It has been almost 3 months since we wrote to you. But it is only because of the few moments we’ve actually had to sit down J. We have started several drafts and letters to you, only to be interrupted by one urgent need after another. Let us fill you in…

BLESSINGS

• We have admitted 8 new children into Shamwari House, and a newly opened Nyasha House in the last 3 weeks. We will need sponsors for these new children through Child Care Plus! First 4 older children between ages 6 & 11, then another 4 younger ones between the ages of 3 & 6 years. All 8 are from orphanages that have recently been closed due to failure to meet Ministry standards. Meet these new additions to our VOH family below….

Above are Gabriel, Savannah & sister Anxious with mother Margaret (little Natsai & Esnath in front snuck in for the picture); then Tanaka, Chiedza & Chenai (twins) & Natsai with mother Addeline; the last portrait is of 6 y.o. Nyasha (on right) showing off hew new 3 y.o. ‘sister’ Sharon (on left) – we need to keep a constant eye on this little active one !

Have you fallen in love with a face or name and want to help by sponsoring her/him?  Contact Child Care Plus via phone or the web and let them know!

• Two more children’s homes are in various stages of construction.  When complete, this will make 8 Children’s Homes at the Village of Hope.  5 are open.  One ready to be opened once we have found another House Mother, and the last 2 yet to be registered with Social Welfare.
• Plans for the Secondary School are moving forward.  The land that once grew all our vegetables is being cleared in preparation for putting up our first Cornelius Hope Academy Secondary School classroom block.
• A short term missions team from Edmonton blessed our VOH children for 2 weeks with outings off the Village of Hope grounds, with swimming lessons & a Vacation Bible School, and our housemothers with new hairdo’s and a lunch out.  They built new preschool tables, and revived our many broken swings and playgrounds with new equipment and hardware.  WOW!  What a difference.
• We have interviewed and hired 2 new House Aunties to assist our Mothers with the growing  laundry and chores needed when taking care of 37 children, and to cover them on days off.
• Term 2 of Primary & Secondary School opened on May 6th and all the busyness that accompanies those days J.

CHALLENGES

• Despite the beauty of the faces above, these children come with real needs and can act out in a new setting.  Please help us pray each one through this transition – that they might truly make the VOH home!  And fall in love with their new ‘moms’!
• The rush of activity when new children come is not unlike the rush that happens around giving birth.  On top of the preparation of clothes, towels, pillows & food, this month we also had the rush of opening a new Children’s Home in the space of a few hours as not just 1 or 2, but 8 little bodies moved in with us in the space of 3 weeks.  WHEW!
• We praise God for our new registration for 56 children, but the fact is that we need to hire 2 more House Mothers immediatelyto meet the need.  Somewhere there are God fearing women that will make the difference in the life of a child.  Please pray that God puts us together – and SOON!
• This week, life went on hold again, as we tended to a resident child that decided to try a‘gravity defying’ stunt off our playground equipment and broke his forearm in 2 places!  Today he is home and happy on pain killers, but has a cast and some new pins and wires in his bones after surgery to correct the serious fracture.  Please pray for Tashinga’s quick healing.  We’ve asked Tashinga to keep his feet on the ground for a while !
• There is a new trend across Africa, including Zimbabwe to get children back into family settings wherever possible.  Although this is an awesome idea in principle, please pray with us that those that can make connections with distant relatives are welcomed, loved and prepared well for yet another transition.  Pray that they would know God as their comforter through uncertain times.  Pray that we use God’s wisdom and pure love in dealing with each child.

CHILD EVANGELISM

In the midst of all the business that happens to take care of children, to ensure we meet Zimbabwe gov’t standards, to continue to grow the Village, is the heart of what we do in providing HOPE… FOR THEIR FUTURE.

You see, as the Village grows, it is less likely that it will be Gord and I picking up a child that fell, praying with them as they settle into a new home and life at the Village, leading them in devotions day to day and inviting them to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord & Saviour.  The larger it grows, the less Sunday School we teach, the more meetings we attend, the more staff there is to oversee.  And so at a joint meeting with all our Management Team, we have laid out a plan to ensure that beyond food and clothing, each child has the opportunity to grow in God, to make their relationship with Him personal, to gain the confidence that no matter where life takes them – God is in control and  cares.  One day when we can’t be there – He will – here and in eternity!

As such, our Child Evangelism Plan is focused on our adults.  Because if they are whole and relying on God, they will be the ones to speak life and encouragement into a child’s life.  We are purposeful …

• In having devotions and prayer times with our staff 3 times/week.  Sometimes in small groups to bring personal requests, sometimes in large groups for teaching and corporate prayer.
• In training our teachers in child evangelism, so that if God provides a moment, they can give a salvation invitation in the classroom. 
• In training our staff, whether constructing a home, or binding a child’s wound, or repairing the water system, or growing vegetables, that all they do is to bring HOPE…FOR THEIR FUTURE.
• In placing scripture and messages of hope & encouragement all around the Village.   After all – ‘EVERY CHILD IS EVERYONE’S CHILD!’  We have a responsibility to each one.
• In having a Child’s Church Service every Wednesday afternoon instead of sports.  Children sing, children M.C., children usher (our Youth Pastor brings the message), as we give them the chance to find their gifts and purposes in the body of Christ. 

Thank you for being part of the miracle that is the Village of Hope, Zimbabwe!  Thank you for your support in every way!

Gen. 15:6  “Abraham believed God and it was credited him as righteousness”

WE STILL BELIEVE!  BELIEVE WITH US!

