Dear Friends,

Hi!! Thought I better just STOP everything and write to you.FURLOUGH

Many of you saw me during my busiest furlough ever. I left Harare on May 15 and returnedDecember 26, 1986. Besides visiting the churches to let people know what is happening inZimbabwe I took 12 hours for credit in the Christian Education Department at Ozark. My finalgrades in all the courses were either A or A-.ZIMBABWE C C BUILDING

Jack and Peggy came to the USA after I did so I gave them a copy of my mailing list of 500 sothey could let you know about the building program at ZCC. I have just heard from my forwardingagents of the first 100 answers. The average gift from this first group is $31.50 each. Perhapsthere are more on the way. Thank you for your generosity and I also have enjoyed reading someof the personal notes that some of you included with your gift.We had to limit the number of new students to start in May because the City of Harare is draggingtheir feet on approving the building permit. In Jack's absence I met with the architect to get theplans ready to be submitted. 1 hope the delay is not so great that the building costs a lot more toconstruct. It seems everytime something is ordered it is more than last time.

COSTS

We just got more beds for the new students coming In. Last year they were Z$124.80 and this yearZ$173.65, almost 40% increase. In 1983 Pennlngtons bought their apartment for Z$10000; in 1984 Ibought mine for Z$1 1000. Now the apartments here are being sold for Z$35000 to Z$37000,UNORGANIZED

When I left for furlough my job at the college and my office went to Jayne Free. I am happy to beback into teaching but this hrst term has been unorganized as I did not have a place set up forstudy. Now I have taken the guest bed out of my room and moved the filing cabinet from thecollege. While my filing cabinet was at the college a mile away I would go there to get things outof it if I really needed them but things that should have been filed were piled. I am trying to digout.

TEACHING

At Hatfield High School the first term I had 133 Form I students (all girls). I meet with thesegirls twice a week. Religious Education is treated as the other subjects so I had a U hour exam toprepare for them. Other teachers were present when they sat in a large room and took the exams.I graded their papers and the notebooks and gave each student a grade which went on her reportcard. I was also present the day the teachers had private talks with the parents that came to theschool. The exam grades ranged from 90% to 15%. Most of the students come from grade'schoolsthat have Religious Education but do not give tests over the material. I hope they now understandthat it is a real subject. I have told them it is their most important subject as it prepares them forlife and eternity.At Hatfield they also have students on a junior college level. They choose 3 or 4 subjects. Thisyear we started teaching Divinity which is divided into three sections: Prophesy, Gospels andActs-Epistles. I am teaching the Gospels section. There are 14 students in the class (6 boys and 8girls).At Widdecombe School I am supervising the ZCC student teaching .In May I will start teaching Christian Education at ZCC.FINANCES

Some have asked for Information on my finances. I hurriedly figured out the following information.Average monthly income $1425.36

1253.95

MARC IA KAY THOMSONP.O. Box H 96Hatfield, HarareZimbabwe, Africa

Forwarding AgentsMr, & Mrs. Wilford LeasureRoute 1West Union, Illinois 62^77

May 1987

year 19831984

1213.25 19851430.02 1986 furlough1381.12 1987 January to March.Building fund not Included.

Thank you for your help in my work in Harare.

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PRAYER IPlease be praying for me as I am to speak at a singles retreat held April 30 to May 3 and at theMissionary Seminar the first week in June.In Christian love,

"7^ !IMarcia Kay Thomson '^

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DECEMBER 1987Dear Friends,

Holiday Greetings from Harare, Zimbabwe. Some of you have supported me for the whole 21 years that I have beeninvolved with this work. A lot of water has gone under the bridge in that period of time. Speaking of water, thisyear we are praying for more rain than we had last year. There are areas of the country where the people aredesperate. November to March is supposed to be our rainy season. However, we have other showers of blessingsin the work here.

ZIMBABWE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE BUILDING

Thank you to the many people who gave for our building program. After many delays the classrooms are complete.This will be such a blessing for many years to come. The 32 students who are in school this year have beencrowded together but they have done very well. With bunk beds more people fit into a room. Outsiders havecommented on what a close knit body they are.

