Fall Colors During Vumba "Spring!"

I love this time of year at home when the leaves on the trees turn such beautiful shades of yellow, red, and orange!!  And even though Wisconsin usually has a beautiful fall, many go East to see the colors in New England!  While still others travel TO Wisconsin!!

Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to go with our GBGM missionaries, Larry and Jane Kies, for a visit to the Vumba near Mutare.  This is a mountainous area with a variety of vegetation, many hairpin curves, off-road trails for exploring, and gift and coffee shops tucked within the curves of the hills!

Just as we talk about the "peak" of color during this time of year at home, folks here talk about the "peak" of color on the musasa trees, which actually have their red leaves during the Zimbabwe spring!! 

The explanation escapes me, but it has to do with the conservation of water during this dry season, so the chlorophyll process begins later in the spring near the beginning of the rainy season.  The hills and valleys are covered with this beautiful color, just like the beautiful pictures you see from WI and VT/NH!  Unfortunately, my little point and shoot camera doesn't do very well with distance scenic shots, so just enjoy these close-ups!!

 Perhaps in this picture you can see the truck on the left ~~ clearly need a four-wheel drive to traverse the gulleys and rocks.  From our vantage point we could see many of the layers of  "mountains" all around us, some with small farms, a few cattle, and lots of rough terrain if you were hiking!  Unfortunately, I had worn sandals to church, and did not bring sturdier shoes for the trekking!

 This is just another example of God's handiwork and genius in gifting us with so many varieties of vegetation, trees, animals, insects, birds, etc.!!!  Thanking God for such beauty!!

Later we had lunch at Leopard Rock, a golfing resort/hotel from the British era.  On its grounds is a wild animal park!!  The caretaker invited us in to walk among the zebras, ostrichs, gazelles, etc.  This ostrich came after us a couple of times, but was chased away with a stick!  They can be very mean!!  What a shame it is that so many interesting creatures are now extinct ~~ usually due to man's lack of respect and conservation of them and their habitats.

I had hoped I could copy a photo that Larry Kies took of me with the zebras, but I can't seem to get it from FB to this blog!  Only one of my many deficiencies when it comes to technology!!

Be blessed, and relish the giving and receiving of Grace!

Mary Beth 

First Annual AU Career Expo 2014

Career Expo 2014!!!

This is a one-page supplement featuring Africa University and the Career Expo which ran in the Manica Post on Aug. 29, ahead of the Sept. 4 event!  Several businesses and other universities bought ads at the bottom of the page congratulating AU on holding their First Career Expo!  And another local university even sent one of their staff members with a clipboard to take notes on how and what we did!!!
     The Coordinators in each Faculty who work with students on their internship placements had worked with us since last Oct., providing us with lists of businesses, email addresses and phone numbers.  Over 50 companies in Mutare and Harare received email invitations to send representatives to this Career Expo.  Very few responded at all, so we spent much time trying to contact them by phone!
     In the end, 11 of 16 companies/organizations that had committed to attend actually showed up!!!  It was a good start; we got good feedback on ways to improve; and now at least we know the process of putting an event like this together!!

     We opted to spend some of our budget dollars on a couple of large signs and large posters rather than rent a tent!  The morning dawned cloudy and cold, and by 10 am it was raining~~not hard, but raining!  Thank goodness it didn't last long, and we had the shelter of some thick trees along the walkway near the dining hall!!  This weather was VERY unusual for this time of year, but we lived through it, and by 3:00 pm when we finished the sun was shining!!
     Approximately 300 students took advantage of the opportunity to talk with these employers, and some actually shared their resumes in hopes of connecting for an internship in Jan., 2015. 

     Two companies sent reps from Harare, both of whom said they welcomed a chance to talk with students and get out of the office!  Of the 11, 4 were banks!!  We also had a Chartered Accountants Group, an Environmental Management Assoc. that uses throw-away materials (i.e. aluminum, etc.) to make new and decorative items!  And a funeral home, and bed company!  We did not have representation from companies related to all of our Faculties, so we need to think of ways to attract folks in agri-business, sociology & psychology, health sciences, etc.
    

