There are so many children roaming the Village of Hope each day now. This is a huge answer to prayer and a fulfillment of the dream that started in 2001. I love the sound that echoes across the fields at 10 a.m. when the Primary School is on break. I love the sound at 4 p.m. when all the resident children are home and running and playing outside our offices.

And with growth, we can expect the challenges to grow as well. The number of medical appointments; the number of skinned knees and tears; the growth in the quantity of food (especially when food is so scarce) and clothing needed in our orphan homes, grows on what seems like a daily basis.

We may not be able to fulfill every need, to improve their life to the level of blessing we experience as North American’s, but what we have, we freely give. (Acts 3:6)

May your heart be encouraged as you read about some of the lives the Village of Hope touches day to day, through your support.…

 DERRIK / Derrik was introduced to us through one of our community feeding programs. It became very apparent, very quickly, that the community around him expected him to just not wake up one morning, he was just so sickly, had no energy and was so very skinny with a bloated belly and sores head to toe. Social Welfare got involved when we also found that he was being locked into a small room for sometimes 12 hours at a time without toilet or food or water. At that point, he was moved into our orphan homes. Within a month, the community he had come from was talking of the changes they saw in Derrik – his bloating began to disappear, his skin condition was resolving, his smiled more and began to play soccer outside with the other children as his energy level returned. It became apparent that he was also very jealous when kids other than himself were the centre of attention J. Today, Derrik is also on treatment for his HIV, and is a different child than we first met only 5 months ago – he is energetic, attends preschool full time, and is slowly growing a new head of shiny black hair without sores on his scalp! He loves being hugged and loved! There is a lot of laughter wherever Derrik is found J. Derrik is a miracle and only God know where he will take this life He has saved! (pictured below in the green sweater, with Nyasha and Esnath)

ZVIKOMBORERO / After 3 months of trying, we were at last able to secure a wheelchair for this 11 year old with Muscular Dystrophy. His mother has carried him anywhere he needed to go on her back since the age of 6 years. Instead of sitting for hours in one position at home, Zviko is now in grade three at CHAPS, he is attending Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy once a week after school. He has been given new clothes and gets fed a healthy porridge before school each day at CHAPS. This little boy’s life has changed forever, he has gained his independance and now smiles all day. His father stopped us on the side of the road to say thank you for how blessed their family is now that Zviko is taken care of in a way they could have never afforded. We praise God for the Village of Hope and ChildCARE Plus being here for Zviko! (pictured right)

NYASHA / Nyasha means ‘grace’ in the Shona language. She was abandoned, left at a strangers house with a small backpack of filthy belongings. From the police station, to Social Welfare - when we arrived to pick her up from their offices, she was asleep on the floor in a dress that used to be pink, but was now brown and caked with dirt. She was sick to her stomach during transfer and was very wary of everyone. Nyasha is now a work in progress. She is beautiful and outgoing, but rather bold and crude in her speech. She is HIV +’ve. She bares the scars of being treated as nothing, and of being part of traditional witchcraft. Her household prays in earnest for her everyday as she speaks of fantastical dreams, and openly refuses to touch the Bible or say the name ‘Jesus’. What this child has been through in her 3 brief years is horrific, yet the Village of Hope gives her a place to find safety, food, medical care and the love of Jesus Christ! Please pray for healing from within for little Nyasha. (pictured left in red)

ESNATH / Esnath was given a place to stay at the Village, the same day that Nyasha came. She was a little girl whose picture was publicized in the local paper when she was abandoned at a train station in January this year. The story gets complicated beyond that point, and from the mouth of a 4 yr. old, is unclear. However, she was brought by police to the Dept. of Social Welfare, and the Village of Hope was called for a place of safety for her. This little one has a gift of song and dance. She is delightful, gentle, and kind hearted. Our hearts broke the day she asked if maybe her mom could come and stay with her at the Village of Hope – not fully understanding what had just happened to her. Today she is in our Preschool full time, learning to count, sort shapes and colours. Having come without any identification, without a birth certificate or any indication whom her extended family might be, we are unsure of her birthdate. Esnath is also HIV +’ve. Please pray for healing in the depths of her heart. (pictured left in blue turtleneck)

VILLAGE OF HOPE OFFICIAL DEDICATION

This month at the Village we have been swamped with preparation for our official Grand Opening and Dedication of the Village of Hope orphanage and Cornelius Hope Academy Primary School (CHAPS). The guest list includes people internationally who will be part of our ribbon cutting and dedication service on March 15, 2008. Please pray for peace and God’s favour to rest over this event.

BUILDING NEWS

Gord and our Program Manager (Richard Chimbetete) have been busy interviewing and hiring 3 skilled builders to assist our construction crew.

The 4 children’s homes currently being built were ground to a halt as we drowned in an extra heavy rainy season, turning the Village into what we called ‘Lake Hope’. We pulled all our workers off their jobs to reconstruct roadways and paths and dig drainage ditches. And finally purchased a water pump to help drain the foundation trenches so the brick and concrete footings could go in. (flooded trenches and new water pump pictured left).

As the electricity cuts continue, and office work slows down for days at a time, we at last invested in and hooked up a 16 KVA generator to run our offices, homes and church when the electricity goes out.

NEW CHILDREN & PROUD PARENTS /

In the last 6 weeks, we have welcomed four new residents into our children’s homes. Nyasha and Esnath are pictured above. But we most recently also welcomes two boys by the name of Joseph, and Tashinga (both boys of 8).

As we grow, we still need CCP sponsors. Please pray about the opportunity of changing a life in Zimbabwe forever. Call the office at 905-542-7400 and ask for the ChildCARE Plus, and simply tell them you want to sponsor a child at the Village of Hope, Zimbabwe!

As ‘parents’ of this growing crowd of possibility, we watched tearfully and happily as several of our CCP sponsored children became prefects (student leaders) in Cornelius Hope Academy Primary School in early February – God has surely had his hand in our choices for CCP!

Thank you for being a part of our lives and part of the Village of Hope. We continue to pray for you in return!

PRAYER REQUESTS THIS MONTH/

1. For the renewal of our work permits, expiring in June.

2. For the Village of Hope Dedication celebrations, March 15, 2008.

3. For Godly women with a calling to work with children, as house mothers.

4. For Zimbabwe national elections, now set for March 29, 2008 – for peace and God’s will in it all.

5. For the new CCP children at CHAPS who are struggling and working hard, in the change from a low level gov’t school to the high standards of CHAPS.

6. For more CCP sponsors, as we still have several children not sponsored whom we are paying school fees for and feeding, including 3 of our latest additions of Esnath, Nyasha and Tashinga.