Well I’m back from heaven…Cape Town. It was unbelievable. I forgot how much I missed the water. We spent the week, walking the waterfront, and laying on the beach. Not a whole lot but that was the point. I didn’t realize how tired I was, our phones didn’t work which was a blessing in disguise since we would’ve been answering calls and texts. Our bus ride back was an adventure. We left 1.5 hours late because it took them that long to load the bus with people’s stuff. Zimbabweans come to SA to buy because it’s cheaper and easier to get. The last 3 rows of the bus also had people’s stuff, from blankets to clothes to food to tables, chairs and even a kitchen sink. Before we left, the bus driver prayed and it turned out the back half of the bus was Anglican. I thought this would never happen at home. We spent 6 hours at the border. On the SA side, you stand in line and they check your passport and stamp it saying you are allowed to leave, on the Zimbabwe side they check to make sure you’re allowed back. This is how corrupt the border is, people jump the fence and sneak into the SA side, people hid on our bus to get to the other side; they were caught and kicked off, you have to bribe the border guards in order get your bus checked so you can leave. Everything comes off the bus and someone looks through your bags and checks it against the customs form, we didn’t buy anything so we didn’t have a form. I was surprised and a thankful that as a white person that we were ushered in, no one checked our bags or passports, they couldn’t believe we were coming to Zimbabwe and not leaving. Carl had to renew his visa, which is done every 3 months. In order to make more money they have changed it to every month. Luckily my visa is good until the end of January so maybe the rules will change again. Both on the way there and back we were pulled over numerous times in Zimbabwe by the police to check for diamonds. The road from Zimbabwe to South Africa has a variety of diamond fields; there are children on the side of the road that make a diamond shape with their hands. Some of these children are put there by police some are there to sell diamonds illegally. This was surreal to me. It’s one thing to watch it in a movie or on TV but very much another to live it. Cape Town is littered with diamond stores and jewellery stores. All stating that they are SA diamonds and non-conflict diamonds but no one really knows. I’m now back in Zim and back to the grind. The house is working on 3 projects that are run by the orphans in the house. One is the chicken project, which is frustrating because with a decline in chicks they are becoming hard to find. The second is our mangos. We have a mango tree in our yard, the house has decided to sell these mangos and it will become their allowance or pocket money, finally the last project is “Farming God’s Way”. This is a way of farming based on how nature and forest grow naturally by God. No machines, fertilizers or fancy irrigation systems. It is all done with a hoe, leaves (mulch) and spacing. You can check out the website www.foundationforfarming.org Farming God’s Way is also called Foundation for Farming because it’s not just a Religious concept. It is also being used as a way for evangelism. It is being used in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. Rumor has it that it will be taught in schools here next year. Burning is a huge problem here. Burning is done in a field after the season is over to renew the ground as well in the grass when it’s brown to turn it green. This causes a lot of carbon emission, which is bad for the environment. This new way of farming would stop all of that. Well that’s all for now, I hope everyone is doing well.