“The Lord shall guide you continually and shall satisfy your soul in dry places; your strength shall be renewed, and you shall be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never disappoint. Your sons shall rebuild the ruins of former years and shall revive the foundations of old, and you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets in which to dwell.”
Dear friends,
I wonder how many of the people you have communicated with this week have NOT mentioned ‘Corona virus’? It seems that a word that wasn’t even in our vocabulary a year ago has become the dominating topic of conversation, and in so many ways the regulator of our lives. Remember that phrase ‘Don’t talk about the war’?...I think we need to start applying that idea ... ‘Don’t talk about the virus’, but of course you’ll all be wondering how things are here at Montgomery so let’s get it over with quickly and as succinctly as possible: Whilst the national restrictions have been eased we are still maintaining as strict an isolation as is practically possible, now well into our 7th month. Many people in the area around us are now simply carrying on their lives as though COVID doesn’t exist, however most shops in the cities are continuing with their policy of ‘No mask, no entry’, and requiring everyone to have their temperature taken and hands sanitised upon entry, some still only allowing one or two people inside at a time in order to maintain social distancing, and, quite significantly, mission hospitals and private healthcare facilities are all still maintaining a very strict prevention/protection policy; government hospitals and clinics are a different story.
The overall national virus situation remains a mystery with only about 10 new reported cases per day and a total of about 8,000 since March. There are so many theories being thrown around about the low figures: under reporting, climate, cross immunity.... but who knows? And of course the question remains, will there be an upsurge in cases here as the W.H.O. are predicting? One thing for sure though, we are so grateful that the curve is more or less flat at present because this country simply could not cope with a big outbreak. So enough of that….
All kinds of other ‘ills’ continue to plague the country: disruption, discontent and strikes in the government health care sector, disruption, ‘go-slows’ and strikes in the educational sector, restricted public transport services and of course the ever present political instability and economic difficulties.
At Montgomery though it continues to feel as though we are living in ‘Goshen’, with all kinds of ‘plagues’ and problems going on around us but amazing provision and protection for us in this little oasis ……
* No nurses’ strike at Montgomery…quite the opposite! As well as continuing to cover her normal responsibilities Fiona took on extra, becoming temporary mother to 17 girls for six weeks while we found a replacement for Mai Anesu. I am pleased to say that the position has now been filled by Mai Karonga who joined us at the end of September. She is a very humble, gentle spirited lady and is building good relationships with the girls who very quickly showed they are feeling safe and secure with her. Please pray for our new mother as she settles into this very big, rather unusual family, and also for Fiona as she continues to do everything she possibly can to keep us all healthy.
* No teachers striking at Montgomery. While three of our young adult students (Peter, Hannah & Linda) are now back at their respective universities/colleges and all doing well, the remaining three (Connie, Eunice & Paul) continue to do a great job working alongside Bridget to provide our school children with small group tuition while their schools remain closed.
Government schools have opened for those who are due to take national exams at the end of this year so Faith, Taedza & Simba have been attending lessons for the past three weeks in preparation for their O level exams and Philip, Tino, Precious, Dorica and one of our staff children, Ropofadzo, started back this week to prepare for their Grade 7 Primary school exams.
Please pray for Bridget and our remaining 3 ‘student teachers’, Connie, Eunice & Paul, as they do everything they can to provide academic help to our school children still forced to remain at home.
Pray too for all of our students, Tertiary, Secondary & Primary, who have important exams coming up that they will have good success, as well as staying free of the word we are not going to talk about.
* No restricted transport services at Montgomery. A few weeks ago, in order to help protect the whole family, Danniel and his brother Mike drove Connie, Eunice and Paul to and from their university each day for a week so that they could take their end of semester exams without being exposed to unnecessary risk by staying in their student accommodation. A rather exhausting daily round trip of about 150km, but a sacrifice our very own chauffeurs were more than willing to make. We are also driving the 3 Secondary and 5 Primary school students to and from school each day, (a total of 36km for the Secondary students and 28km in the other direction for the Primary students), in order to reduce risk. Danniel continues to be the ‘point man’ as far as these trips and most off -site business is concerned with Fiona and me stepping in when necessary.
Initially I wasn’t going off site at all but with the ‘unmentionable’ crisis going on for so long it has been necessary for me to make a few trips into the city. My first supply-buying trip with Danniel at the end of August turned out to be somewhat eventful. In order to save time we went our separate ways in a big wholesalers and I reached up to lift down what I thought was a case of 12 large cans of floor polish from a high shelf but it turned out to be 2 cases of 6, and the top case slid off and hit me on the forehead just above my left eye. Amazingly in spite of the impressive ‘shiner’ that resulted and a slight temporary headache, I suffered no ill effects, except for the irritation of being asked what seemed a hundred times, ‘Whatever happened to your eye?’! I am only allowed out now on the condition that I do no lifting and avoid all contact with floor polish!
Pray for physical stamina and safety on the roads for Danniel as he keeps our ‘transport system’ running efficiently.
* No real sense of instability at Montgomery, again, quite the opposite…and even in spite of the economic difficulties, we are finding ways through the mess and continue to experience some wonderful provision and examples of generosity from many different people.
For example, something we have wanted to do for a while is make the water supply to our support-staff accommodation more efficient and easy to access.Some time ago our Management Board Chairman shared this desire with an acquaintance who owns an irrigation supply company. Just recently the company donated to us a 5,000 litre water tank to help us realise this dream. Our maintenance crew built a stand and the tank was plumbed into the system last week.
Other local people have continued to bless us with generous donations of food supplies and of course a very big thank you goes to so many of you who continue to send financial help either through the Montgomery Heights Zimbabwe Children’s Foundation in the U.K. or through Voice of Triumph Ministries in the U.S.A. We have been able to draw these funds in as we have needed them through the World Remit cash transfer system. You have really helped ease some of the economic pressure for us.
We thank God for everyone who continues to stand with us in prayer, financial and practical support.
One of our younger children asked the other day, ‘Are we going to cancel Christmas this year?’ Absolutely not! We are currently trying to sort out what to give as gifts to this big family. Surprisingly goods are available in the shops and so if you would like to help fund some of the children’s Christmas goodies, as so many of you have done before, we’d really appreciate it. You can send donations, with a notation ‘Christmas’ either to MHZCF in the U.K. or to V.O.T. in the U.S.A.
U.K.: Payable to: MHZCF Send to: MHZCF, 1C Manor Place, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 4BB
U.S.: Payable to: Voice of Triumph Ministries Send to: 76321, Timbercreek Blvd. Yulee, FL, 32097
or see www.montgomeryheights.org for details of direct giving options
There’s no doubt that the ‘unmentionable’ has affected our lives in all kinds of ways, not least in the fact that we are tired. The entire leadership team, Danniel, Bridget, Fiona and I cancelled our leave this year and we have not had even the shortest break away from the unrelenting pressure of organising and re-organising, and re-organising yet again the many different plans we’ve had to put into place with every change in circumstances.
I came across a wonderful, rather humorous quote the other day from the American Astronaut Captain James A Lovell:
‘Be thankful for problems. If they were less difficult someone with less ability might have your job.’
Not one of us considers what we are doing at Montgomery a ‘job’; it’s simply our life, but it certainly has its share of problems and I am so very thankful for a team of colleagues who between them have great abilities and unwavering commitment. In the words of one of my favourite songs of the moment, together we are ‘holding onto faith 'Cause(we) know You'll make a way, And (we) don't always understand, And (we) don't always get to see, But (we) will believe it, (we) will believe it………That You were faithful then, You'll be faithful now’.’
Lesley