The news here is that we have had a reasonable wet season. It started off very well then suddenly in early February we had quite a dry spell and then we had a little bit of rain, and then none again for 2 weeks, so all the crops were drying off and the grass was disappearing. However, this last weekend we got 2" of rain which has revived everything. We are thankful to the Lord for getting us through. Now we are busy making silage and then we will also make as much hay as we can to get us through the dry season which will last between 6-8 months. But signs are that we will have enough fodder and silage to get us through that period. Amen.
We were disappointed with the fact that Martin and Marian were eventually asked to leave by the Ministry of Home Affairs. We did believe that the Lord was going to give them another period here, but immigration has become very difficult and in fact they are writing new laws to make it more difficult for ex-pats to be admitted into the country and to Sta} here. It is possible that this may be related to the S. African situation as many Zimbabweans did go into South Africa from here and if trouble breaks out in South Africa then they will probably try to return so it does appear that the Zimbabwean Government is going to try and restrict that to the minimum.
Martin and Marian are now over in Malawi, and they hope to return here for a short period to sort out their own personal belongings and then they will return to the UK for a lime, possibly with a view to returning to Malawi or maybe some other African country. Joanne was of course very disappointed with leaving, she had done really excellent in her 'O' -level examinations getting 8 'A 'sand 2 'B's so we do thank God for that and that she hasn't suffered with her education being here. In facts he has done really very well, maybe in the Lords timing she needs to return to the UK, so that she could go on to University over there.
Charlie and Ruth Foster arc also doing very well and have settled down into Zimbabwe. Charlie is doing a tremendous work on the Farm and is managing that side of things. Ruth teaches at the Kennedy School where 2 of my children go and so we are very thrilled with what they are doing. Ruth is expecting her first child in September and also her sister is getting married in July, so they too will return to the LJK for a couple of months in the summer. It is possible that John and Martha Shaw will return to the UK to attend the Rora Conference and of course to visit their family and friends.
I, myself, was planning a visit to the UK and going on to America and Canada to visit some friends there. However, I feel with Martin and Marian having to leave and others preparing to travel that I will need to stay here during those months and so will postpone my visit home and onto America and Canada. I do hope this doesn't cause any problems with those who have kindly arranged to have me during that time. I am also quite disappointed with the way things have worked out as I was really looking forward to being with those dear ones who had invited me and to sharing and having fellowship again with them.
In the summer we are having a team from Tear Fund who will start to lay out and to build a new village for our workers. This is a project long over-due. So, we are quite excited about the thought of setting up a new village on a new site and to give each person a plot where he can grow his own vegetables and crops.
The Secondary School is progressing quite w\ell and we will have the classrooms ready for next term and a laboratory and possibly a workshop in operation by then.
Another development has been the installation of a windmill which is now pumping clean water down to the pump and for use of our workers and this is a tremendous step forward. And we do trust that this will improve the health of our people, as many of them suffer with Bilharzia.
In the Bible School, the new students have settled in and amongst them there are some who have a real calling of God on their lives. I do enjoy teaching them and am with what I have seen and heard from them, and I do hope that in the near future that we will set up a school evangelistic team and move out into the district and to the towns around. I am sure you know that AIDS has got quite a hold in this country, and we are seeing signs of it all over and do believe that we must move out in a real effort to touch men and women while there is still time.
The Primary School is improving all the time and has achieved much better results this year in the government examinations and they are also becoming a force to be reckoned with in the local sports competitions. So again, we do thank the Lord for the progress on that side
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