Krista Photography Blog » Zimbabwe

Counting up the Comments…

Krista Guenin — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:03:00 +0000

On behalf of me and my friends at Forgotten Voices International, I just wanted to say THANK YOU!! Over the course of the week before Christmas, you guys left 97 comments on the blog and Facebook!!!! So, I rounded up and just made a donation of $100 to FVI, in your honor :)

This money will make a real difference in lives all over Zimbabwe!

Thank you for being part of what God is doing in Zimbabwe!

And thank you for bringing a smile to their faces!

If you’d like more information on Forgotten Voices, or would like to be a part of the work they support in Zimbabwe and Zambia, please click here!

So many comments – so many questions!

Krista Guenin — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:53:00 +0000

Well folks, we’re up to 85 comments between the blog and Facebook! EEK and YAY at the same time! That’s almost enough to send 6 kids to school for all of next year. That’s 6 lives that will be radically changed – forever! Pretty amazing, huh?

So, lots of you have left questions in your comments, so I’ll try to answer them for ya :) Feel free to keep them coming!!

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jessica said…would you believe that I’ve never watched one of your slideshows before?

Nope! I don’t believe it! With as much time as you spend on this blog, you should have watched them all by now – at least twice ;)
jessica said…is the soundtrack a live recording from the funeral?

Yes! My friend Adam recorded video of the whole trip, and this was the one piece of audio I knew I wanted. I knew the images of the funeral would just so much more powerful if you could hear them singing. You can thank Brian Storm for that brilliant idea…

jessica said…will the subjects of your FVI photographs get to see their photos?

My friend Ryan is going back to Zimbabwe 10 days from now. He’ll be taking some photos back for some of the families. And those who have access to the internet have seen some – but that’s not many…

jessica said…are you going to go back to zimbabwe?

I hope so!!!

jessica said…there are deep spiritual roots in africa… and with such suffering. did the people you talked to struggle with reconciling their pain with the goodness of God? especially the kids?

It’s pretty amazing how such intense suffering actually causes people to turn TOWARDS God and to see His goodness instead of question it. It’s really amazing.

jessica said…can you tell us how your photographs are being or will be used by FVI? and also the Hope organization in Haiti? i’d love to know =)

Both organizations use the photos for their websites, as well as print material. That reminds me – Hope For The Children of Haiti just updated their website with my pics – www.hfchaiti.org

jessica said…i think your other commenters think i’m weird so i better stop now.

That definitely may be true… ;)

Jamie Sanfilippo said… We are soon (1 month from now) moving to Southern Africa to work with MCC and The Meeting House. As I start thinking about our official blog, I’m wondering if you would be willing to donate the use of a few photos of Zimbabwe to put together into a header for it. I would be happy to give you a byline in the corner if you’d like.

Absolutely Jamie! Let’s talk!

Julianne said… Krista these are beautiful photos… many good friends in them. If it’s okay with you I’d love to post a link from my blog. Maybe I can get a few more dollars! :)

Of course!

Ryan – ForgottenVoices.org said…

On behalf of our partnerships in Zimbabwe, thanks for this unique way to make a difference. :) To all of you out there, thanks for commenting. Lots of love from our team to all of you. Merry Christmas!

This Christmas, on our blog, we are sharing stories everyday at http://www.TravelwithFVI.blogspot.com.

-Ryan Keith, President
http://www.ForgottenVoices.org

A long time coming

Krista Guenin — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Since I’ve been doing CASH for Comments this past week, as you may have guessed, I’ve been thinking a lot about my time in Zimbabwe. I was only there for a couple of weeks, but it was a powerful time. One day in particular stands out above the rest. I’ve already told you one story from that day when I shared about Shelton, Margaret & Concilia. But earlier that day, I experienced something that I’ll never forget. I photographed a funeral.

We weren’t supposed to document a funeral. We were supposed to go visit a young woman name Setty who was suffering from AIDS. I thought I’d be taking photographs of a sick young woman who was holding on to hope. But, she died the night before we were to go see her. And so, instead of interviewing Setty, we photographed her funeral.

Setty’s Mother was her only surviving relative in her immediate family. Setty was 28 years old.

Every man in the family and in the community helps with the funeral; each taking turns helping with the casket, shoveling the red dirt, or places stones on top of the grave.

as the women sing and pray.

It’s taken me a year to pull myself together, and pull this slideshow together. I hope it touches you even half as much as being there changed me.

Only Four Days Left! Leave a Comment!!!!

Krista Guenin — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 21:05:00 +0000

Only FOUR days left to leave a comment to impact Zimbabwe!! For every comment received up until midnight on Christmas Eve, I will donate $1 to Forgotten Voices International – to help their efforts of partnering with local churches to provide care and provision to AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe.

Thanks so much to everyone who has left comments so far! You guys rock :) We’ve got 31 comments so far (plus a few more from Facebook). That’s enough to send these two kids to school for a year! How awesome is that?!

Now 31 comments is great and all but, I can donate $30 on my own. The point of this is for you to CHALLENGE me to give more than I normally would. And, so that YOU will be a part of what FVI is doing – and maybe that you would be moved and want to get more involved. So, get commenting! Got a question about my trip? Wanna share a story about someone you know who has been impacted by AIDS? Have you ever been to Africa? What’s the best Christmas present you’ve ever given or received? Wanna talk about your cat? I don’t care, go ahead! :) You don’t have to compliment me, or my photographs – just leave me a comment to let me know you were here and that you care enough about AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe to take 1 minute out of your busy day to leave a comment! It won’t hurt, I promise ;-)

CASH for Comments!

