On giving.

Yesterday was our second to last day here in ZImbabwe. Jonnah asked us to get together with all of the staff members to encourage them and thank them for the work they have done here. He told us when we first arrived that each of the 6 people working with us were scheduled to recieve $50 for their two weeks of work. Now let me tell you, that these people have been cleaning, cooking, driving, laundering, etc non-stop since we arrived. To us, $50 seemed crazy. So Matt and I decided to give Jonnah money to give each of them an extra $50. In the meeting with them, after we thanked them and talked with them, Jonnah told them about their "bonuses". Their eyes bulged and they immediately began to thank us and hug us.

It is also very customary to give gifts to people before you leave. So yesterday we gave out many gifts to all of the people here. We gave out bags filled with soup, oatmeal, toothbrushes, tea, feminine products, candy, stickers, and some other things we had (much thanks to amanda for the bags and a good portion of their contents). They were so excited that they all began to put them on and talk about how they would all wear them to church to carry their Bibles tomorrow! We took many pictures so we can share those with you soon.

Later that night, after most everyone had left, Abigail and I gave Oripah and Kristina (two of the kitchen workers that we have become especially close with) 3 bags filled with clothes, feminine products, baby wipes, and some household goods. You could see their excitement, and Oripah's husband James said something to the extent of "On behalf of Kristina's husband, I can say thank you for supplying our wives with things we cannot afford to give them."

Today we will also be giving Simba- a young guy who has done a lot of interpretting for us- a Bible, an MP3 player with some songs for him to learn on it (he is learning guitar) and some other things for his family.

Matt had someone give him $100 to help out a family here. He was able to go to the store today (Jonnah found out that they had recieved some stock) and buy enough food for 5 families to eat for a month. We distributed that in the afternoon, and Matt was able to talk with each of them. It's amazing that what seems like so little money to me can do so much good here. And that simple things like a package of pads can make someone here feel so grateful.

I have really enjoyed giving things away. I think we all have. I know that we cannot "save" people or fix anything permanently, but the one thing people here have stressed over and over again is that seeing our faces, knowing that we would come here even amidst the threat of cholera and kidnapping and political unrest, means more than even the monies we send them each month.

Today, I am told, there will be a gift giving ceremony at church where we will be given gifts from the church. I am a bad gift receiver in general, so I am not sure how I will be able to receive gifts from people who have so little to give away. I'm sure I will have thoughts on that, either later today or when we get home.

If I don't get a chance to post again... see you all in the US! Thank you for your continued support and for your generosity and gifts. They have meant a lot to a lot of people and I hope that when I get home I can share just how grateful these people are for what you have done.

Kaitlyn