bit of home-catch-up & testimony and some pictures too...
January came and went as the first month of an exciting and challenging year… Exciting because we know God has amazing plans and adventures for us and Challenging as the situation in Zim becomes tougher by each day. Nevertheless we are truly blessed in so many ways by God and by His people.
It was a pretty normal month with the odd cold here and there but nothing too drastic. We received our new arrival “Prince” and this put the carers back on their toes, no more quiet nights as he mastered the art of crying for attention. Davis and Junior got their first teeth and the younger babies, Amanda, Bhekubuhle, Ruth and Bridget all shared some smiles.
Our new arrival Prince ...
The New Year has brought our dream to fruition as a number of children have been identified for fostering with the intention of adoption. Already we have had two children move from our half-way home, one has been adopted and one is being reunited with his extended family. We continue to play a role in this transition period as we believe God’s love continues through each step at a time and is never-ending.
February was a little more challenging with a few of the children having to take anti-biotics for continued colds. Noma and Davis both had a second course as theirs did not clear as anticipated. The eldest of our children Godknows has had a tough month, he was admitted into Mater Dei Hospital as he had developed a chest infection. In about 5 days he was discharged but we had to administer intravenous medication. For those of us who have experienced this know that it is by no means painless – as an adult can you imagine the pain for a young child, it breaks my heart to see children suffer like this. I cannot explain in words the bravery of this young boy, at one stage the cannular did not work and this left the only alternative being an injection direct into his buttocks. He allowed the Sister to do this with very little resistance, he really does us proud ! Unfortunately Gody developed pneumonia and was again admitted to Mater Dei Hospital for treatment. Today as I write this email, it being Easter Sunday I just remember the phrase “by his stripes we have been healed” and we commit Godknows into the Lord’s hands and ask for a special and precious healing for this child of His.
We give thanks for the many people who have come forward with gifts of service. Our volunteers are a really blessing and through this many people have special bonds with the children, it is encouraging to see how many families have opened their hearts and their homes to the children and if you plan to visit on the weekends do not expect to see all the children there! Obviously you can’t just take the children out there are limits set and conformed too for the well being of these precious souls.
March has been a busy month for me and although it didn’t begin too well I realise that everything works for the good of those who love God, even in bad circumstances there is always a way that God’s love can be revealed. We just have to trust and obey, there is no other way!
I decided at the end of February that I wanted to become more than just a volunteer at Isaiah’s Umuzi Wothando – I’d been asked before to join the team but knew it wasn’t God’s timing – I felt I could reach out more where I was. Hey I had the best of both world’s - working in a job I enjoyed and being with people I considered more than just colleagues, and doing things for the babies home whenever I felt like it – what could be better than that ! Well the problem is when your heart is in two places there comes a point when maybe one area is stronger than the other and you run the risk of letting the other area down. I’d never wanted to get to that point ! The offer came again and after hearing the vision and seeing it more clearly I asked God to reveal his plan to me – with some conditions of course !!! You have to make me sure God this is what you want and I’ll only see so if my family agree and in my work place you put a replacement. It all happened so smoothly and so I knew it had to be a part of God’s plan.
A few days after resigning something drastic happened to my work computer and I lost a lot of work – most of my work in 2007, financial year end information and most of my 2008 documents. I knew this had to be Satan’s hand at work because that’s just how he works – when everything goes smoothly he’s losing grip and so he throws a spanner in the works, upsets the apple cart and generally we as humans fall apart! Well I did anyway – for a few days I was a terrible person to be around, the frustration of hours of input just lost – never to be found again ! Then one night I sat in front of my computer at home with my Bible on my lap and asked God to show me a verse or something to reassure me everything was going to be ok, surely He knew how much I needed that sign – I was breaking up and now time was not on my side !
So show me He did !!! John 9 vs. 3 & 4
“… Jesus said, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life, as long as it is day we must do the work of him who sent me.”
From there I felt release of the burden of worry – how am I going to manage to restore all that info in 3 months as well as finish off my December year end. I knew I would manage or if not I would certainly have done my best, and that is all God ever asks of us – to do our best in everything we do – to Him be the glory ! From that night I declared that Satan would not hold me again as he did, he has no control on my emotions and God loves me so he better get used to that! So that was the start of my month of March and I knew I could only look forward to better things.
The internet is an amazing network and it connects people all over the world, I know it has it’s downside but only if you allow it to. I have made reconnection with many people who we’d lost contact with and I can assure you these reconnections have been true blessings. A friend from way back when in my youth {phew I make myself sound so old – no offence Gigi but hey it was sometime back !!}, she was touched by our project and decided to raise some money through her school children and church bretheren.
She sent some of this money to us and we were able to do some shopping on a recent trip to visit family in South Africa. Excuse me while the excitement of shopping still stirs me up, by only living here you would understand how deprived most Zimbabweans are, shopping truly excites some of us !