We have been blessed to see the stores expand to such an extent that we have never seen them so full in the 4 ½ years we have lived here, garbage bins line driveways as services are slowly restored area by area. The potholes in the roads remain as that old back stiffness sets in as we weave our way through the streets and praying we don’t hit a drumhole that will flatten a tire. But after a week, routine is setting in, our children are catching up with friends and back in school, and we are well and blessed!

At the Village of Hope, we met our 5 new resident children who took their cues from others and ran and hugged us. I fed Tapiwanashe, one of the new babies, her bottle of milk and shed a tear and prayed a blessing over her little head as we listened to the other children recite poems and songs of welcome. On our first Sunday back at Hope Community Church, we were blessed to hold and pray over these new little ones as they were dedicated to God before our assembly. What an honour!

Nicole with mom, Margaret

Tapiwanashe with mom, Doreen

The concrete slabs for two new Children’s homes are being poured.

Our new housemothers are settling in and the Village will be opening one new Children’s Home this week, as Addeline, one of our newly trained moms takes the building and begins to build a family. Last minute items are being purchased to make this happen.

Plans are being developed for the newly registered Secondary School. There is much to do in preparation of the first building going up – approvals, clearing, budgets, purchasing of materials, etc..

What an excitement to see the computer lab at CHAPS (Cornelius Hope Academy Primary School) in full operation with a full time computer teacher blessing our children! We walked in as grade 2 students were opening up a Word document and typing their first sentence on the keyboard amidst smiles and giggles! (pictured below) Praise God for the church in Canada that supplied the funds for the computers – a gift that will help hundreds of children for years to come!

• Our grade 7 students, now in Form 1 (the beginning of high school in Zimbabwe) at CHASS (Cornelius Hope Academy Secondary School), placed #11 of a total of 202 schools in Harare province after their grade 7 final exams! And #4 in our local district! What a testimony to our teachers, and to the potential God has placed in each one of these young men and women of God!

But better than all the physical developments, the management that did nothing more than SHINE in their duties in our absence, are the children’s stories we are hearing of how the Village of Hope is changing lives….

• Malcolm, at the age of 4, abandoned at a police station, is recounting in his young way, how much more he likes being at the Village of Hope because he gets food all the time and isn’t lonely or hungry.

• Esthery, in grade 4, is showing herself an amazing athlete and the promise of national competitions as she leaves others in her dust every time she runs in interschool competitions. An opportunity she would not have had but for the Village of Hope.
• Tendayi, at the age of 7 and once living on the streets, was dancing in praise to God at the altar in church on Sunday!

Thank you for what you do to be a part of these children’s lives. CHAPS now has an enrolment of 400 students! CHASS, in its first month, has an enrolment of 27! Two thirds of these children are sponsored by people like you! We now have 29 resident children, including babies.

Our hearts cry would be that the Village of Hope would never be needed, but in the world of today, we are glad it is here and ministering to the lives of hundreds of children day by day, by dedicated national men and women of Zimbabwe! This is the body of Christ again – working together internationally! God is good!

PRAYER REQUESTS /

• That God would guide the men and women shaping the national vision for care of orphaned and vulnerable children. For wisdom, creativity, enthusiasm and resources to accomplish the task.
• For housemothers – the most difficult position to fill at the Village of Hope. For Godly women with a ‘calling’ to work with children long term.
• For all the preparation to happen in the establishing of Cornelius Hope Academy Secondary School. That we be in line with God’s thoughts. For favour along the way.
• For salvation for our children and their families. That staff and leaders alike be faithful in representing Christ in our community!
• For strength for our own family as we settle back into life in Zimbabwe and the work ahead.

Thank you again for all the kindness shown to our family, for your faithful support of the Village of Hope, for making a difference!

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

Our family is now nearing the end of our furlough in Canada. We have put over 25,000 km on the van we purchased for our travels and have been overwhelmed at the response of people all over Canada to the children of Zimbabwe and the Village of Hope.

If there was one verse that sums up the last 5 months, it would be Ephesians 4:16 … "From him (Christ) the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." NIV In my Bible, and beside this verse, I have drawn the way I picture this verse – a net – that lifts, holds, sustains, and supports all in the family.

You see the Village of Hope is not just the buildings or the feeding program, or the growing staff. It is not acreage in Zimbabwe that is thousands of miles away. But instead it is the mother in Ontario that is knitting slippers to sell to benefit the Village each evening after her children go to bed; it is the couple here that gave up one of their 2 salaries for a month and sacrificed for children they have never met in such a significant way; it is the Missions Coordinator who faithfully took newsletters and sent them out to the congregation over email, posted them on a bulletin board and highlighted prayer items for corporate prayer on a Sunday morning. Those prayers sustain us and ‘make a way’ for the Village of Hope and it’s children!

The Village of Hope is the 13 year old who gave up his TV for 5 months so our family could hear news and be entertained in quiet moments in Canada; it is the Pastor that made time to have coffee, encourage us and ask what more they could do to help and then carried through on it; and it is the businessman that matched donations on a fundraising night to ensure a new Children’s home was built! It is the Canadian Zimbabweans who took the work to heart; the 30 people that gave up days and a Saturday night to cook for, organize and run a dinner and auction to benefit the Village; and a child that was sponsored for reading books with all proceeds dedicated to the children we serve! It is the Sunday school class that raised money for bunkbeds (God bless each quarter coin!); and the Missions Convention that ensured Cornelius Hope Academy Primary School would have computers for its students to have a world-class education.

The sacrifices these people and so many more have made, speak of a global committment to the body of Christ. To pray and support those we have never met. We do not exist without one another!

