Marcia Kav Thomson

In Zimbabwe
P.O.Box 231, Masvingo, Zimbabwe
March 1997

Phone: 011-263-39-62285

E-maii: camels@mvo.zo!.co.zw

Forwarding Agents:

The Old and the New

Charlotte & Wilford Leasure

Central Africa Mission

Route 1, Box 46A

West Union IL 62477-9715

(217) 279-3366

^ Showers of blessings have fallen on Zimbabwe. ^

^ More than 90% of the nation has received more^
yy

y than 100% of normal rainfall. The major dams ^

^in the country are over 80% full. Mutirikwi ^

^ (Kyle) Dam near Masvingo is 58.39% full. This^

^is up from 5% in December 95 and the last time^

6 it was this full was in 1983.

Y/////////////////////////////////////////////////

CAMELS was so busy in November and Decem

ber that the staff worked an extra hour a day to keep
up with the load. While I was away in December
Godfrey Makuku was in charge. January 6-20

Godfrey took his vacation so I attempted to do his

job that includes the origination on the computer.
Besides my work at CAMELS there are several
reasons that it is not practical for me to plan an
early furlough. In August 96 I was elected as the
vice president of Central Africa Mission for 1997.1
am in charge of reservations for the Resthaven
Missionary Retreat in April this year. The All Africa
Mission retreat is in August in Kenya. Marilyn
Richards' estate is not settled as the deeds office

and the office of the master of the high court are

both in disaray. At this time we have not heard an

answer from Jill Shaw's application with immigra

After more than 30 years of service at CAMELS

our refrigerator retired. Style Mawanza has been
around longer than the refrigerator and also has
had several repair bills but he is still going strong.
The doctor seems pleased with his present
condition. They are pictured here with our new

refrigerator and our newest employee, Miss Alice

Bello. Alice is a graduate of Masvingo Technical
College. After her training as an electrician she
was unable to find a job in her field. She is
versatile enough to come and workfor us and do
what ever is needed at the time. Her mother died

last year so she is now looking after three younger

brothers.

Prayer Praises & Requests!

tion.

Joe and Marlene Thomson have had more than

their share of concerns recently. In June 96

Marlene's mother, Mary Chrislen broke her hip.
Then in September when our mother fell and
broke her leg they had to see to her needs as I

was too far away. In January 97 Mrs. Chrisler had

a stroke. Joe and Marlene traveled from Kansas

to Ohio to see her in spite of the weather.

Thank you for a safe trip to South Africa

An answer from immigration for Jill Shaw

My brother, Joe and his wife Marlene

Help from the Lord to catch up on Bookkeeping

Thank you for computer equipment at CAMELS

"To error is human but to really louse things up takes a computer."

i have been using my PowerBook (laptop) to do the bookkeeping for CAMELS. I backed up the information
until it became too large to fit on a floppy disk. When the hard drive was replaced late last year we lost the
whole bookkeeping system. After reinstalling the program and the last backup we were 18 months behind.
I figured a way to record just the invoices and payments to print the statements for the customers.
The new computer arrived January 17. We got a 132 MHz computer with a 1.2 gigabyte hard disk and a
600 DP! laser printer. The old one is a 25 MHz computer with a 80 Megabyte hard disk and a 300 DPI
printer. Our first ever scanner was picked up on February 15. This new equipment is helping our production.
We are keeping the old system and I intend to put the bookkeeping for CAMELS on it instead of on my
PowerBook (laptop) When I get it caught up from the disaster I hope to train someone else to do the book
keeping. We have two people trained for all of the other jobs at CAMELS. When we get another person on
this job we will have accomplished a goal but that counts me in and does not hold true for my furlough.

The scanner & new printer

South Africa
December 8-28 I travelled in SA. The news reported
many accidents but I was safe. Alice Fishback and I
attended the South Africa National Youth Seminar

December 10-15 in Beaufort West. Alice was in charge

of recording the sessions. I took material printed by
CAMELS. Some was passed out in town, some sold and
some left with Phil Smith. Afterward we went south to

Knysna and relumed to Johannesburg on December 22.

We had Christmas Day Service and Christmas Dinner
with Brion and Joyce Morris in the house they moved
into the first of December. The last of my visit was spent
taking Alice to the doctor and helping her at the house.
She has major back problems and for seven weeks others
stayed at her house to help her.

To Se practicaCuifiat can our new equipment reafCy do? In

tfie pastive have Seen sending our pfictos to (BeCmont (Press
to nave tfiem made into halftones. This newsletter was
producedSij scanning the photograph on our mwscanner
andplacing it on the page. We were aSU to reduce it to the
right size andto crop it on the computer. Then we printed
me whole page. When the photos were pastedon they had
shadows at the edge of the pictures. 'Ihis photo does not
have shadows. 'Both speedandquality have increased. The

ne?(t move is to upgrade the printingpress. I havefound a

new pressforsale at fast year's price. 'Malqng this purchase
now uhCCsave $10,000.00.