Krista Guenin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:00:00 +0000

So there’s been a bunch of blogging going on around the photography world in the last couple weeks about Cans for Comments. People have been offering to give one can of food to a local food pantry for every blog comment they received. I think that’s a great idea! And while I LOVE the local approach, my heart this Christmas is a bit further away…

I went to Zimbabwe last November (2007) to document the work of Forgotten Voices International. And I have truly not been the same since. My eyes see things differently now. It’s as if everything is filtered through a different lens – one that makes me see people, food, money, hunger, waste, AIDS, giving, joy, love, and God in a new way.

Last Christmas was incredibly difficult for me. Watching my niece & nephews plow through a MOUNTAIN of presents, having just met and fallen in love with kids who had barely enough to survive… Well, it was painful.

I recently spent some time teaching my sister’s kids about my friends in Zimbabwe – Shelton, Margaret & Concilia. These kids are orphans living on their own, with little more than weeds for food. Try explaining that to a 5, 4, and 2-year-old from America – it’s hard for them to wrap their cute little minds around. But my niece, Reilly, said to me – “Kiki, I know, why don’t we give them some of OUR food?!” It was so sweet and so sincere, it almost made me cry. I wish it was that easy. I wish it was as easy as dropping off some food at a food pantry. But, it’s not.

So, instead of Cans for Comments – I’m going to be giving CASH for Comments. For every blog comment you leave (on any post) between now and midnight on Christmas Eve, I will give $1.00 to an organization that is dedicated to empowering AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe – Forgotten Voices International. As little as $15 can send a child to school in Zimbabwe for a whole year! $65 can provide a person with HIV with a home care kit to help prevent the spread of the disease. A few dollars can make a big difference in a lot of lives!

So, I challenge YOU to help me make a difference in the life of a child in Zimbabwe! Leave a comment! And then leave another. And then ask your friends to do the same. And then go to Forgotten Voices International to find out what FVI is doing to partner with local churches in Southern Africa to provide care for vicitims and orphans of AIDS. And maybe this year, instead of spending a ton of money on presents that no one needs – give a gift on behalf of the ones you love to make a real difference in the life of a child in Zimbabwe!

Zimbabwe elections today

Krista Guenin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Please pray for the people of Zimbabwe today as they vote for their next president. Pray for a fair election, and for peace no matter what the outcome.

You’ll be able to follow the elections at the BBC news website…here

Peterson

Krista Guenin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:37:00 +0000

I wasn’t sure what to post after my 30 Favorite images of all time. I mean, that’s kind of a hard act to follow, you know? So, I decided to share one of my favorite people.

When I met Ryan Keith of Forgotten Voices International, he told me the story of a boy named Peterson. Peterson was born with HIV. When Ryan met him, Peterson was a 7 year-old boy living with his mother and his 4 year-old sister, Prudence in a rural area of Zimbabwe. The very same day Ryan met them, Peterson’s mother died from AIDS. Before she died, she asked Ryan to promise to take care of her children – and he did. And that is basically how Forgotten Voices was formed – from a promise. The story continued as Peterson was left to live alone with and take care of Prudence, who was also born with HIV. Prudence had never learned to walk or talk and was basically given up on by her community. But Peterson took care of her – he carried her on his back to school and to physically therapy at the mission hospital nearby. She began walking, and talking, and was even given the job of chasing the monkeys away from the garden. But, one year after their mother died, Prudence died as well. And then Peterson lived alone…

It was after hearing this story that I knew I needed to go to Zimbabwe. And the entire time we prepared to go, I just kept looking forward to the day I would get to meet Peterson too. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew this was a kid I needed to meet.

When we arrived at Peterson’s home, he was a bit shy to meet all of us.

We were thrilled to find that Peterson was no longer living on his family’s homestead alone. His aunt had moved in to care for him, and had hired a farm-hand to help out and take over the chores that Peterson had done. And in January he was supposed to move to his Grandparents’ farm to live with them and the rest of his extended family. What a blessing that his family has been able to step up and take care of him!

We were all surprised and thrilled to watch Peterson running and playing with his friends. He seems to be in great health and having so much help around has freed him up to just be a kid and enjoy life. What an incredible blessing!

He loved Adam’s video camera

and turned out to be quite the videographer himself…

As excited as I was to see Peterson happy & healthy, no one was more glad than Ryan. Peterson & Ryan have spent many days in Zimbabwe together and though they don’t speak the same language, or live lives that are remotely similar, they are good friends.

Peterson & Ryan showed us to the place on the property where Prudence and their mother was buried. He is such a brave little boy.

I am so blessed to have met Peterson. I hope that I will meet him again someday, and I pray that he would stay healthy and get to keep being a kid for as long as possible!

I’ll leave you with the many faces of Peterson…

Shumba Shaba

Krista Guenin — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:14:00 +0000

After my frightening encounter with the “cops” in Bulawayo, we drove out to the Matopos to a place called Shumba Shaba for a leadership summit with some of the local leaders working with Forgotten Voices. For Adam and I, it was a bit of a break from “work” and a chance to relax in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Check it out…

A woman walking through the bush on the drive through the Matopos.