It is because of all of you reading this that we are excited to announce the following developments over the last 2 months at the Village of Hope in Zimbabwe…

Orphanage Registration amendment has been received allowing us to increase our capacity from 24 to 56 resident children.

This means we can now open up the 3 new Children’s homes built last year! We have also been cleared for taking in babies!

This last week, the Village of Hope welcomed our first babes!

Pictured above, our new VOH babies:

- Tapiwanashe at one month old. In the Shona language this means ‘we were given by the Lord’.

- Nicole at 4 months old (pictured with new Housemother Margaret), and

- Jerry at 2 & 1/2 years.

Secondary School Registration has been granted!

Cornelius Hope Academy Secondary School will be built and established through 2010.

- Permission has been granted to begin teaching SS on the VOH premises without dedicated classrooms.

This will allow us time to build a first set of classrooms through 2010 dedicated to a high school and the practical subjects it will need. God is good!

PRAYER REQUESTS

- For more housemothers with God’s call on their lives.

- For continued strength and wisdom for our Administration team who continue to look after things so well in our absence. We praise God for their lives!

- For Tapiwanashe, Nicole and Jerry as they adjust to their new life at the Village.

- For our family, as we prepare to return to Zimbabwe February 24th, and leave our eldest son in Canada to prep for College.  This is a new phase of life for us.

We thank you for your prayers and support – for being that net! We thank God for making a way once again!

It’s been a while. Seems that some of you didn’t get our last update at the end of August and so our apologies to you for the electronics and internet we battled with that month. So at this point, please know that our family is safe and sound on furlough in Canada, and that things are carrying on well at the Village of Hope in our absence. Here’s a little update…..

KUMUSHA….

Having received another one year work permit in Zimbabwe in late August, our family made plans to head to Canada – to see family we hadn’t seen in years, to rest and reflect, to report back to our supporters and prayer partners in person.

You see in Africa, everyone has a rural home. In Shona it’s called ‘Kumusha’, and so in Zimbabwean terms we are at Kumusha and enjoying our roots for a while.

We have been so blessed in the people that have already helped us settle into a home for 6 months, furnished it, and loaded it with groceries. We have been blessed by those that helped us find a used vehicle at cost, at the dinners and coffees as we catch up with one another, and at the warm reception at churches. And so the weeks are now flying by as our own children are being homeschooled through the weekdays and we travel to a different church each Sunday, sharing the story of the Village of Hope and the children whose lives it touches. God has been good to us!

AT HOME IN ZIMBABWE….

At the Village of Hope, Pastor Zowa has assumed the position of ‘Acting Director’, and other duties have been metered out to our management team. Gord is spending a lot of time on the internet here in Canada, still reviewing finances and being involved in bigger decisions. And Anita is still reviewing sponsorship and child care issues. But we thank God for the Administrative Team He has brought to the Village of Hope, that we can come to Canada for a while and continue raising support, that the Village of Hope continues to affect little lives for years to come.

So today here’s where we are with…

1. CHILDREN’S HOMES – The application to amend our registration from 24 to 56 children is still in process.

We have lost one House Mother due to a difficult family situation and so her 9 VOH resident children endured yet another loss in their lives. Please pray that God will continue ‘to make a way where there seems to be none’, pray for the healing of their hearts.

Pray for new House Mothers – we are desperately in need if we are to expand into the new Children’s Homes, now completed.

2. CHAPS (Primary School) – Our grade 7 children are now writing their provincial exams that will mean the difference in high school (high school starts in grade 8 here). Please pray for them. Our teachers have put a lot of preparation and time into getting them ready and encouraging them with prayer at the start of each day.

The container of school supplies arrived! Thank you Queensway Cathedral! We have been blessed with enough books to start our library; and files, desks, children’s toys, chairs, whiteboards, screens and other school supplies to see us through the growth of our last school block and God willing, into the Secondary School!

And the development of a double basketball/tennis court, and a 400 metre oval track around the soccer field for our athletics department, is about half way complete.

The final school block is now receiving finishing touches. Once an occupancy permit is granted – CHAPS will be complete!

THANK YOU GOD! THANK YOU FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HELP ALONG THE WAY!!

3. Secondary School – The application for a Secondary School is still in process. We have applied for an amendment as the Village of Hope does not have as much land as they prefer to dedicate to a SS and so this has slowed the process down. In the mean time, we are seeking places for our grade 7 class off site for grade 8 (Form 1) in January of 2010 because the time is getting too close to hire teachers and begin SS on site for this next year. This will require transportation.

Please continue to pray this process through as we would like to assist our sponsored and resident children right through their education.

4. Farm – As development of the Village continues, our farm land is shrinking. We continue to grow and sell staple vegetables like carrots and kovo, and any other unused land is now being planted with maize to provide the staple food of mealie meal through the next seasons.

5. CHILD CARE PLUS – As we flew to Canada, we carried 28 new profiles of children that will need sponsorship before 2010 – they will enter Cornelius Hope Academy Primary School at Preschool and Kindergarten level in January 2010. We are blessed with a waiting list of sponsors! But if God moves your heart to take on one of our new children, please call 905-542-7400 and ask for Child Care Plus, or access them through the PAOC website.

As our family enjoys the colours of a Canadian autumn in our travels, the beginnings of the rainy season are being felt in Zimbabwe. And if you are watching the news, the politics is also in flux again. Please continue to pray for stability of both politics and economy in the beautiful country of Zimbabwe. Though we are all now using foreign currency, and a lot of goods that had disappeared are again on the shelves, these are still elusive to the average Zimbabwean without a job or bank account and so the hunger has not stopped, and the need for a safe haven for abandoned and orphaned children is still high.

