This week we took time to dedicate 2 children’s homes to the Lord!  Nyasha (Grace) House has been open for a few months but had not yet been blessed and dedicated.  Rehoboth (‘God has made room’) House was just opened two weeks ago as 4 new children once again graced our Village.  We took time to do devotions in, pray over and bless the children and moms in each home.

As an added bonus, we also dedicated a new ‘combi’ (bus) supplied to us via a church in Canada.  It took several months to organize, purchase and get it here – but at last it arrived!

Please pray for Gord and I and the Zowa’s as we share yet again on Monday, with future pastors in training and on the importance of children!  Advocating for these little ones has become a second part time job and we praise God for open doors to do so!

P.S. – Lisa gained another 800 gm this month!

praising God in Rehoboth House

On Sunday afternoon, we had the awesome privilege once again of being part of a baptismal service in our backyard pool.

Of 30 new disciples of Jesus Christ attending Hope Community Church, we also watched with tears as 4 of our children and 2 of our housemoms from our Children’s Homes were baptized!  Congratulations to Tashinga, Gabriel, Joseph and Mavis, and to Addeline and Acquilline!   We are excited to hear your testimonies and watch God change your life day by day.  

At the end of week we were blessed to attend the first All Africa Village of Hope Director’s meetings in Zambia!  How awesome to know that God is doing incredible things in children’s lives not just in Zimbabwe, but in Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Burundi.  And God’s not done yet!  There are new sites opening up as God grants favour to this ministry that cares for children.

It was also exciting to meet some grown young men who grew up at a VOH in Zambia, and have now fulfilled the VOH’s mission “…so that they might become independant contributing members of society”.  And to meet the mom that raised them, and is now a VOH Director.  God is moving in so many ways through this ministry!  We praise God for those that lead this ministry and set the standards high!

As we returned to the VOH we were met with a few challenges – a 15 year old girl in our school who is now pregnant; a young man who lost his father in a tragic accident; a preschool girl who lost her mother; a young boy in our school who was sent away because the uncle felt that he was ‘hopeless’.  By God’s grace and a little intervention, this packet of potential has now received a stable home at the Village of Hope Children’s homes.  But these needs are exactly why the Village of Hope Africa Society exists – for our new recently abandoned children like Tariro and Vanessa and Evans – for the 3 yr. old boy who did nothing wrong but watched his foster mother traumatically arrested and taken away and is trying to make sense of the new home and new mom in his life.

For Jesus said “Let the little children come unto me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  Matt. 19:14

The neighbourhood crusade has come and gone.  The responses at the altar were overwhelming and so with new salvations, there is a baptismal coming up in our back yard pool Sept. 19th.  These are always exciting afternoons!

Our resident children that went to others homes for August holidays are now all back and preparation was in full swing today for school opening for Third Term tomorrow.

Over the last week we have welcomed another 2 children into the Children’s Homes.  Kuda is a 3 yr. old doll, always smiling, always pleasant and always with a tongue out of his mouth .  I took 20 pictures of him and every single one of them was with his mouth open.  He is funny.   A second little boy joined us just this afternoon.  At 10 mos., Evan’s whole life has been lived in a hospital ward, in a baby bassonette,  and we watched with amazement as his huge, bright eyes took in the sights of outside, took his first car ride, and was enveloped in a sea of 40 other children as soon as he arrived at the Village.  Seems the whole thing was rather overwhelming to him.

As we took Evan, we were painfully aware that there were 3 babes we left behind, abandoned, with no where to go.  At another  hospital visit last Sunday outside of Harare, we met others just like them.  A 3 yr. old, and an 11 yr. old who had never been to school – abandoned in Hospital with no place to go, no places in the local orphanages, no foster homes.  We are praying about our part in it all and talking with the authorities about how we can help.

And though we are so excited and congratulate each other at each new ‘birth’, those moments are always bittersweet, knowing that the reasons behind their presence at the Village of Hope, are anything but pleasant.  We are so thankful these children at last, have a loving stable home, but the pain they go through in adjusting to their new life also makes for hard days.   God help this world and the people that bring pain to God’s smallest ones!

God help the Village of Hope to be different – to remain an oasis.

Today is September 2nd and marks our 5th Anniversary in Zimbabwe and at the Village of Hope. What a remarkable day! And so it is time to reflect again on what God has done in our lives and the Village of Hope over the years…

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