Ryan walking up the ridge at Shumba Shaba. The landscape was created from massive volcanic activity like a billion years ago or something. The landscape is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

Sunset on our first night at Shumba Shaba

Our first morning, Adam & I both woke up at dawn to catch the sunrise. Here’s Adam, filming me taking a picture of him with the sunrise behind

The early morning light on the valley

Sunrise from my balcony

This is my AMAZING cabin. The cabins were all built into the rock, and most of us had these amazing views (though mine was admittedly one of the best :) from walls made entirely of glass. Part of the floor in my cabin was the rock below, as was part of my wall. It was really lovely. Too bad I’m a scaredy-cat and couldn’t sleep in there by myself… It was just TOO many windows and one too many field mice popping up out of the rocks in my bathroom to steal a granola bar. I made a mad dash to the main cabin to bunk with the guys. They thought I was nuts, but were nice enough not to make too much fun of me :)

A fence in the early light

One of the rescued horses on the property. They wander freely all over the place and are just beautiful.

One of the cabins from below

A cool rock

The tree canopy

More of the crazy volcanic landscape. These giant boulders are scattered randomly all over the place – sometimes stacked one on top of the other like God was building a tower of blocks or something.

The valley on the other side of the peak

The leaders praying for the nation, and for rain on the side of Shumba Shaba

Obert, one of the leaders at the Mtshabezi AIDS Project

Gordin, another leader at Mtshabezi

Pastor James from The Rock Church

The BEAUTIFUL sunset that evening

The horses in the valley below as the sun set

And then there’s me – in the side mirror of our van :)

Zimbabwe – A run-in with the “cops”

Krista Guenin — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Ah! I almost forgot the best story of them all!! The day after we visited The Rock, we ran some errands before heading out of Bulawayo for the week – and I got into a bit of trouble.

Adam and I went into town to buy a rain coat for the Bishop’s daughter, who’s in secondary school near where we were heading. Seems like a simple thing, right? Not in Zimbabwe…

Adam & I found the store, and when we got there, there was a huge crowd queued up out front. This is the whole problem with Zimbabwe right now – there’s never anything on the shelves and when they get something in stock everyone lines up to wait for it. Luckily, we got there just as the doors were opening and so we pressed into the store with the rest of the crowd. As a good documentary photographer, I was taking pictures. Granted, I know that’s illegal there, but I thought if I held my camera on top of my bag, and shot without looking, maybe I could get some shots without drawing attention to myself. Sounds like a great plan, right? Well, I was wrong.

We were in line waiting to buy the coat, and a guy came over telling me he was a policeman. (He wasn’t wearing a uniform or anything, but he could have been part of the CIO). He told me that I can’t take pictures in the shop. I apologized and said I would put it away, no problem. Acted as innocent as I could, smiled real big, and kept saying that I just had it out and didn’t realize that’d be a problem. So, I shoved it back in my shootsac and acted like it was no big deal and he walked away. But as we’re buying the coat, I see this guy telling everyone he passes that I have a camera. So, I’m trying not to freak out, and praying that this will be the end of it.

We go outside and start walking towards the car when this guy comes up with another “cop” in plain clothes. They tell me that I’m not allowed to take pictures. I say, I didn’t realize and I’ve put my camera away and that I don’t have any pictures (not entirely true, but I was freaking out and afraid that I could be taken to jail and start an international incident or something – not exaggerating). I showed the guy photos from the sunset the night before trying to show him that there’s nothing bad on the card. I even tried showing them a photo of the store I took outside and deleting it in front of them, in hopes that that would pacify the situation. The guy just yelled at me and said that just because I delete the evidence doesn’t mean I didn’t commit the crime! They said that maybe we should just go down to the police station (eeek!) and I asked (as respectfully as possible) if they had some sort of badge and could identify themselves as officers. They acted offended and said “let’s just go to the central station.” So, I tried desperately to call Ryan at TCZ while Adam tried to rationalize with these guys.

I couldn’t get through to the seminary, and they just kept harassing us. My friend Adam was trying to be very diplomatic and helpful, but basically made me freak out worse. As I’m trying to text Ryan, I hear Adam ask the guys to call over the police officer in uniform on the other side of the road. What the crap?!?! I think he thought that if these guys weren’t cops, that that would scare them off. Well, it didn’t! So, in a swift move, I formatted my memory card and got rid of all the pictures (in the end that wasn’t necessary, but better safe than arrested in Zimbabwe!). The real cop comes over and talks to the guys in Ndbele and then the guys decide that we should drive them to the police station. They actually want to get in our car! I’m freaking out! Adam is trying to talk to them about “compensating them for their time” dealing with us. Meanwhile, we’ve been there for 30 minutes and are drawing a crowd. So, the guys get in the car, we drive around the corner and Adam starts trying to bribe them. That takes so long that 2 real cops come stand by the car – which freaks out the fake cops and we drive around another corner. Adam tries to bribe them with the equivalent of $3 US – they’re offended and let us know that the bribe will be split with the real cop too so it needs to be more. So, then Adam tries the 3,000,000 Zim plus American cash. Instead of using a larger bill, he tries a ONE DOLLAR BILL! By that point I was almost more angry with my friend than these guys. ONE DOLLAR?????? Either bribe them or flatly refuse and drive away, but geez! They were, of course, offended again.

In the end, we got away with giving them 7,000,000 Zim dollars ($7 US) and a couple bags of chips.

It was the strangest experience of my life. And I thank God that they weren’t actually police or CIO, and that we made it out with our freedom in tact, if not our dignity and definitely not the photos…

Zimbabwe – A Day at The Rock Church

Krista Guenin — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:49:00 +0000

And now, back to our previously scheduled programming… Stories from Zimbabwe!!

My first Sunday in Zim, we went to The Rock Church outside Bulawayo near where we were staying. The Rock shares a building with many other groups in the community – it serves as a mosque, temple, church, meeting hall, etc. throughout the week.

A little girl listening intently to the message.

