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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-06-23, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2016. PAGE 7. Blyth woman returns from Zimbabwe mission according to Decevito, who said the children were very affectionate and just wanted to be with her and her fellow missionaries. "They want to hug you and hold your hand and just be near you," she said. "It was amazing " Decevito said she would like to return again and, with successful events like the barbecue she hosted in front of Scrimgeour's Food Market, where she works, she thinks it's an achievable goal. "The barbecue took me above and beyond what I needed," she said. "I ended up with $1,000 more than the $3,000 goal I had." That extra money came in handy, Decevito said, especially when she found a problem that she could help fix at the local school. "One of my jobs was to sit in a classroom and be there to help and to learn," she said. "I was in an English class and the students went down to the library which was a big word for what was there" Decevito explained that the library consisted of a few nearly empty shelves in a small room and a desk without a chair. "The books that were there were very old textbooks," she said. "I wanted to do something about that." After school let out for the day, Decevito spent an entire afternoon in downtown Harare, with the teacher, shopping for books for the library. "I had $300, so I dedicated that to getting books," she said. "We ended up getting 30 to 40 books." The books were ones that Decevito suggested and included tomes that she had read in her youth and found interesting and educational. Decevito said that few things compared to the experience of being Smiles all around Bekki Decevito recently returned from a mission trip to Zimbabwe. The Blyth resident said one of the things that struck her the most was how happy everyone was in the country despite the fact that they didn't have some conveniences that people in North America might take for granted. (Photo submitted) By Denny Scott The Citizen Blyth resident Bekki Decevito recently returned from a mission trip to Zimbabwe and loved the experience so much she hopes to return one day. "It was a great trip," she said. "The best way I can describe it is it was enlightening but, at the same time, very humbling." Decevito said there are many differences between Canadian and Zimbabwe life, but it was the small ones that made her aware of how much she has that others don't. "It's the things you don't even think of," she said. "Turning on the tap and brushing your teeth and things like that." Decevito decided to participate in the trip through Village of Hope in Zimbabwe through the Hanover Pentecostal Church because her family has been involved in the trip for some time. "My grandma has been involved for 11 years now," she said. "It was nice to get to go with her." As far as the actual mission trip, Decevito said there were some routines to be followed, but that every day was a new adventure. "Some of us went to an off-site feeding program some days and that was a real eye-opener," she said. Going to the off-site events was as much of an "eye-opener" as helping out, Decevito said. Witnessing children literally playing with garbage looking happier than most children in Canada was surprising she said. "It really makes you realize what you have," she said. The program involved a school program that is similar to Vacation Bible Schools, Decevito said, and each class numbered in the hundreds. "I was warned ahead of time that craft time was difficult for that many students, but I thought I could manage," she said. "I did decide to do crafts but I ran into some problems with my supplies so, we made prayer sticks." Decevito explained the prayer sticks were popsicle sticks that the children adorned with stickers and pipe cleaners. "The kids loved them," she said. "To have this small thing, they loved it." The love didn't end there, `Citizen' closed July 1 As the nation pauses to pay tribute to this lovely country of ours, so too does the staff of The Citizen, which will close its offices on Friday, July 1 to recognize Canada Day. Because the holiday is a Friday, there will be no change in deadlines for the July 7 newspaper. Deadlines for that issue remain Monday, July 4, at 2 p.m. at the Brussels office and at 4 p.m. at the Blyth office. The Citizen wishes its readers, supporters and community members a safe and happy Canada Day. BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED A community pillar The Lions Club honours its best and brightest with the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award and the list of inductees includes John Hoggart of the Londesborough Lions Club, shown above. Hoggart was in charge of cooking the bacon during the Lions Club's Father's Day breakfast on Sunday, as fellow Lion Carl Nesbitt supervises. (Denny Scott photo) Morrison Berries Country Market NOW READY! for fresh -picked & pick -your -own Strawberries Call to confirm availability before making the drive 519-528-2900 Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8 am - 7 pm _ Sat. 8 am - 5 p ( Sun. 10 am - 5 p Lucknow Strawberryfest Saturday, June 25 Strawberry Pancake Breakfast 8 am - 1 pm 37777 Amberley Rd., Lucknow www.morrisonberries.com there when the children saw the books and they were passed out. "Seeing the kids' reactions was amazing," she said. "It was incredible. They just lit up over books I had read as a kid. When I go back next year, I hope to help with the books again." Decevito said she may have to focus more fundraising on that, however, noting that books are heavy to transport. While the trip was a great experience, Decevito said much of that was being there with her grandmother. "There isn't a lot of connectivity there, so you're far away from the family you know," she said. "I was the only new person there and it could have been very lonely if my grandma wasn't there helping out." In the end, however, Decevito said the trip was a great experience, including everything from long flight which had layovers in Switzerland and Germany to every event she participated in Zimbabwe. For more information about the program that first inspired Decevito, visit www.missionzimbabwe.org FREE 2016 Citizen Phone Books are available at our offices in Blyth and Brussels The Citizen 413 Queen St., Blyth 541 Turnberry St., Brussels CIES &KEN Clinton, Ontario tei t Dog of the Week! i! i� Jitl1 1 NM II 1, rR s , 1 it s Shelby just came into Bow Wow Rescue. She is a young shepherd/cross, very active and will be up for adoption in a couple of weeks. 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