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To: Horizons, [102774,1772]

From: Marcia Kay Thomson, IVlarciaKayThomson
Date: 12/9/97, 2:48 AM

Re: Furlough

Dear Friends at Horizons

I hope I have the right address for you. I plan to be in the USA May- Oct 1998.

I am getting a newsletter ready to send out but waited until I had my CompuServe Address. Ittook much longer than
I expected as you will see from the letter Iwellsend that Iwrote last month. Just when Igot it I had preperations for
the retreat and still have not sent the newsletter.

8 November 1997,1 arrived in Africa on 10 Nov. 1963

Dear Friends

It has been months that I have worked to get onto CompuServe after I found out that Iwould have the same
addre^ in Zimbabwe as in the USA. I have a numerical address also but I wanted one that would be easy to
remember.

The Zimbabwe On Line here In Masvingo was shutting down. I could have gone with the new service they were
introducing but I knew that itwas only for Masvingo and Iwas thinking of furiough. I first got the CompuServe
Software on CD and I do not have a CD on my PowerBook. The next week Igot the software on disks. The first

thing that Itsaid was, 'You do not have enough memory." That was just before mytripto South Africa so I planned
to buy memory there. They were very helpful and said they would order from the USA. I knew that when it came I
would be In Zimbabwe so Iwaited until Igot back to Zimbabwe and ordered from the USA.

In the meantime the modem card In my PowerBook started ejecting. I got an external modem to use temporarily,
later CAMELS can be use It. With the modem, power source and transformer it makes my PowerBook no longer
mobile. When the memory came v\nth detailed Instructions for installation Idiscovered Idid not have the small tone
screwdriver needed. I went to Harare. At the first Macintosh service place the owner was out of the country and the

service man, Pascal, was gone to a funeral. At the second place the service man said he was sorry but their set of
screwdrivers had been stolen.

Iwas meeting the man that comes to Masvingoto repair our printing presses. He had some special springs with
instructions for our pressmen. Ifthey could install the springs itwould save paying him to make a trip to Masvingo. I
asked him about torx screwdrivers. He took me to the place where he bought his. As they were sold out and gave
no hope of finding any In Harare he installed the memory with his set

With memory In I installed the CompuServe software. Itstill would not connect to the Internet. Last week Iwent to
Harare to sort this problem out. Afterseveral hours at CompuServe one of their men, Alex, went with me to a third
Macintosh office. He had knowledge of the problem but the software downloaded from the Intemet had been
corrupted. After4 PMI left the PowerBook with Pascal, who was able to update the software the following day. He
was successful in dialing the Internet and getting a busy signal.

Iwent on to CompuServe. HELP!! NO ELECTRICITY and their office is on the 5th floor. The building has a
generator with emergency lighting. Afterwalkingtwo blocks from the car I climbed the steps to the 5th floor. My
handbag was over my shoulder, the case with computer and instruction books in one hand and a bag with the
transformer, modem, power source and disks in the other hand. The receptionist offered me a glass of water when I
arrived. When Alex came back from another job we went out to my flat where there was electricity. He worked until
4:30 and left. Ifmy modem card had been workingwe could have sorted things out at the office on battery but the
modem needed power. Iwent ahead and experimented with it until midnight and started at 6:30 the next morning.
Finallyabout 7:151 got on line. At 8 AM I phoned the cell phone (The switch board phones were down) at
CompuServe to say I was leaving for Masvingo.

That day Is now known as BLACK THURSDAY. A power station in downtown Harare caught fire about 11 AM. Half
of the main business district was without electricity and the traffic lights were out - the police were at some

intersections. The place where Iwas staying had electricity but itwas mentioned as one of the areas that could run
out of water before a fault was repaired. Iwas glad to escape to Masvingo, a three-hour drive south. Ittook until
Sunday evening to get electricityto all of the area effected. They are continuing to rebuild the power station that
should take a month by working around the clock.

The next week when Harare had electricity I sent a fax to CompuServe explaining what problems I was having. The
answer was that many people were havnng similar problems. The only explanation Colin could give Immediately was
that when the equipment was running on emergency power it caused a problem. I can get online most of the time
now but I seem to have one letter that is stuck in the out box that I am working around at the present time. With
persistence we will get this sorted out eventually.

Ifyou hear of someone that does not hear from me it may be because I lost their address. Iwill have to enter all the
addresses on this program. Looking forward to your reply.
In Him.

Marcia Kay Thomson