Some of the girls after the worship service.

After worshipping at The Rock, Pastor James took us around the community to meet some of the families that the church supports with the help of Forgotten Voices. This woman takes care of her 2 grandchildren, who’s parents have died.

this is the only “chair” in her house

This is her granddaughter. She was a bit shy, and couldn’t stop laughing at us crazy white people with our big cameras

This is her grandson. He can’t go to school because he can’t walk. So, he sits here all day. If you click on the image, you can look closely to see how damaged the skin on his knees is from crawling around on the dirt. He was incredibly sweet even though this picture makes him look like he’s got quite a bit of attitude!

The kids in front of their home

A neighbor

The next woman we visited was yet another Gogo taking care of her grandchildren.

She thought I was HILARIOUS and could not stop joking with me, laughing at me, posing for me, and just generally being her spunky ol’ self. I love her!!

This is her grandson. I think it’s pretty hilarious that the most popular TV show in Zimbabwe is big-time Wrestling. Everywhere we went, kids were talking about it, wearing t-shirts, had posters on their walls, or were watching it. How random is that??

He’s a handsome kid, huh?

Here the ladies busted out singing and dancing for us

they couldn’t do it too long before they started laughing uncontrolably!

After visiting some families, we went to see The State House – otherwise known as Pastor James’ new home which will be used as a refuge, meeting place, and temporary home for people in the church. Pastor James has been building this house all by himself – even making his own bricks until Forgotten Voices decided to chip in and pay for the construction and cement blocks. James is very proud of his new home, and can’t wait to open it up to the orphans in the community who need a home. He is literally, the nicest man I’ve ever met – and I am blessed to know him.

The State House under construction

Pastor James (center) with 2 other men from The Rock.

A neighbor who came to visit

The view from The State House

After all of that visiting, we were pretty tired, so we went back to the King’s home to rest. Some of us still had plenty of energy to play on the trampoline…

That afternoon, Warren wanted to take us for a drive to see the sunset from the highest point in the area, on his friend’s farm. Well, we got a late start, and ended up seeing the sunset from the road. But, it was still beautiful…

That’s it for our day at The Rock Church! I’ve got lots more stories to share, so stay tuned…

Zimbabwe – Day 4

Krista Guenin — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:13:00 +0000

Day 4 was spent in Magwgwe North with Pastor Fibion and the Free Methodist Church.

When we first arrived that morning, Pastor Fibion took us out behind the church to show us an empty piece of land. But this land won’t be empty for long! With the help of Forgotten Voices International, the church is building a pre-school for the young children in the community. The dry & desolate land will soon be filled with a school house teeming with laughing children! It’s hard to picture it now, but just IMAGINE the possibilities…

Trevor, Fibion & Horace discussing the plans for the pre-school

Trevor, Fibion & Ryan envisioning the future

After praying in the field, we set out for some more home visits in the community. Our first stop was the home of a little girl who had very recently lost her mother after already losing her father. We spoke with her and her Grandparents and uncle, and prayed with them as well.

The little girl was so beautiful and so sweet. She sat there listening to everyone talking about her, and she just remained quiet and mostly looked at the floor. When they started talking about her mom, she got tears in her eyes and had to leave the room to cry. My heart just ached for her. It’s so wonderful that the church is able to help her go to school and is making such a difference in her future, but a child is never the same after losing a parent. While I’m encouraged about this girl’s future, it broke my heart to see the pain she is feeling right now.

Her Go-Go was a vibrant woman, with so many expressions…

Her Grandfather was also very quiet, just like his grand-daughter. His health is failing and their family worries what will happen if he too should pass away.

Her Uncle comes by the house from another town as often as he can to check on her and his parents. He told us that he used to worry a lot about her future, but now that she has been able to return to school he is more hopeful.

The next home we visited was yet another GoGo taking care of her orphaned grandchildren. And yet another strong woman withstanding the hard realities of life in Zimbabwe with children to care for.

After the home visits, we went back to the church for a youth event with the local kids. There were so many kids there, and it was a lot of fun playing with them, and watching them play, and then worshiping with them afterwards. It made for a fun afternoon!

As we left Magwegwe, the most wonderful thing happened… RAIN! It was short-lived, but such a blessing! When you think of Zimbabwe, please pray for rain. They are suffering from a drought and every drop helps!!

On our way back to town, we stopped at the Eskimo Hut for some “ice cream” (or a frozen yogurt-type product, rather). There was only one flavor available, and only one topping. Mmm, vanilla with chocolate “sauce” (or chocolate water, whatever you want to call it). It was no Dairy Queen, but it definitely hit the spot. You’ll notice in this picture there’s just about nothing on the shelves or in the fridges at the Eskimo Hut. I don’t know how they stay in business, but we were happy to do our part!

After Eskimo Hut we went to dinner at the Bishop’s house. It was a fun evening, full of laughter! You know you’re off to a good start when you show up for dinner and the Bishop asks if you enjoyed your ice cream… Busted! He’d apparently driven by on his way home and saw us getting our snack. Good thing he’s got a sense of humor and good thing we still had big appetites for dinner! It was great spending time with him and his family – they are such sweet people. I felt perfectly at home with them, and that was really nice after a few hard days!

Next up, Sunday at The Rock Church…

Zimbabwe – Day 3, part 2

Krista Guenin — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:32:00 +0000

After we left the Bishop, we headed out to Magwegwe North (a suburb of Bulawayo) to visit one of Forgotten Voices’ partner churches. The pastor there is a guy named Fibion. Fibion is awesome – such a servant’s heart! He lives at the church with his dog , Fluffy (not what I would name a giant german shepherd, but whatever). He loves his church and takes such amazing care of the people God has entrusted him to shepherd. He is a good man, and a hilarious one at that! It was an honor spending the day seeing how God is using Fibion and his church in this community.