During this we were able to buy the real essentials for our babies home – milk formula being the big purchase (one 500g tin here last month cost Z$150,000,000-00), nappy liners, toiletries & creams, foodstuffs like pasta, rice, sugar, flour as well as a few luxuries – coldrink, chips and even some Easter Eggs. Today we had fun looking in the garden for “almost” hidden Easter eggs. 
When I say people have been a true blessing I cannot tell you enough how supportive the local community has been, and all others outside who assist us in many ways – this is God’s provision and we are always so grateful for He is our God and this has been His promise to us always.The border is always a mission and it never ceases to amaze me how people will try to get a back-hander out of you, this time it was not on the Zimbabwean side which was really quite reassuring. At the Zim-side, we produced our Home Registration Certificate and a letter from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority saying we are entitled to duty rebates but of course we still had to do some sweet talking with those. For me that’s never a problem as I love the opportunity to share the plight of the children with others even if it’s just in the hope that it may make them appreciative of the simple things in life they have. We eventually cleared through the border without having to outlay any cash in duty charges – another thanks to God our Father who knows our needs all the time.
The third weekend of March saw our “Official Opening Ceremony” and what a wonderful day – better than I had imagined it would turn out. Ever had that feeling when you know there are a million things you should have done or could have done but you didn’t, and time runs out – well that was me on Friday late afternoon. All I could do was trust it would work out! I have shared my vote of thanks and again I say what a pleasure it is to have so many friends out there who care and share.
This week saw one of our babies moving to a new home – Jeremiah has being fostered and ultimately will be adopted and it’s beautiful to see him going to such a loving family. I know he will be so spoilt with love and we look forward to keeping up to date with his progress. 
I always wondered how I would feel when the children were moved – I thought I’d be sad knowing we had bonds with them but the feeling of knowing the love they will receive outweighs any other emotion.
With Jeremiah leaving this brought our family down to 17 children, but it wasn’t for long because a few days later we were blessed with another 3 tiny babies – Sithabile {girl} – Thandiwe {girl} and Mxondisi {boy}. The three are getting used to their new home, and much of the morning, today, were quite happily sleeping in the lounge.
News of the other children :-Godknows – plez pray for the treatment he is receiving, that his body will positively respond and that he shall be healed. We’d love to see him playing soccer again soon.
Nhlanhla is missing Gody terribly. As the first term of school is officially closed, despite being home for a few weeks due to a Teacher Strike, we look forward to spending more time with him. Generally he is a very quiet and reserved boy. Please also pray for him as has an ear infection, and although he doesn't seem to bothered it must cause some discomfort.
Mathew continues to imitate everyone – copying you word for word. From pre-school he has acquired the art of sulking when things don’t go his way. He’ll get over it soon enough when he realises no-one is paying much attention.
Kuda loves his wheelchair, he tries to push himself around but as he is using only one hand at a time he tends to go about in a circle. He is getting more vocal and doesn’t like to be left out of anything – he loves the little children and is extremely gentle with them.
Panashe seems to have grown from a toddler into a little boy now. It really amazes me how much he speaks, and not just words but actually sentences. He is a very caring child who always shares the toys he has with the others.
Nkosi, it seems, is particular about who he speaks to, he has a special bond with Mark who works with our Social Concerns Ministry at the Church, and so it would seem that Mark is one of the lucky ones. Every now and again I get a “hi” but thereafter it’s a head shake or nod. He is always off playing, if no-one plays with him he is happy to play alone. Nkosi and Panashe spend a lot of time together now that the others are off at school.
Sarah is speaking more and more and now you can actually hear the words she is saying, as opposed to a whole jumble of nothing which only she understood – and maybe Joyce understood too. The other day whilst off loading the shopping she found the children’s aquafresh toothpaste – there was no way hiding what she had been up to with the tube – it was all over her mouth – guess it tasted good then ! All I could do was but laugh at her – it was a precious “Kodak moment”.
Nomalanga, like Nkosi is particular about who she goes to – people say it’s because she has been spoilt but someone in particular !! Who could that be ?? Okay, yes maybe - she is special but I do try to be fair to all the children, I promise I do!! I love taking her to church with me early on Sunday morning as “generally” she is pretty good, she sits quietly until she hears “Amen” then she repeats it and repeats it and repeats it – too cute for words. She doesn’t like to sleep in the afternoons, would rather be harassing Joyce whilst she is trying to work – calling her repeatedly – Biba, Biba, Biba. If not Joyce then Dorothy whom she knows as Tete, and I’m called BeeBee – looks like we all have nicknames already ! 
Ruth is a content baby who is always smiling. She loves to gurgle and talk to Bridget as the two girls generally sit alongside each other on the couch.
Bridget loves attention and does not like to be left alone.
Amanda has gained a good amount of weight, she also has big eyes which seem to brighten up when she smiles. She is a relatively placid baby.
Sibusiso is smiling now too and is also quite partial to attention. He loves being propped up to sit so he can see all that is going on.
Bhekubuhle is growing more in length – he is going to be a tall boy. When he smiles his whole face lights up, he enjoys being raised in the air and brought down again, and is beginning to chuckle.