Thank you for being a part of the Village of Hope, Zimbabwe! We pray that we get to shake your hand in person in our travels and reporting in Canada. May God bless you richly!

We were blessed this last week that God has again “made a way where there seems to be none!”

We have been granted another year extension on our work permits here in Zimbabwe! We are good here until August 26^th, 2010!

Thank you for standing with us in faith, for standing with us in prayer! HALLELUJAH!

Things are now in high gear, as we prepare to leave home in Zimbabwe for 5 months, and make arrangements to spend time with family and friends in Canada! There is much to do! We praise God that accommodations are settled, but we are still in need of a car during our stay. Please continue to pray for plans and preparations – that God be glorified in it all and that children are saved because of our efforts.

We will be in Canada, October 2009 to late February 2010. We welcome the opportunity to update you on the Village of Hope and ‘our’ children, in person during that time!

So you can ensure you reach us, please email us at our new address of gacooledge@vohzimbabwe.com.

We noticed that many people are still using our old ZOL address, which will expire next month and we’d hate to miss your notes and encouraging words!

Update from the ground….

- We have 3 new housemothers at last starting on September 1^st, 2009. Please pray for Acquilline, Addeline & Elizabeth as they prepare to take up residence at the Village of Hope and train to be the Housemother God wants them to be!

- Levelling of the sports fields begins next week!

-  30 new CCP (sponsored) community children are having their pictures taken this week and will be prepped for starting school at Cornelius Hope Academy Primary School in January 2010, in both preschool and Kindergarten! Pray for sponsors in Canada through Child Care Plus, and that God would prepare their little hearts! (new little one pictured left)

-  Kudakwashe and Christinah (our 2 new additions of last month) are settling in well. They smile often and though a little cheeky at times J, are a real pleasure to be around.

-  CHAPS and the VOH were honoured to have their founder, Rev. Murray Cornelius, address the CHAPS students this month! PAOC’s African Regional Director -Rev. Steve Chaloner,  and Bishops from Uganda and Kenya also honoured us with their presence at the event. (pictured right with CHAPS caps)

- We are blessed to have our first ever CONTAINER on its way – loaded with school supplies like desks, cabinets and books. This is new territory for us and walking the papers through all the appropriate government offices is no easy task. Please pray that God would continue to make a way for this awesome donation to our children’s education! (ETA – 2-3 weeks)

- Our 3 newest Children’s Homes at the Village of Hope underwent an inspection this week. We have a few tweaks and repairs to obtain the occupancy permit. But bunkbeds, mattresses, couches and coffee tables have been ordered to fill the houses and get them ready for children.

- Please pray for the changes we need to our VOH orphanage registration, to ensure even more children have a place at the Village of Hope. That process can begin now that the new Children’s homes are almost ready and will change the allowable number of resident children from the current 24 (we are full!) to 56 (allowing 32 new spots for needy children). Pray for Mr. Mafa & Mr. Chimbetete as they do the legwork while we are in Canada.

- Secondary School Registration is still in process and making its way through appropriate offices. Please continue to pray this process through!

Telling the story…..

Despite all the business reports above, nothing tells the story of the Village of Hope better than a child! We were so very proud of our resident and other sponsored children this month as they received award after award at the end of 2^nd term at CHAPS.

Tinotenda has become a beacon to show what God can do in the life of a child!

Having been abandoned by a father with another wife, and a dying mother, the aunt that took over his care could no longer afford him. Tino became ill with HIV, he was weak and always sick. Tired from trips to the clinic and in desperation, the aunt handed him back to his delinquent father. At his new home, Tino’s father disappeared for days at a time and his new wife resented Tino’s presence.

Tino became a victim of neglect and abuse – he was refused food, clean clothes, a glass of water, or a place to sleep warmly. The father took no concern over the abuse. But God granted a caring neighbour and that’s where the Village of Hope came in! The day we drove to pick up Tino is a day that will stay etched in our minds forever. The depressed, withdrawn and sickly boy we led by hand to our truck that day bears no resemblance to the beautiful boy he is today!

Tino has now been with us at the Village of Hope for 1 ½ years. He is getting medical treatment for his HIV. His skin is now longer scaly and dry, but beautiful and healthy. He has gained height, weight and friends. He has begun to smile, although still preferring to play alone so often, his demeanour has changed. And glory to God – at end of second term at CHAPS – he was #1 in his grade 2 class!

We cannot emphasize enough what God has started in the life of one young boy through the Village of Hope and through you! We believe the sky is the limit for Tinotenda! HALLELUJAH!

Thank you for being a part of our lives and what God is doing for children here in Zimbabwe! Let us share a story and HOPE with you while in Canada!

This has long been a favourite verse of mine. And since I love the KISS principle and am getting worse by the year at memorization  - I’ve shortened it to remind myself constantly that when times get rough, when you’re not sure which country you’ll be in next month, when the cost of living rises to what seems beyond our means, when you’re living through your 4th 12 hour electricity cut of the week, and when the future seems uncertain - that God still has everything I need to get by!

As the months fly by here, the Village of Hope seems to take on a life of its own, and we are running, trying to keep up with the grace of God. We are at the tail end of a Zimbabwean winter and still using heaters at night and layering clothing. The USD has made many things available again, but is still elusive to the average citizen. Salaries and services simply cannot match the high demand for the greenback.