 We found a many-page directory online listing the numerous NGOs that operate in Zimbabwe.  Fortunately, students can access the directory on line so we don't have to print it all out!!
     The feedback from reps and students was good and helpful!  Several student comments included:  "Now I know why I have to study harder!"  And "I learned what it takes to succeed in my chosen career area!"

 Since this was a first experience, we know that there are other things we can do on campus to prepare students to make the most of an opportunity like this.  It has now prompted many students to come and ask for a seminar on how to write a CV (curriculum vitae or resume).  We will be holding several in the various Faculty areas within the next few weeks, as these students are already beginning to feel anxious about finding an internship opportunity for next Jan.

Dr. Machinga and I dream of the day when there will be a separate building for Counseling and Career Services, where we will have room to hold seminars, workshops, etc. and display information of interest to students!  We have only just touched the surface of ways that we can enhance student experiences and information relative to careers.
     The economy in Zimbabwe seems even worse than when I arrived last year, with 80-85% unemployment.  We encourage entrepreneurship and seeking employment outside the country.  There has already been a tremendous amount of "brain drain," and it will continue until the economy improves.
    

 During the day we were highly entertained by this marimba band and dancers who came from a primary school in Sakubva, the absolute poorest part of Mutare.  Their music was very pleasant, and they called attention to the activities that were happening between the dining hall and the chapel.
     When I can get away from the office I have been attending lectures about Zimbabwean  history.  Time and time again leaders and groups (Portuguese, South Africans, British) have moved into what is now Zimbabwe, have built up centers of commerce, trade routes, etc., only to be run off or killed off, by the indigenous people.  And now Pres. Mugabe has run out all the multinationals and others who could help build up the economy.

      Last week one of the headlines read that Mugabe had made a deal with the Pres. of China for millions of dollars worth of help in about 9 different areas to build up the infrastructure, but I doubt that very much of it will actually ever make it to the local level.  These millions are in exchange for many of the mineral resources here in Zimbabwe, so none of the local people are getting any benefit from their own resources.  Colonialism has not been good for any of these countries, but many of those who have gained their independence have also not been able to do a satisfactory job of leading and building up their own economy.  What are the answers???  Yet, people find ways to survive, even on the meager amounts they can get from selling some commodity, goods, or service.

     Please offer prayers for the following:
1)   Those who suffer from the Ebola Virus and their families.  And for all the health care workers trying to contain the spread of the virus.
2)   For More Blessings, who is 40, pregnant, and worried about having another child at her age.
3)   For Theo who continues to seek God's help in getting into a Master's level program in horticulture in the U.S.
4)   For students at AU who are still seeking scholarship assistance for tuition and fees.
5)   For the 9 students from Rwanda and Burundi who have come from a refugee camp north of Harare, seeking a good education.

Remember ~~  Grace is freely given and freely received.

Much love and joy,
Mary Beth

Year Two Begins at Africa University! 2014-15

Greetings once again from Africa University near Mutare, Zimbabwe!  Some of you know that last year I was waiting for the approval of my Temporary Employment Permit (TEP), which this year was applied for in April, 2014, and was approved on July 10, 2014.  I learned of the approval the first week in Aug., and was not able to get a plane reservation until Aug. 18, when I left Milwaukee for Harare, Zimbabwe!  Thanks, Mary Lou, for trekking me to Milw. with my THREE HEAVY suitcases.  We checked everything but the carry-on through to Harare with the luggage handler allowing me to be somewhat overweight!  I DID have to pay extra for the 3rd suitcase, which I brought for a DRC student whose soft-sided luggage had been torn on her trip to AU.  (Of course, that meant I had room for the many other items I had been requested to bring!)

Fortunately, the flight to Atlanta, through Amsterdam to Harare, was uneventful and I was able to sleep some, arriving about 9:30 pm in Harare on Aug. 19.  I'm so grateful that an AU driver with truck was waiting for me!  After a night's rest at the Holiday Inn we were off to Mutare, arriving on campus about 3:00 pm.

