A Story of Grace
Grace & Lily
Grace lives up to her namesake well - she walks, talks and exudes abundant grace. She grew up in a rural town in Zimbabwe. By the age of 5 she had lost her mother and father which then caused her to be tossed from family member to family member, none of them really wanting her or keeping her long because of the added financial burden. “Everyone was destitute and when you don’t have anything to offer, no one wants you,” she said. She eventually ended up back with her grandmother and grandfather who loved her and always provided a safe place for her.
Grace met her future husband, Arnold, through mutual family members. Arnold and Grace fell in love and shortly afterward found out that a baby was on the way. There was excitement surrounding this joy, followed by the fear of how they would care for their growing family. Grace was unable to find work and Arnold also struggled to find employment, as is the case for many in Zim. The “land of opportunity” is South Africa, so he decided that he had to make the journey. Obtaining a passport in Zim is very expensive and so many have no choice but to do it illegally. The “illegal way” means crossing a rapid river while facing the fear of drowning, being caught and sent back home to do it all over again, or worse, eaten by crocodiles. Thankfully, Arnold made it across safely.
Arnold worked for a short time in Johannesburg but eventually made his way to Masi because of a brother that lived there. Meanwhile, Grace was back home taking care of her grandfather and two girls (her grandmother had passed away). One day, Arnold called Grace and asked her to come to Masi. He told her that she would need to work so they could help each other. Because of the dangers of crossing the border, they decided it was best to leave the children at home in Zim. She went to family members and asked if anyone could keep the girls. Everyone said no. Finally, Arnold’s sister agreed but because she had a one-bedroom place, she could only take one, the oldest. Grace and the baby made their way to South Africa by bus.
Growing up in rural Zim, she knew nothing about all the new equipment that awaited her in South Africa. She was used to making fires for cooking food, so an electric stove was something completely new! Arnold had arranged for her to clean a house but because everything was so foreign and she didn’t know how to use them, she was let go. Arnold learned of a family that was moving here from the UK. They had a 2-year-old girl that needed to be looked after three days a week because the mom was having cancer treatments. She took this opportunity gladly but caring for the young child came with heartache, too. There was the memory of waving goodbye to her daughter at the bus stop when she left Zim. And there was the pain of taking her youngest to a creche in Masi so she could care for another child. “With this work,” she said, “you have to abandon your own children and go and look after someone else’s.” Because of all the stress points in their life, Arnold and Grace were also struggling with their relationship to each other.
They moved to another community near Masi called Ocean View (once safe, now very dangerous). After they were settled into Ocean View, they were able to send for their oldest, now 7. They were so glad to finally all be together!
Grace received news from home that her grandfather had been diagnosed with cancer. She knew about cancer because of the family she worked for and knowing her grandfather had been sick for 2 years, she feared that he might die soon. She desperately wanted to go home and see him. She talked to her employer, and they loaned her the money for the bus ticket. Her grandfather had loved her well and he was so proud of her, so she was thrilled to be able to spend time with him. Five days after she returned home from her visit, she found out he had passed away. In her sadness and grief, she threw her phone down and broke it. Arnold and her employers were concerned for Grace, so they arranged for her to see a counselor. Rather than listening and helping her to process her grief, the counselor told her that she should leave Arnold and other things that upset her. She stopped attending the sessions and turned to God with her grief. Eventually she began to heal.
Arnold and Grace knew that as non-citizens they would never be able to have a place of their own in South Africa, so they began to save to buy land in Zim. They bought a small plot of land, and they are fulfilling their dream of building a 3-bedroom home of their own. Filled with hope, they sent their two girls home to Zim with the plan to join them in 2020. Everything was in place…and then Covid hit. They lost income and they lost hope.
Arnold and Grace hope to return to Zim one day very soon. The economy is recovering, and they are beginning to see glimpses of hope. They are home in Zim now (May 2022) with a list of things they need to get done to their house. Their hope is to one day take back the tools that they are learning through Oikos Intl so they can provide hope to others in their community. Please pray for them as they prepare their home for their family to be all together again.