In the midst of it all, here’s what God’s doing on the ground at the VOH right now…..

Work Permits

Gord and I travelled to Immigration on Thursday last week to check. There is no news. Please keep praying as waiting for that much-needed visit home to Canada with family, friends and all of you, is getting harder to wait for by the day. Pray for our children who are nervous about the long furlough – Zimbabwe is now home where friends, school and youth group are.

Community Outreach

These last 2 months, as the grass grew high on the sides of the road, people in our community were getting mugged and assaulted along Good Hope Rd. which leads from the highway to the Village of Hope and beyond. The perpetrator would then vanish again into the grasses. So we took the problem to heart, dropped our pencils and shovels, and shut down our computers one Friday afternoon to slash the grass along the roadway. This meant a clear walkway for our neighbours without fear of hidden culprits on their way home. We thank our staff who took it on willingly! (before and after shots below)

In August, another afternoon is being planned to fill in the deepening potholes along Good Hope Rd. And to add speed humps in front of our gates, to protect the hundreds of Primary School children using the roadway now. We are worried about a fatal injury if the cars aren’t slowed down.

Our kids program on Wednesday afternoons is now holding their own services – identifying music and worship talents in our kids. Though unpolished, the electric atmosphere on Wednesday afternoons is something we wish you ALL could be a part of!

We ended term 2 again with a bang, and a FUN DAY for all the kids from our feeding program!

Cornelius Hope Academy Primary School

We celebrated loudly this past month as our Volleyball team made it all the way to Provincial competitions and won 2nd place! Basketball won at district levels and more than the winning that happened, we were so proud of our kids for the comments they got on their sportsmanship. When a rival player went down on the court, our CHAPS Head Boy was the first one across the court to check on him and help him up!

We thank God for the Canadian people and communities that have invested in CHAPS and the double storey, and so named the Library ‘Hanover Community Library’ and the Computer Lab – ‘North Pointe Computer Centre’ in honour of those that sacrificed to make it all happen!

Term 2 closes August 6th. Term 3 begins Sept. 8th.

Cornelius Hope Academy Secondary School

An application for a Secondary School on site is now in process! To help all our kids with quality Christian education right through their learning years and without interruptions, we are excited for this new phase at the Village of Hope!

Sponsorship

A number of difficult meetings happened through July, as our committee met to pray over and review 120 needy children’s profiles. And yet we could only accept 30 into preschool and Kindergarten for January 2010. Home visits to verify information, and more data is now being collected so that these children can be sponsored through Child Care Plus after final decisions are made.

Children’s Homes

We now have 24 resident children in 3 open Children’s homes, as we welcomed 2 new little girls into Dumisani this month – Kudakwashe & Christinah (pictured below).  We have removed the need to call our homes by number, as most of our Children’s Homes now have a name!

1. Genesis (the first )

2. Kadesh (a place of decision, of new paths, of entry into ‘the promised land’)

3. Dumisani (this mean praise in the Ndbele language – one of 2 main people groups in Zimbabwe)

4. Rehoboth (Gen. 26:22 – “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”)

5. To Be Announced!

6. Nyasha (this means ‘grace’ in the Shona language)

Praise God that through the PAOC’s ‘Just Add Water’ Campaign & North Pointe Community Church, Edmonton, we were graciously supplied with a new borehole JUST for our Children’s Homes! (pictured above) This means that when the other taps are on, our moms and kids no longer have to run and fetch buckets because of the lower water pressure. We’ve added a 5000 L water tank on a tower to continue to supply them when the electricity (and the pump) goes out.

We are interviewing for House mothers – again! These dear women are hard to find and we value the ones who have made a commitment here. Please continue to pray this process through – that God would provide! We need to hire 2-3 immediately for children’s homes that are almost ready to move into!

Hope Community Church

Celebrate with us, as our own Pastor Zowa graduates with a Master’s degree this Saturday, August 1st from PACU (Pan African Christian University), Nairobi, Kenya. They were blessed by donations from past team members that sent his wife with him to Nairobi, to share in this momentous occasion!

Feeding Program

The VOH continues to feed about 350 children each day. About 200 at our gate before they start their day at CHAPS, and another 150 in the local community at 3 feeding points. We praise God for ERDO (Emergency Relief and Development Overseas) who are providing cereal for us in assistance!

God bless you for being part of all our lives here in Zimbabwe!

Have we just stopped you in your tracks?  Stop and think about that for a moment.  Picture 3 of your own children, a class of 30 from your sons or daughters school, or maybe you have 15 grandchildren.  What if one third had nowhere to go , no one to care for them or feed them, no one to ensure they went to school or dreamed of a future.  What if….?

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Gord and I had the privilege recently of visiting a small mining town about 4 hours from the capital city of Harare, Zimbabwe.  We looked forward to the time away from the city – to meeting some new people, to being with more children.  And so we spent Saturday with about 60 children from a local feeding program, and  preached in church that Sunday.  We visited 2 rural pastors and took them bicycles they could use in visiting their congregants, and drove past the mines, through the scenic hillsides.  We talked with the local people and left with such a profound sense of the desperate need all across Zimbabwe.

As we sat waiting for the service to begin Sunday morning, and as 5 men ran around town trying to find gasoline for the generator and were failing because without electricity all the pumps were shut down – one young lady quietly came and sat with me.  Her story is one of a million such stories all over Zimbabwe, but it touched me deeply.  She didn’t ask for money, or a job the way many in desperation do, but simply poured out her heart.  She left an impression on me forever.  Here is her story….