Fibion, maxing & relaxing in his office while we interviewed him a bit before we went out into the community to visit some families.

Now he’s getting fired up!

Fluffy

This is the oldest member of the church. I think he’s just about the cutest old man I’ve ever seen! And even though he looks like he’s scowling a little bit here, believe me, he got quite a laugh out of me taking his picture so much :)

Walking through Magwegwe North was pretty entertaining. More than any other place we went in Zimbabwe, it is very rare for the people of Magwegwe to see white people walking around. It’s kinda like “the hood” of Bulawayo. So, everywhere we walked, kids were running after us, shouting “Makiwa!” – which means white person. Ryan (our fearless leader) is just a 6-foot tall 6 year old, so he entertained our following of kids by making crazy faces, stupid jokes, and asking them all to race him. I’m pretty sure most of them thought we were nuts, but these 2 girls were particularly enchanted by him.

This is Horace. Horace is a leader at Fibion’s church. He’s a great guy and does an amazing job helping Fibion and leading the youth. He went with us on all of the home visits that day and you could tell that the people in the church really love him.

Our first home visit was to the home of a GoGo (Ndbele for Grandmother) taking care of like a dozen grandkids! This woman is incredible! In this picture below, you can see her brood. I count 12 grandbabies, but I believe some her children live with her as well. Most of these kids have lost their parents, her children, to AIDS. It’s amazing what people do for their families – what they endure, what they give up, how they survive. The church helps this GoGo by paying the school fees for her grandchildren. In a country where food is hard to come by, this is probably the only reason that most of these children are able to go to school at all.

Look at her face. She’s one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. You wouldn’t imagine that she’s a grandmother caring for 12 kids, would you?

We had the opportunity to pray for each family while we were in their homes. It was really cool to watch this crowd of kids (mostly boys) settle down and get quite as we prayed.

One of the kids playing outside as we were leaving.

During this trip, we met many children who were orphaned by AIDS, and we met quite a few who were actually born with HIV. Children. Born with HIV. It isn’t fair. It isn’t easy. But, it’s the reality of life in Zimbabwe. Check out the statistics…

* One hundred babies become HIV-positive every day in Zimbabwe
* A child dies every 15 minutes due to HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe
* One in five Zimbabwean children are now orphans (1 million from HIV/AIDS)

The next house we went to was the home of Doris & Dennis. Doris & Dennis are orphans, living with their Grandparents. Their parents died of AIDS, and Doris was born HIV positive.

This is their GoGo, who cares for them.

And their Grandfather (yet another cute old man!)

Doris & Denis in their home with their GoGo. The church pays for their school fees so they can have a chance to get ahead in life.

Ryan racing, and losing to Denis out in the street

Doris watching us skeptically

A little boy across the street

A mob of kids checking out Adam’s video camera

Trevor listening to Pastor Fibion outside the next home

The last home we visited that day was the home of a little girl named Blessed. Blessed’s mother has HIV, and her father has already passed away.

Blessed’s mother is very proud of her. She made a point to show us her homework so we could see her good grades. Her mother feels grateful that the church is able to pay for Blessed’s school fees. She wants a better life for her daughter and believes that this will help.

In talking to the mother, it was quite clear that her greatest fear is what will happen to Blessed if she gets ill or dies. She seems comforted in knowing that the church will be there to help take care of her.

A view from the streets in Magwegwe

After visiting homes, we went back to the church for a worship service. Here, Pastor Fibion is singing along with the congregation.

They invited Ryan up to share a word. Ryan shared the story of Gideon and reminded us that God said to Gideon, “Go with the faith you have and the knowledge I am the one that sent you!”

A child at the worship service, who seemed to be a bit distracted…

After the worship service, they fed us from what little food they had. This is, of course, their custom. But, it made us feel horrible, knowing that we could afford to get food on our way home and that they would literally go without in order to feed us. Pastor Fibion explained that the saying goes that a visitor will never eat all your food. The idea that no matter how little of it you have, you should share with a guest because they won’t take it all. These are generous people, I tell you.

All in all, it was a long and exhausting day, but a good one.

More from Magwegwe North coming up in the next post – Day 4.

Zimbabwe – Day 3, part 1

Krista Guenin — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:51:00 +0000

It’s been 2 months since I returned from Zimbabwe! I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone – it’s just insane what the holidays will do to you… Anyway, I’ve finished my first round edit of the entire 2-week shoot – and I’ve narrowed it down from almost 10,000 images to under 7,000. I wish I could share all of the pics with you, but, um, you’d probably get bored after the first 1,000 or so :) So, instead, I’m going to go back and finish telling you about my trip. I’ll pick up right where we left off, with Day 3…

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On day 3 we headed into Bulawayo to visit the Christian Leadership Resource Center. The CLRC is dedicated to equipping local pastors. They have a library of books & videos, AIDS education resources, computers (sometimes with internet connection), and a staff to assist. They even have a section where the general public can come to get information about AIDS/HIV. It’s a partnership of the Theological College of Zimbabwe, and supported in part by Forgotten Voices International. It’s an excellent resource for the church leaders in the area.

