There are moments that define who we are, that define our ministry. We had two moments this month that exemplify what the Village of Hope is all about! A moment in time that brings scripture to life!

THE PERSISTENT WIDOW

These past two months, we have held a series of meetings with our Child Care Plus Committee to fill the spots at Cornelius Hope Academy Primary School for grades preschool - grade 3, for January 2009. As usual these meetings are heart wrenching as we sift through one difficult story after another, of children abandoned, orphaned, not cared for simply because of the failing economy of Zimbabwe today. We begin each meeting praying for unity of heart, for each child, for God to make a way for each one of them and bring those to the forefront that he has predestined for the Village of Hope.

On Saturday, October 11th, we invited parents & guardians of 48 new children to an information meeting to introduce the Child CARE Plus program, to take pictures of the children and to begin to build relationship. The happy faces and deep felt thank yous are always a highlight. But in the midst of this crowd was a single mother of 3 children. (Two of her children chosen for CCP sponsorship are pictured.) Her husband had left her in January this year, leaving her to care for a 6 month old baby and unable to work. In her desperation she cried out to God.

On Sunday, October 12th, this same single mother came weeping to our Pastor’s wife that she needed to be saved. That she has been praying since her husband left her and is seeing the hand of God at work in her life. Sponsorship for her children was not the only answer God provided, but it was the final answer that brought her to her knees before Jesus Christ.

In one moment at the Village of Hope, so many scriptures were brought to life….

- To take care of the orphans and the widows in their distress - James 1:27.

- That we do not know how to pray, but that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express - Romans 8:26. The Holy Spirit groaned for this dear mother!

- That hope was given - Rom. 8:24… Through others helping that have never met this woman, through a program that the Village of Hope administrates.

- The story of the persistent widow found in Luke 18:1-8. She persisted and God answered quickly!

- That without knowing how God was moving in this mother’s life, God gave our committee a heart of compassion towards these children. Their story was no different from dozens of others - yet God moved us towards them. HE KNEW! Isaiah 31:21 “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “this is the way; walk in it.”

“YOU FEED THEM” Mark 6:37

The second story is one of 20 or more testimonies that came back to us after a moment of compassion for our staff.

In this failing economy, there is little mealie meal available. This is a staple food of Zimbabwe and many African nations. This dried and ground maize is cooked into a porridge in the morning, or as a starch (the consistency of thick mashed potatoes) with vegetables at lunch or dinner - called ‘sadza’. It is so scarce now that many people are eating only once/day, or not at all. As there is little grown in the country because of the unavailability of seed, fertilizer and the non-functioning farmlands, it is now being imported. This means that it is only available in US dollars or South Africa Rand, the Zim dollar has become worthless and is in short supply. However, our staff are paid in Zim dollars, making it hard on even those that work.

In another miracle story of God ‘making a way where there seems to be none’, we were able to purchase almost 3 tonnes of mealie meal and in compassion, handed out 10 kg. to all staff - 79 in total right now! The following story came back to us a few days later.

Maria had 10 kg of mealie meal left at her home. As an uncle was visiting from the rural areas, he was complaining that he had not had mealie meal in over two weeks, and that people were starving all around him at home. She spoke with her husband and they decided to give her uncle the mealie meal that they had, trusting that God would supply. It was on that very Friday, that day, that we handed out a bag of mealie meal to each staff member! God had supplied for them again!

Again, scripture was fulfilled that day….

- To not worry about what you will eat or drink, for the heavenly father knows you need these things - Matt. 6:25-26.

- To give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over - Luke 6:38 . Maria was not the only one to experience God’s provision, but a week later we were blessed with another source for mealie meal! The feeding program at the VOH will continue for months to come because of God’s supply!

- To feed them! God will worry about the supply. After all, didn’t the disciples gather enough leftovers from just 2 fish and five loaves to fill 12 baskets? Mark 6:42-44

AROUND THE VILLAGE OF HOPE

The double storey school block continues to go up! (view from the top on lt. - new homes in the background)

The four new children’s homes under construction are on finishing touches (windows, painting & plastering) and now need to be furnished!

Plans are being made (and need to be paid for) for new school books, uniforms and furnishings to have the new classrooms ready for January 2009!

But these are only a means to an end - that more needy children might be saved, be fed, be educated!

That we might have more testimonies like the ones above!

PLEASE PRAY…

- For Godly, healthy, spirit-filled house mothers

- For the new children on sponsorship and their families. Profiles will be ready to be picked up next week at PAOC head office. (Call 905-542-7400 and ask for ChildCARE Plus)

- That we could find materials enough to meet our building timelines.

- For strength for our family as these are difficult days in Zimbabwe - water and electricity cuts are frequent, the economics are increasingly difficult making each day a new challenge.

- For the nation of Zimbabwe - that there might be a peaceful end to the struggle for leadership.

- That God would continue “to make a way where there seems to be none”.

God bless you for being a part of the Village of Hope and bringing HOPE… FOR THEIR FUTURE!

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P.S. - We had the opportunity this month in being featured in a health & wellness ‘e-magazine’. The article is called ‘It was the best of times. It was the worst of times’ and is a description of a ‘typical’ week at the Village of Hope, Zimbabwe. If you have time, check it out by clicking here.