Priscilla (not her real name) is 26 years old.  She is beautiful and intelligent.  Married at 22, she now has a 4 year old son.  Her husband works in the local mine as he has for years.  About 6 years ago, things were okay.  The salaries and housing provided for mine workers was enough.  They lived well.  But when the mine’s private owner was removed, conditions began to deteriorate.  Salaries dropped in the face of massive & rising inflation; the condition of their homes began to deteriorate; machinery at work could no longer be maintained as things got tougher; conditions in the mine became troublesome.  When the Zim dollar hit into the quadrillions at the end of 2008, they could no longer get their paycheque out of the bank.  In 2009, as the Zim dollar was shelved and foreign currency became the currency of the day, things got even more desperate.  The mine workers have not been paid since January this year.  Nothing!  If they choose to leave the mine, they must leave their housing as well.  With 90% unemployment in this nation, where will they go to work?  And so they stay.  They feel trapped in a
desperate situation with nowhere to go.

Priscilla now feeds her family on the little income she receives from hair dressing – a few USD at a time.  As we are talking, an older man, tall and thin, hobbles across the room on his crutches to greet us.  She introduces him as her father.  This elderly man was hit by a car last year. But because hospitals were not functioning at the time, nurses and doctors on strike, he was never treated.  The injured leg bone was never set, and the operation that they were told he needed to repair the damage, would cost $1000 USD.  Now laid up with an injury, no income and no access to USD, the operation never happened.  Her father has now lost his livelihood, the small store which he ran, and the goods he would run to purchase and resale.  He is now unemployed and disabled, unable to help his daughter or grandson out of their own situation.

For 5 years Priscilla has watched her family become more and more desperate. Her dreams of a young family, college, a new career fading quickly into her
exhaustion with life.  She is so very bone weary and wants to leave Zimbabwe.  But to where?  How?  With barely food on the table, how could they even begin to think of the costs of travel, passports, a new home. What would happen to the extended family they now support on their meagre income?  If you could look into her eyes the way that I did, you would see the deep tiredness that weaves through her soul.  Even trying to retain HOPE requires more effort than she can muster.

HOPE… FOR THEIR FUTURE

Is it any wonder that, having lost all hope, exhausted by the struggle for life, women abandon babies, fathers leave sons with relatives and never return, those that are sick and dying have nowhere to leave their children and statistics like 1 in 3 become harsh reality?!

Is it any wonder that, the Village of Hope exists to provide just that… hope?  HOPE through homes, through education, through love and care, hope for eternity.

There is a scene weaving itself all across this beautiful nation.  The picture is bigger than 20 acres in Harare.  The stories repeat themselves in every mining town, in every circle of huts at the end of a 15 km trek off the main road, in the people only accessible across the river through dry season, in the mountains where coffee plantations once flourished.

Pray for this once prosperous nation.
Pray for restoration.
Pray that God would ‘expand our territory’ as Jabez prayed.  That we could do even more.
Pray about what you can do.
Pray for the children.
We so appreciate your heart in taking the time to read, consider, weep and pray with us.

COOLEDGE FAMILY PLANS

ZIMBABWE WORK PERMIT – Once again we will need to reapply for a work permit in Zimbabwe. Our current permit expires August 25th, 2009. We can reapply up to 3 months in advance (as of end of May). Please join with us in beginning to pray the process through again! The granting of a work permit will have a direct influence on when we can plan a furlough home in Canada.

Please pray again for God to make a way, for the papers to fall into the right hands, for a quick response so that we are not again working on month to month stamps like we did last year. The frustrations of living on an uncertain future, and month to month, can take its toll on work and family life.

FURLOUGH – September 2, 2009 will mark our 4th year in Zimbabwe at the Village of Hope! At this point then, we are due for an extended leave in Canada, to touch base with family and friends, to fundraise, to report back in person to our support base, to personally refresh and get ready for another timely commitment to the children of Zimbabwe.

However, we cannot make firm plans or dates until the above Zimbabwe Work Permit issue is settled. Our wish at this point, is to be in Canada by mid-September, and return to Zimbabwe sometime in January/February of 2010.

UPDATE ON OUR KIDS – As of April 15th, we officially have 3 teenagers in our house! Latasha turned 13 years old, Ben will be 15 next month and Nathan is now 17 and driving! We are proud of the Christian men and women they are growing into!

Nathan won the most prestigious award at school this year – the Arete Cup – for having outstanding and consistent Christian character! He has become prayer leader of his youth group, on the youth leadership team, and will be preaching for the first time in a few weeks. He is on his last year of high school and needs your prayers as he makes plans for his future.

Ben’s love is skateboarding and drums. We were so proud this month as he auditioned for, and was selected to become the new drummer for the youth worship band! This happened being virtually self taught, as we have had challenges finding a drum teacher in Harare!

Latasha is now also heading to youth and has developed a beautiful singing voice, which has gained her an award or two in school competitions.

VILLAGE OF HOPE PLANS

C.H.A.P.S. – By September this year, we will begin construction on the last building to complete Cornelius Hope Academy Primary School. Funding is already in place for this 3 classroom school block. It is here we pray to begin Secondary School classes, moving in one graduating grade 7 class at a time, and giving us about 3 years grace to make final plans for building and registering a Secondary School.

SECONDARY SCHOOL – It would be our dream to start a Secondary School to maintain a high level of excellence in our children and community, throughout their education. As we do not have enough land at the Village of Hope currently to meet city requirements, we are looking at 2 options – the purchase of another piece of property, or special consideration by the Ministry to use existing land. The latter is the most cost effective option. Please pray with us that God would make this next step very clear as we endeavour to see our children right through high school.

