We visited Ameva in July 1993. It was only for 3 weeks but we seemed to fit a lot in. Prior to going we had been packing and sending boxes of stuff on the containers that went from The Cumming Farm for some time and it was interesting that one of the tasks we did whilst at Ameva was so sort out that very same stuff to enable it to be distributed. We went armed with lots of green cardigans which the ladies in the church at Bracknell had knitted for the school children and we soon realised why there was a need. I (Gill) sat outside the classrooms in the open air and listened to the children read their books and yes, it was cool. I was well wrapped up, but they had only thin school dresses on. I think I returned home with renewed vigour to get more knitted to send.
One of the major tasks I undertook was to cover the textbooks with cut up corn sacks to protect them as they were in short supply and therefore needed to be protected. We also spoke at the assemblies and Pete shared in the Bible school and took a couple of lessons in the secondary school. One of the highlights was the arrival one night of the 2 land-rovers which had been driven out from England. We had been at the conference at Rora when the "Lads" had shared their vision to take these out and it was so special to be there as they arrived. Joshua and Caleb, they were called. While we were there a bore hole was being drilled, bricks were being made on the site, and there was a feeding program for the children of a bowl of sadza daily.
Another "highlight" was the appearance of a boomslang snake on John's patio, which was quickly dispatched. We stayed with Martin and Marian Williams in the first house, and further down the line was John and Martha Shaw and at the end John and Celia. The land-rover team stayed in the house next to Martin when they arrived, I think with the Vaughans. One of Martin's hobbies was goats and he had enrolled the students to help look after them, we did enjoy a delicious goat stew while we were there. On Sunday we went to the church in Chegutu, then on to Sable farm to witness a Sunday school meeting for the children there, taken by Ebeneezer and the Bible students. It is only looking back I realise there was much we did see but also much we didn't, but it was a real insight into the work that had gone on and is still going on there.