The Christian Leadership Resource Center

The Library

And this is just the cool address marker out front

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After we visited the CLRC, we stopped by the Bretheren In Christ Church offices downtown to visit Bishop Danisa Ndlovu. Ryan calls Danisa his Zimbabwean Father. This man is not only the Bishop of the BIC in Zimbabwe, but he’s also a devoted family man with a contagious smile and an awesome sense of humor. It was great to meet him and talk with him a bit about the BIC’s ministry throughout Southwest Zimbabwe.

Bishop Danisa Ndlovu

A map in the Bishop’s office marking 2 of the BIC missions South of Bulawayo – Matopos & Mtshabezi. We visited the Matopos Secondary School briefly on Day 8, on our way to spend a few days at the Mtshabezi mission. You’ll see tons of photos from Mtshabezi in upcoming posts…

This was an incredibly busy day, so check out the rest of the story in the next post…

Shelton, Margret & Concilia – Zimbabwe Day 10

Krista Guenin — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 19:25:00 +0000

Ok, Ok! So, I’m going out of order – so sue me! :) The truth is, I can’t go any further with this without telling you about Shelton, Margret & Concilia. When I think about my trip, I think about these 3 kids. When I pray for Zimbabwe, I think about these 3 kids. And when people ask me “how was your trip?” – I think about these 3 kids.

So, here’s the story…

When the team was in Mtshabezi, at the BICC Mission, we did quite a few home visits – meeting with many of the people who they work with at the BICC AIDS Project. This particular day was quite hot, long, and emotionally challenging. We met with 4 families that day, and attended one funeral (which I’ll share about another day). After the funeral, we went to one of the local primary schools, and picked up Shelton, Margret & Concilia so we could see their home and interview them. I have a hard time photographing and being a good listener, so I have to admit that I don’t have all of the details on these kids – but that’s what video’s for! Hopefully my team can fill in some of the gaps (or correct my mistakes)

Shelton (8) & Margret (10) are brother & sister, and Concilia (11?) is their cousin. The three of them live in the home they used to share with their mothers, who were sisters. And they live alone. Shelton, as the “man” of the family, is the child head of household. Their Grandmother lives nearby, but they actually live alone. I think that both of their mothers died of AIDS, and now the BICC AIDS Project helps them by paying their school fees, providing some food when possible, and sending them to pscyho-social support camps during school breaks. The AIDS Project is supported, in part, by Forgotten Voices and is making a huge difference in the lives of these kids, and 1700 others in the area.

This is their homestead, which includes a kitchen (on the right) and a small bedroom (left) and no bathroom or other sheltered space.

The girls leading us onto the property.

This is their kitchen. Notice that there are no chairs, no tables, and gaping holes in their roof. Please also note that it is now RAINY SEASON in Zimbabwe…

This is absolutely the thing I think about most when I think about these kids. See that bowl of greens in the photo below? Those are weeds they’ve gathered from the bush surrounding their home. That’s all that they eat when they’re at home. Thankfully, their school is able to provide 1 meal per day because their school is supported by a project through World Vision. The meals at school don’t include meat, and this is all they have outside of school. This is what I’m thinking about while I’m eating my dinner, and when I see food being thrown into the garbage. And this is what makes me think that while we’re doing a lot to help these kids, we aren’t doing enough yet.

We interviewed them in the kitchen and asked them all sorts of questions about their life and about what they want for their future. I can’t for the life of me remember what they each said they wanted to be when they grow up – but maybe one of my team mates can leave a comment below letting us know? I was so distracted by that bowl of weeds that it was all I could do to keep taking photos and not start bawling – so apparently I didn’t listen to the whole interview.

After the interview, we were also able to pray for the children, and then take a tour of their homestead.

This is the room that they share – which has a leaky roof as well. The girls sleep with Shelton in the middle (on a pile of blankets on the floor), and the oldest sleeps closest to the door. You can see how much they protect and take care of each other.

And this is their garden.

With very little rain so far this year, and seeds hard to come by, you can see that not much is growing in here.

Near the garden, just outside the fence of the homestead are 2 graves. The kids’ mothers are buried here.

But, these kids are still just normal kids. Laughing, playing…

The girls thought it was HILARIOUS when Obert (who works on the AIDS Project, and who you’ll hear much more about in another post) tried jumping rope too.

But these kids don’t just get to laugh, and play, and do homework and have fun – like most kids in America. These kids have to take care of one another, take care of their home, do all of the chores, gather food, collect seed pods to use as candles, bathe themselves, wake up on time, walk 2 hours to get to school each day, and know that their parents are gone.

My heart aches for these kids, and I pray for them every day. Would you join me in praying for them as well?

Zimbabwe, Day 2

Krista Guenin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 15:24:00 +0000

On Day 2 in Africa, Adam & I arrived in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. We were both a bit nervous about going through security & customs with all of our gear. The Zimbabwean government doesn’t like journalists very much, and we were just praying that they wouldn’t think we were journalists. Praise God, we made it through without any trouble!! Ryan & Trevor met us outside customs and welcomed us to Zimbabwe. It was nice to finally arrive at our destination after 40+ hours of traveling! Ryan & Trevor had been in Zambia checking out some potential new projects, and had just driven to Zimbabwe the night before – so they were pretty excited to be there as well.

Ryan drove us into Bulawayo and explained that we couldn’t photograph any government buildings and should be careful not to let anyone see our cameras. Anyone in the CIO (Zim’s version of our CIA) could be on the streets in plain clothes, and would probably assume that we were journalists. So, for the most part, I kept my camera down and I never really got many shots of the city :(

Our first stop was at a friend’s place, where we gassed up the car and exchanged some money. Check out this fat wad of cash he gave us!! Don’t get too excited – that 50,000,000 Zim dollars only equates to $50 US! It was just crazy carrying around that much cash – even though their largest bill ($200,000) is only worth about 20 cents! Zim is currently at something like 13,000% inflation! It’s just nuts!