ORPHANAGE – We now have 2 children’s homes occupied with 22 resident children. We have 4 homes under construction and in various stages. Our third house mother and her 4 children are getting ready to move into the 1st of these 4 homes within the next month.

Churches and people in Canada have been so gracious in providing for these children, that we have money in the bank and/or being raised currently for another 4 children’s homes! We hope and pray that these would be built through 2010, dependant on the rate at which funds are raised. Our ability to move forward will also depend on changes to our Registration with Social Welfare, allowing more resident children to come on board. They set a maximum based on liveable homes. Please pray for this process as we start it even now.

MEDICAL CLINIC – Funds have been raised! We praise God that this month we celebrated with great joy, the visit of Carrie Anne (pictured second from left) and her family, as well as 9 other members of their home church. If you haven’t yet heard this story – you need to! Through a project she called, ‘bracelets of hope’, Carrie Anne raised $50,000 to build the clinic we have dreamed of for years at the Village of Hope in just over 2 years – and started at the age of 11 years! Carrie Anne then went on to raise money for our 2 playgrounds at the Village of Hope!

What a privilege it was to have her share her testimony, speak into the lives of our CHAPS kids and inspire them to ‘dream big’! There are still things like politics, Registration, and long term sustainability, to wade through before the first brick is laid. But we pray to do just that, God willing, before the end of 2009! Please pray that God would continue to ‘make a way where there seems to be none’!

Let me close with a story we received across email – a testimonial of what God is doing in young hearts at the Village of Hope. And a way of thanking you for what you have done in being part of the Village of Hope!

I just want to thank everyone involved in the running of Village of Hope, but mostly to the school.

I am a mother of two, and i got divorced in 2007. My children were very much affected by the events that led to it. My youngest was the one who showed most signs of being affected and went from being a very good reader, very expressive, never afraid of speaking her mind on anything to a very quiet and withdrawn child. A child who used to excel at nursery and 1st grade to someone who could not even read the word; mother.
I was very much worried and being a parent you want the best and don’t want to see your child hurting.

I made it a point of highlighting my child’s situation to the teacher and i am very happy to say that there is alot of improvement. In just one term, my child is now very confident, is benefitting immensely because of the After Schools program, schoolwork has improved etc.. The teacher has been paying individual attention (i’m sure to very student in her class) because i am very happy with the results.

i just wanted to say “THANK YOU” for the work of God in your lives that you are administering to your staff and children of VOH. It just goes to show that God is at work and will see us through. May God continue to bless you…

We probably couldn’t describe this moment in time any better than this! At a time when Israel was at peace with their God, when they had found favour in His eyes, enemies yet surrounded them and attacked. But God thundered and threw them into panic, allowing the Israelites a glorious moment of triumph. To mark the occasion, Samuel did more than praise with his mouth, more than an offering – he erected a stone, a monument to the moment! So when his grandson or great-grandson walked past the stone monument generations later, the story would be retold and God’s glory revealed over and over again.

On March 16, 2009 we officially opened the double storey school block of Cornelius Hope Academy Primary School! Our student body has expanded from an initial 19 students in 2007 to 343 students today! Despite the instability we have lived in past years, we have a monument that will attest to God’s triumph over the situation for generations to come!

Even today, many schools across Zimbabwe have not opened because of a lack of teachers and disputes over their level of pay. And yet C.H.A.P.S. opened on January 27th for 343 local students – 200 of them on sponsorship! The Village of Hope is busier than ever! In a depressed society, the Village of Hope is a beacon of life and activity. Hundreds of children are being fed, clothed and educated.

We have been encouraged as we watch those children that have been chosen for sponsorship begin to excel in academics, leadership capabilities, english or sports. God truly made us all one heart as we looked through their profiles and prayed over each one. We truly believe that the sky is the limit for our kids!

NEW LIFE

Another exciting moment happened at the end of February, as several of our new children knelt at the altar to ask Jesus Christ into their heart and begin a new life in Him! It’s why we serve at the Village of Hope! If we’ve lost them for eternity – what have we gained through food and education? The push is on to train all our teachers in teaching Christ and salvation in the classroom daily.

The Zim economy and CHAPS has kept us hopping this past month. Our new addition – Fatima – is settling in well. Our construction crew, after a few more ‘tweeks’ on the double storey, will move on to finishing the 3rd Children’s Home. Then we can get our 3rd housemom and her 4 children moved and settled into a home of their own – at last!

CHANGE OF EMAIL ADDRESSES

Please note that effective immediately, we have 3 new email addresses! Our ZOL (zimbabwe on line) will continue to operate for now, and be forwarded to the new email address. Please use the new addresses below, as ZOL continues to experience server and technical problems that are causing a slowdown, and sometimes a complete stop, in us sending or receiving emails.

To reach Gord & Anita – gacooledge@vohzimbabwe.com

PRAISE & PRAYERS

- We praise God for Blessing and her health (pictured left). She was hit by a car just 3 weeks ago and suffered a broken leg. We thank the CCP office for covering most of her medical expenses!

- We are thankful for the teams that have visited us over this last year. The donations, the pouring of themselves into children’s lives, the encouragement along the way – your visit has meant so much to the Village of Hope and to us personally.

- We thank God for continuing to ‘make a way where there seems to be none’.

- Please pray for the safety of our family as ’smash & grabs’ and violent thefts are increasing. Thiefs know that those that have cars, probably carry US cash as well.