Since Wed. is one of Dr. Machinga's two work days (she's part-time), I came right to the office and got lots of assignments to be accomplished Thurs. and Fri.!!  It is really good to be back on the campus, to see so many familiar faces, and to receive such warm greetings!

The entire African continent is being affected by the outbreak of the Ebola Virus, and Zimbabwe, like other areas that receive international students, has had to be very vigilant, especially with students arriving from West Africa and Nigeria.  The Flat I lived in last year has been identified as a possible "Isolation Unit," and so I'm currently residing at the Guest House in the staff housing area of the campus.  It is several blocks walk from there to campus, which is always refreshing in the morning and evening!  The perks of living in the Guest House include hot water for a morning bath, and "housemates" with whom to share some meals and the goings on of each day.  We have also shared in the cost of having TV, so we're at least able to watch BBC in the evening!  I am in one of four bedrooms, and we share a kitchen and living/dining area.

 Dr. Ab and Dr. Chris Abercrombe both teach in the Faculty of Ag, and have many stories to share of their work in Vietnam, Brazil, AZ, and SC.  Wonderful assets to AU!!  (They are our resident snake catchers!!  pythons and spitting cobras!!)  A new-to-AU GBGM missionary is Richmond Williams who lectures in Theology & works with the International Peace, Leadership, and Governance (IPLG) program with leadership.  He is Zimbabwean, married to an American who works in Harare with USAID.  Then there are a number of other part-time lecturers who come for a few days at a     time to lecture in the Faculty of Health Sciences!

     The major downside to living at the Guest House is that it almost never has internet access ~~ thus the lateness of my adding to this blog!  I must either stay at the office after hours to read email or go to the library, and then walk back to the House in the dark!
     AU is still receiving new students and the last day to register is Sept. 12, I think.  The incubation period for Ebola is 21 days, so all the new students must report to the Clinic every day for at least 21 days!  This means that I will not be able to move back to my Flat until probably mid-Oct.!

      All of our time and energy since my arrival was devoted to getting all the details approved and worked out for the Career Expo that was held on campus on Sept. 4 of last week!  See next blog for other details on this.
     Once again I was able to participate in the two-day training event held at a Mutare Hotel for the new Student Council officers. Of the 7 on the Executive Committee, four are young ladies!  We are proud of this because our office worked with about 12 young lady leaders last April to ensure that their gender would be represented on this year's Council!  There are a few other young ladies who were also elected to represent their own communities (Angolan, Congolese, West/East Africa, etc.)  So, the mix is much healthier this year.    

     The training consists of discussion about values, leadership qualities, negotiating skills, stress & time management, recordkeeping, performance evaluation, etc.  All the various areas on campus also share ways in which the Council will relate to them, i.e. Food Service, Bursar's Office, etc., etc.  In a week or two they will be inducted into their offices during one of the Wed. morning chapel services.  All indications are that wiser decisions will be made with this year's set of officers!!

      Climate Changes are certainly very noticeable here!  By this time in Sept. it has usually turned quite warm, but this year it has been quite consistently cold ~~ in the low to mid-40's at night, and upper 60's to 70 during the day. . . and this is without any indoor heat!!  Many of the students who come from countries closer to the equator have been freezing!!  Fortunately, I was able to secure some extra blankets for several students from Nigeria where it is NEVER this cold!!  And the wind has also been much stronger than usual. 

     My first couple of nights here I thought I would be fine with two heavy, thick blankets over me, only to wake up shivering in the middle of the night!  You see the extra third blanket at the foot of my bed.  This trip I also brought a hot water bottle, which has been my constant bed companion and warms my feet!  I DO prefer my little dog, Bubba, though, to a hot water bottle!!
     The days are lengthening, and it is nearly 6:00 pm and now getting dark.  I'll go for a bite to eat, and then add a bit more when I go to the library.
My mantra this year is  "Grace ~~freely given and freely received!"  Most mornings when I wake up a special hymn is running through my mind.  Your prayers, familiar hymns, emails, and student smiles always lift my day.  Thank you for your part in sustaining my ministry of presence and support.
With love,
Mary Beth