After a quick lunch, we headed to the Theological College of Zimbabwe (TCZ – or TCZed as it’s called in Zim). TCZ’s Hilltop Campus is located in an old hotel and includes housing for some of the students. It’s a very cool facility, and the college and its graduates are the core of Forgotten Voices’ work on the ground in Zim.

Ryan had a meeting with the president of TCZ, Victor Naka and John Stomboli. So, Adam & I got straight to work, filming and photographing everything that was going on. They talked for a while, and then took us on a tour of the campus. Out back behind the housing, they’ve begun a garden based on the principles of Farming God’s Way. FGW was started by a man named Pierre (who you’ll see later in the trip), and is an amazing farming technique that produces an insane amount of food in a small space. It’s TCZ’s goal to teach their students Farming God’s Way so they can take it back to their churches and communities. The gardens can then be used to feed families, and even make money on crop sales. It’s a geniusy plan, if you ask me.

Adam at work:
Victor Naka:
Ryan, Trevor, and John touring the Farming God’s Way plot (check out the sweet light and the crazy sky – it was gorgeous!!)
After our visit to TCZ, Ryan took us “home.” We stayed at his friend Warren King’s home outside Bulawayo. We like to call it the “King Compound” since Warren’s parents and siblings also have homes on the property. It is a gorgeous place (more pics later) and was a welcoming and warm home base for us while we were in town. The Kings were still in South Africa when we arrived, but their housekeeper, Miriam made us feel very welcome and made us a delicious dinner. That night, we were able to relax, charge batteries, rest and even have a bit of fun. It was a good first day in Zimbabwe.

Here’s a shot of Ryan playing in the King’s backyard…

Zimbabwe… where to begin?

Krista Guenin — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:37:00 +0000

I’ve been trying to blog about this trip for days now. I just have no idea where to begin! I guess I’ll just start at the beginning…

I left for Zimbabwe on Tuesday, October 23rd. I flew first to JFK in New York to meet up with my friend Adam. First of all, let me just say that I do NOT like the JFK airport! Hello? Signs would be helpful for directing passengers to other terminals & such! Geez! Anyway, I made it to the flight just fine, and got to catch up with Adam a bit before the flight. He graciously gave me the window seat and we set off on our 18.5 hour flight!

Thanks to my old friend, Benadryl, I slept almost half the trip. And the rest of it was spent chatting with Adam, and a couple of ladies across the aisle, watching Harry Potter 5, and playing MahJong on the interactive screen above my tray table. South African Airlines rocks!! I was so entertained, I didn’t open up my laptop or a book once :)

When we arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, we had about a 16 hour lay over. Ryan’s friends, Steve & Michelle Lockwood are missionaries in Jo-burg and they picked us up at the airport and took us back to their house. It was so great meeting them, and their 3 adorable kids. They gave us dinner, comfy beds, and warm showers – it was wonderful! They also shared with us quite a bit about their experiences in Zimbabwe – they had lived there for quite a few years before moving to South Africa. It was great to hear their perspective and their stories. By the time Steve took us to the airport the next morning, they seemed like old friends. I just wish I hadn’t been too tired to take more pictures! Thank you so much Steve & Michelle for your hospitality! That overnight stay made all the difference in adjusting to Zimbabwe time.

And that was day 1…

up next, day 2…

Back in Bulawayo!

Krista Guenin — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 09:38:00 +0000

Wow! No internet access for over a week! I’m going through withdrawl – this is a great quick fix :)

We’re back in Bulawayo today. We left here last Monday and went to the Matopos and stayed at a place called Shumba Shaba. It was BEAUTIFUL! I can’t wait to show you the pictures! We stayed there for a couple of days with some of the pastors that work with Forgotten Voices (or the other way around, really). It was great getting to know them and enjoying the scenery.

We left Shumba Shaba on Wednesday and went to the Mtshabezi Mission/Hospital. This is one of FVI’s biggest partners. It was an amazing week with them. They were so gracious and took such good care of us there. It was overwhelming. We visited the Primary School there, and interviewed some of the children who’s school fees are paid by the Mtshabezi AIDS Project. It was so encouraging to see how much hope these kids have for their future now that they are able to go to school. We also visited some of the kids in their homes out in the villages over a couple of days. That was incredibly humbling. To see these kids surviving on next to nothing – literally eating weeds for meals – and then to go back to the Mission where they prepared such great meals for us. It was just hard.

On Thursday we were supposed to visit a woman who is cared for by the AIDS Project, but she died during the night and so we ended up going to her funeral instead. Her name was Setty, she was 28 years old. Her only child had already died of AIDS, and we aren’t sure what happened to her husband. Her family was so welcoming, and allowed us to film and photograph the funeral. These are some of the most powerful photos I’ve shot – I hope to post them soon after I get home.

I’ve shot well over 5,000 images so far – so I’m going to be BUSY when I get home!! Wedding and Portrait clients will have to come first – so I hope you can be patient waiting for some images from the trip. It’ll be worth the wait, I promise!

I’ve got a great story to share without about an interesting run-in with the “police” but I think I’ll wait till I get home. I’m not that worried that the Zim police are checking my blog, but just in case… :) You’ll just have to wait!!!