THREE NEW C END OF CLASSROOM WITH CHURCH IN BACKGROUNDAND RESTROOMS ON RIGHT

HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH PROGRAM

As one of the adult sponsors for our high school YP at Harare Christian Church I am very pleased with thepresent group. In July we started a series of programs on dating and relationships. In September we stressedservice and mid-October started a study of Timothy and Titus. The young people are presenting these Biblestudies as teams and then we plan to have quiz nights at the end of each section.One Sunday night each month they are in charge of the evening service. In October HCC started a new church,Sunningdale Christian Church. We took the YP and College students into the area ahead of time to conduct asurvey and pass out invitations to the services. They were so successful that the first Sunday about 70 peoplewere present. The attendance is even more now.

TEACHING

My students at Hatfield High School are doing better all Uie time. Our school year ends in December'but TwillhgYej^thei.'same students/inextjyesriJa^othis^lsnfaQSwavyfear-vcduPSii dodytfaslaTlfe^yortillbtdk^othe^igbvernrheht exam.. Ito.ld-:;th,en>'Jc>wflett iOUEjscJaooiitafCome.ifirst ift t^te'i^BtioS. qH? bfis tesY e sdho aiosm bisoS sriT . f.i,\ fijIt Is a real challenge to teach Christian Education at ZimbaSwe^ fi^r?ltfln'"'Colfege''ancf then to supervise thestgdenits-asj^ithey^do,theirrpractice!te^l>tr*gj oiii .li (i:'iriw rtoi.eioqioO elsR snitaiiT srijThe VHiSs'l Vfa?'ted iri Cbspefs |t theih^ghTRIP TO THE STATES

Some of you .know that 1 inade.a .fgst trip .to Joplia-in^ Aygust.^^^asvgorie..tro^ Har?re ..2.9 days, which was duringthje break between second ^nd third tei-ms. Mom is.^t^iUV^trOzarl|t^^i;istian;,7CoM,e^^.' whereshe', had lived.,for over, 2b,,y,ear.s^,sb.,thiat th)e,;bui1a,^g"!90.u)d,bV njp.^e^ Jp ipennis largerand she has".'97 girls this .year^ Lwent .jn. ari aitem^^ to ^elp^er!.,gef'^ ;t'he^ap^^^^ for thebeginriirig of the school year. I left Joplin the day before the dorms opehed'arid stopped in Atlanta^to attend Ceciland Donna Ross' wedding. After much prayer Cecil's work permit has been extended ahd we have"submitted thepapers to have Donna added to It. They plan to arrive'in December

SINGLES CROUP

The singles retreat that started on April 30th went well. We are planning another one for November 20-22. When Icame back from the States last December I was introduced to this group by Cecil Ross. He wanted me to become amember of the group so that I could help keep it going. We have a weekly Bible study and try to have a monthlyouting and a retreat every six months. It serves a need for singles from 18 to 60. There are 6 or 7 of us thatmake most of the plans.

AEROGRAMME

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Marc! a ay_Thomson

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OTHER JOBS

This year I have been elected the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Advisory Board for ChristianEducation in Zimbabwe. The Board meets once a year and the Executive Committee has meetings about every sixweeks and handles the business that needs to be done.

At the last annual meeting of the Tristine Flats Corporation which is the body that runs the 24 garden apartmentswhere we live 1 was elected as one of the directors. The Penningtons lived in one of the apartments before Imoved in and by January we of the Central Africa Mission expect to occupy five of the apartments.

PRAYER

THANK YOU so much for your prayers for the work here. We see growth in individuals as they acceptresponsibility and some decide to train for the ministry. The congregation has helped in starting a new church andare looking forward to starting others in the future. It seems that there is an abundance of opportunity. Pleasepray that immigration approves the applications for new workers that we have in and will grant extensions forsome of our workers that are here.

Have a blessed holiday season and may next year be one of spiritual growth for each of us.In Christian iove,

Marcia Kay Thomson