Davis is now walking, he is quite steady on his feet – he knows what he wants and now he has the ability to get where he wants to go. His laugh keeps everyone smiling but you know about it when he isn’t well.
Junior is becoming more mobile and more vocal but does prefer to sit and watch the going-on’s. He often spends weekends away from home and out of town with special family, he is a happy boy.
So that’s a little news on each of our children and it brings me to the close of this update. It’s been a rather long one because I’ve left it so long – hopefully one day they will become a monthly update.
May the good Lord keep you and bless you all for the special part you play in our Babies Home of Love.
Luv ‘n’ friendship in the Lord always
Sis’Bee
All good intention was to leave the home at 8.30am but as you can imagine it’s not as simple as just packing up and walking out the door! We had to be sure we had everything needed for the day out - bottles with formulae, nappies, changes of clothes, treats and all. We finally managed to leave at around 9.45am, heading for the Museum – 13 adults and 18 children, some piled into the 2 sedan vehicles and others walked with prams. Just as well the museum is within walking distance, I’m sure not more than 2km down the road, if even that much ! After much deliberation at the front desk, we finalised our numbers and paid the entrance fee, we then began our walk around. It was fun to watch the expressions on the children’s faces as they passed each display, some displays capturing more interest than others.
There was some uncertainty as we passed by the open displays such as the crocodile by which we took a group photo. It took some convincing to have the children believe that these displays are safe and they do not bite - it’s not surprising when the display is bigger than you are! At first the boys were hesitant to even sit near the animals but soon enough Zorbha had convinced them all was safe.
The children had fun swinging on the different swings available and sliding from the tree house down.
The girls (our female carers) had their fun on the trampoline, bouncing each other about, giggling and laughing all the way!
Lunchtime for the bigger kids was a miss as there was far too much happening in the garden. Instead they snacked on home-made pizza, followed by some good chocolate cake, washed down by a glass of juice and back off to play – there was no stopping them!
Nina had a special boy at the Home – Jeremiah (known as Baby Chipo at Mpilo). He was possibly 3 months old at the time when he came to our home with all the other children in October, under nourished and extremely thin. Due to his physical weakness his vocal muscles were under-developed and he was unable to “cry”, he would grunt and groan when needing attention, almost as if he was in great pain. Nina focused on Jeremiah day in and day out, with regular hourly feeds, 24/7. Within a week incredible progress could be seen in this little boy - his once prominently protruding ribs were now not as visible and he could now cry when hungry or wet. In a week he went from lying aimlessly to moving his arms and legs and even feeling his hands, he begun to smile and the morning Nina left she told me Jeremiah gave her the biggest smile ever – as if he was saying thank you for taking such special care of him. Jeremiah is a placid baby, and continues to make steady progress.
As well as our little girl we also received a little boy – Sibusiso, also abandoned at a few days old. With the excitement of Christmas upon us I haven’t had much time to get to know the new babies but it seems they are settled and doing well.
Davis had two teeth appearing as I left and now he suddenly has 4, two on the top and two on the bottom. He has the cutest deep chuckle and his smile covers the whole width of his face. He is a very gentle baby and now that he can crawl is becoming very active. He and Junior have their own conversations in the lounge.
Towards the end of November on one of my visits I noticed that the children’s bicycle wheel was broken, it seems that the bigger boys were trying to ride it and of course their weight stripped the plastic spokes. We found someone who had a spare wheel lying about and Nyasha was tasked with fitting it – whilst 6 anxious boys watched. I made the mistake of telling Godknows that we would get him a bigger bike so he should not ride the little one, well each time I visited after that he would ask me if I had brought his bicycle. So guess what we bought them for Christmas in Botswana? Yip, 2 bigger bicycles and you should have seen their excitement when we brought them into the lounge as they finished opening their gifts... it was too special for words.
Nhlanhla, our quiet little fellow was delighted with the new bicycles too. He is very good at sharing and patiently waits his turn. He gets very upset when things are snatched away from him, well who doesn’t – but he gladly shares with the other children.! He is looking forward to starting school next week or so with Godknows at Tennyson Hlabangana Primary School in Ilanda, not too far from the home. The boys were delighted at receiving their school bags, coldrink bottles and their new school shoes.
Munaso is our “speedy” boy, nothing is done at slow pace with him, he dashes in and out and is quite happy to play by himself as long as he has the freedom to run around.
Kudakwashe tries everyday to do just as much as all the other children. He is very active both in and out of his walker which he is rapidly growing to tall for. He is also mastering the “potty training” and he is doing extremely well, communicating when he needs the toilet. He is a very happy child, with incredible strength and each day seems to make more and more progress. He is starting school in January at King George which is a specialised school for children with disabilities.
This brings the number of children with us now in our Home to 17 precious little souls. Each one of these children is so special and each one of them has a totally different character from the other, it’s quite amazing that 17 children can all be so different. I guess somewhere in between all this info should really have been something about our Christmas Party – our first official party of the Babies Home. Well I’m afraid without the pictures this update is already 5 pages long and if I have to include the Christmas party it will be a whole heap more, so keep your eyes posted for the Christmas Update next….