I’ll be home on Thursday and will try to reply to emails then. If I get the chance, I’ll blog again tomorrow, but who knows? Please continue to pray for safety – especially getting through the airport on Thursday. I hope all is well back home! I can’t wait to get back and hug my niece & nephews and see my friends & family!!

all is well

Krista Guenin — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:39:00 +0000

just a quick note to say that all is well! we landed in bulawayo yesterday and made it through airport security with no problems. Praise the Lord! We’re touring around bulawayo, meeting lots of people and having a great time so far. I’m really looking forward to this afternoon because we’re going to go do some home visits. It should be a good day!

ok, gotta go get some pizza :)

please keep praying for us!

I’m in Africa!

Krista Guenin — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:36:00 +0000

After 24 hours of travelling, door to door – I’m finally in Africa!! My friend, Adam (videographer) & I are staying at the home of a lovely couple who live here with their 4 kids. The Lockwoods have fed us and are giving us warm beds and hot showers before our flight to Bulawayo tomorrow morning. They are such a blessing!!

The trip has been good so far – pretty uneventful (which is just the way I like it). I slept quite a bit and even got to watch Harry Potter 5 – so all in all it was a good flight :) We’re still praying for an easy time getting through customs tomorrow in Zim – so lift us up if you think of it.

Ok, off to be a nice social guest again! I couldn’t resist the internet access while it was available :)

I’m on my way to Zimbabwe!

Krista Guenin — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:00:00 +0000

Holy Cow! I’m actually sitting in the airport, getting ready to go! I can’t believe it’s finally here – I’m finally going to Zimbabwe! I’m so excited, can you tell? There’s been so much happening in preparation for this trip, I don’t even know where to begin…

First of all, I’ve got some amazing news! This trip now has a double purpose. First and foremost, I’m going to be documenting the work of Forgotten Voices International in Zimbabwe. We’re working on a documentary as well as taking photos for that FVI can use to share their story and raise support. I love what FVI is doing and I’m so thrilled to be a part of it. And if that’s not reason enough to be excited about this trip – there’s more!

Ryan of FVI met a woman a few weeks ago who has an amazing vision. Lisa‘s vision is a series of children’s books that would tell the stories of children from various countries. Each book would represent one child, one country, one theme (i.e. hope) and would hopefully be used by parents and teachers to encourage, inspire, and teach children about other cultures. Her vision is just amazing and even extends to eventually doing a book on every country in the world! Well, she has decided to do the first book with FVI about a child in Zimbabwe. And, she just happens to need a photographer to supply the art for the book. So, Ryan sent her to me and as it turns out, she loves my work! (*blushing*) So, my second purpose for this trip is to document the story of one child and create the art for the first book!! Lisa wants consistency throughout the series, so I also may have the opportunity to do more of these. That means, I’m really going to get to travel the world and photograph children with amazing stories! It just blows my mind that this is happening! I have been praying for an opportunity like this for FIVE YEARS and now God is providing the way! It’s just the most amazing thing EVER! Thank you Lord!!

Well, now I’m REALLY excited – I just got myself all pumped up for this trip! Too bad it’ll be another 40 or so hours before I get there :)

I’m going to try to update this blog as often as possible with news from Zimbabwe, so stay posted!!! Thanks so much for going on this journey with me – and for all of the incredible support you all have given me! You all are such a blessing!

Zimbabwe Missions Trip

Krista Guenin — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:55:00 +0000

Zimbabwe has one of the worst economies in the world. With the highest inflation rate in the world, over 80% unemployment, a corrupt government, and a skyrocketing AIDS epidemic – the situation seems to be hopeless. For no one is this more true than the children who have been orphaned by AIDS and are left to survive on their own. These orphans have voices that have been all but forgotten. My friend, Ryan Keith has a heart to help these children, and so he began an organization called Forgotten Voices International (FVI) to do just that. FVI works with leaders in Zimbabwe to develop Local Action Plans. In working with local leaders, they are sending orphans to school, starting farms, providing HIV tests, offering grief counseling, supplying vitamins, and developing skills in the local community.

So, this Fall (October 25 – November 7), I will be traveling to Zimbabwe with Ryan and my good friend, videographer Adam Merritt. Our mission is to document the work of FVI, to tell the story of these children, and to help make their voices heard!! We will be traveling through the country photographing & videotaping the work that FVI is doing and those who are serving and being served by the ministry. I am so excited to be using my gifts in this way! As many of you know, my passion is documentary Missions Photography – and this trip is exactly that! It is such a blessing to feel like I’ll be doing exactly what I know God has called me to do. I cannot wait to be a part of this trip!

Though there are just a few of us going on this trip, we can’t do it alone - WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

We desperately need your prayers. Prayers for our safety, prayers for God to open up doors and create opportunities to connect with people, prayers for this picky eater to eat whatever she’s served :) Prayers for Zimbabwe, and for the work being done there. Prayers for the documentary we’re shooting, and for the impact it may have on these kids. All sorts of prayers!

We also need financial support. Each of us needs to raise $3500 to cover our expenses on this trip. If you would like to contribute to the trip costs, please download this form, and send it with your check to the address on the form (a church in PA is handling all of our support for us). If you’d like to support me personally, and you don’t care about tax deductions, you can also send a check directly to me at the address below with Zimbabwe in the memo. All contributions will go directly to the costs incurred preparing for and going on this amazing trip. Please prayerfully consider supporting us financially! If you’d like to follow along with us while we’re on our trip, I hope to be able to make updates on the blog. You can also keep track of us through Ryan’s blog as well! If you’d like more information about the trip, or have any questions, or just want to send some love – leave a comment below, call or email me! I can’t wait to see what God will do with this opportunity, and I hope you will partner with us!