Busy end of September

Wow this has been a busy last half of September! On September 15^th I left Chidamoyo at 6 a.m. to get to Harare in time to visit Marcia Kay Thomson, one of our missionaries from Masvingo who had been in the hospital for cancer surgery and had some complications. I went to see what was going on with her and was able to get her up and walking when I visited. Spent the next 2 days visiting her twice a day to get her up and going. While there, friend Zebedee Togarepi came for some minor surgery and ended up 2 days in another hospital in Harare—so I ran between hospitals to visit both of them. Both were doing much better when I had to leave Harare.

On Monday evening I met up with Dr. Ivirn Zimudzi, our doctor here from 2008-2011. He is now a doctor in Namibia and was home visiting family for a few days. It was great to see him and hear about his work.

On Tuesday the 17^th, Gladys Jongling and I left for Bulawayo and spent the night there and the next day (18^th) pick up fellow missionary JoAnne Martin and travelled on to Victoria Falls for an All Africa Missionary Conference at the A ‘Zambezi Lodge. A beautiful hotel on the banks of the Zambezi River.

This conference is held every 2 years and has been in Kenya for the last 10 or so years, so we were happy it was close to drive to. A group from a church in Jonesboro, Arkansas came to present the program. On Wednesday night we all went to the Boma Restaurant to eat. The Boma has warthog steak, impala and buffalo stew, crocodile tail and Mopani worms to eat. You get a certificate for eating the worm (really a caterpillar if that makes you feel better)! The dinner also includes a traditional singing and dance show and a drum show that all participate in. Eighteen of us went and it was great fun. On Thursday evening our conference began and for the next 4 days we had wonderful sermons, lessons and great fellowship and food! The group from the US brought us gifts and each session we met there was a wonderful gift—drink mixes, chocolate, M&Ms, books, CDs of music, USB drives, and pens, even Taco seasoning! We were so blessed. Over 60 missionaries and kids came from 8 African countried and then 18 from the US. One night we did a Zambezi sunset cruise.

While there Gladys celebrated her 76^th and I celebrated my 59^th birthday! We always try and go somewhere in the world to celebrate and this year it was Vic Falls!

Early on Monday morning I left with 2 visitors who had come from the US to visit other missionaries in Mozambique and then came on to spend some days with me. We left at 7:30 a.m. and drove the Binga Road home. This is 2 hours of tar and then 8 hours on dirt. Paul and Melonie Fudge from Orlando, FL rode with me and helped drive, which was a real blessing. We were home by 5:30 p.m. to meet up with 2 other guests who had arrived that afternoon, Jane and Ewan Spence from Scotland.

Jane is a newly qualified midwife and they had come to visit Zimbabwe with relatives and Ewan was born here and lived here until he was 13. So we had 4 guests and we put them all to work. Paul did a church seminar, did devotions in the Primary and Secondary Schools and for the Msasa women and staff. He also helped me count for our month end reports. Melanie helped count pills, shared with the Msasa women (waiting mothers) and helped speak at the church seminar. Jane kept busy with ANC clinics, Well Baby Clinics and deliveries while Ewan helped clean up some computers and worked on a Power Point presentation we needed for a meeting on Friday. It was so great to have them all here. Jane and Ewan left on Friday the 27^th.

Major arrived home with no problems on the 26^thof September. I sent Dr. Kellert in with his wife and son as Dr. Kellert left for a week of meetings in London, on the same plane Major arrived on. Major drove himself home to the flat in Harare with his wife and son that evening when he arrived. Then on Friday I drove in with Dr. Kajese for a meeting and finally got to welcome him home after 3 months away! We had a joyous reunion and he talked non-stop for 2 days telling me all the highlights of who he saw and what he did!

On Friday the 27^th of September, Dr. Kajese and I were involved in a meeting with a group that wants to do a research project with one of our ART outreach centers to follow the patients with viral counts and genetic markers for medication we are using. This is a very exciting project and something I never dreamed we would have in Zimbabwe. This is the beginning of a 2 year project and we are very excited to be part of this program. This was our initial meeting to work out some of the details. We hope to start the project in February 2014.

While in Harare we enjoyed the blooming of the Jacaranda trees. September is always great to see all the trees in full bloom. Many streets are lined with the trees.

On Saturday the 28^th of September we started our drive home with Major and family. We had to leave some of his luggage in Harare and some of our shopping in order to all fit in the vehicle. We stopped in Chinhoyi on the way home to attend the wedding reception of one of our staff members, a clerk, Donny Jesinaru and his bride Sandra.

We finally got home at 9:30 p.m. with Major entertaining us all the way home with his stories and exciting things he did when gone.

Paul and Melonie Fudge stayed with us until Thursday the 3^rd when they left for the US. Dr. Kellert came back on the 4^th. Major had a busy first week back and took Fudge’s to the airport in Harare to leave, pick up the left luggage, and do hospital shopping—so he is back on the road again! We hardly had time to talk but slowly we are trying to catch up. Life is back to normal at Chidamoyo!