- Please continue to pray for the righting of the economy. Things still make little sense in that salaries don’t match the price of items available on the shelves. But without the manufacturing, farming and mining sectors running smoothly again, there are few jobs and no money to spend for a majority of the population.

- Please pray for our new children at CHAPS as they settle in.

We have been asked the following questions over and over again in the last few months.  Please take the following to heart, pray and know that God is still on the throne despite it all!

HOW IS THE CHOLERA SITUATION AFFECTING YOU PERSONALLY?  AT THE VILLAGE OF HOPE?

   The cholera outbreaks are primarily in the high density suburbs where old and worn sewer pipes and water supply are intermixing.  In some areas the water has been shut off for months because of this problem, leaving people to draw water from local wells which are again contaminated from seepage.  The lack of medicines and a hospital system that is not functioning has made this treatable illness become an epidemic. 

   Where our family of 5 lives there is little danger but for the city water which cannot be kept clean due to the lack of chemicals and upkeep of the water system.  The water cuts then became more frequent in all areas of the city of Harare (we went without water for as much as 5 days at a time).  As a result, and to keep our family safe and provide us with a constant water supply, we have had a borehole ( drilled well) put in at our home.  We are still boiling drinking water as a precaution, but are safe.  We have now been able to put the many buckets we had on hand all the time, away.

At the Village of Hope, we function daily off of 4 boreholes on the property.  The city water supply has been turned off for now to not mix with our borehole water. 

     One of the biggest effects we notice is the lack of shaking hands as people worry about the spread of cholera.  Greetings are a large part of friendly Shona culture and so there is much laughter as everyone has taken to hitting clenched fists together in greetings instead of a handshake. 

HOW ARE YOU MANAGING TO FIND FOOD?

    One of the the wonderful things that has happened with it now being legal to use foreign currency, is that goods have begun to flow into the country and shops again.  As long as one can access USD or South Africa Rand or Botswana Pula, one can purchase anything on the shelves and survive quite well.  Things like the appearance of skittles, smarties and licorice, inspired us to create a beautifully decorated gingerbread house for our family this Christmas – for the first time in 4 years! 

    The issue is with the average Zimbabwean who is getting paid in Zim Dollars and still has no access to foreign currency.  Because of cash shortages, the average person for the last 2-3 months has only been able to withdraw enough ZD (zimbabwe Dollars) out of the bank in a day, to buy a loaf of bread or for one bus ride.  They may have had quintillions (LITERALLY!) of ZD in a bank account, but it was inaccessible to them.  Even if one could access extra ZD, shops began to refuse them because they devalued so quickly as ZD inflation continued to rise.  The result of that is that the ZD has dropped 12 zeros again – after dropping 10 zeros just last August! 

    For over 80% of the population that live in small towns or rural areas, or without bank accounts, it has become impossible to collect a pay check, or to spend it anywhere.  And so starvation grows.  Food has become inaccessible to a large percentage of the population just because they can’t get foreign currency. 

    Because of the banking rules, cash shortages, and devaluation of the Zim dollar, it became impossible for us to even pay our VOH staff adequately.  If we transferred funds into their accounts, they could not get it out.  Our hands were tied and we dealt with many upset employees who could not buy enough food for their families through a very difficult Christmas.  Food baskets for our staff, became a regular part of keeping the Village of Hope staffed and running.  As all of Zimbabwe tried to keep their head above water, the rules of survival changed each week.  

    We praise God for the access to USD that afforded us the ability to buy bulk foods, to stay afloat, to provide for the children we have committed to during a very difficult season.   

HOW ARE YOU SURVIVING – THE WORLD NEWS LOOKS SO GRIM?

    We survive, literally, by the grace of God.  It seems that everytime the rules of engagement change, God has already provided a connection, a friend, a way out.  We have had to be flexible and creative like never before.  But one also has to remember that the news reports the worst of the worst.  How many horrific stories do you read in your own paper each day, but then get up and go about your routine and life without it affecting you?  Despite the routine changing week to week here, we have worked hard to keep some normalcy in our lives and regular routine around the Village and at home.  Boring and regular moments became lifelines and happy interludes in a day.

    Please do continue to pray for peace and an end to the political stalemate in the country.

HOW IS THE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL SITUATION AFFECTING YOUR WORK?

    The effect has been huge!  It seems that each day there is a new dilemma that we have to wade through.  Here a few of the effects of life in Zimbabwe today, on the Village of Hope….

- our VOH driver surprised us when he jumped the border into South Africa, leaving a young son behind.  Although we were disappointed, after 2 years without treatment for his illness and a family to think about in a hard economy, it is hard to be upset at him.  God has already provided a replacement for his position!

- The amount of desperate families and desperate situations that walk into our office looking for assistance, is growing.

– almost half of our casual construction crew walked off the job in mid December because they could not access their pay (Zim dollars) from the bank, and because the food that we could provide was not enough, because they could not even feed their families.  We became victims of the failing economy and were frustrated as answers to assist them were shortcoming.  On a donated budget we could not suddenly double or triple salaries to ensure they had enough to survive.  We were frustrated and our hands were tied!  The result was a major slowdown on construction all over the Village, and increase in our costs as we were forced to hire a contractor to move the second storey school block along!

- the way we pay bills and function has changed from month to month.  As the ZD devalues, banks are emptying out of customers, they are on skeleton staff and reduced hours. We can no longer write a cheque, or use a debit system – our ZD accounts have become obsolete as the whole economy turns to the use of foreign cash.  Instead, our dilemma has now become obtaining enough cash to keep the Village of Hope, and our family afloat from day to day.  It is not available at banks here.  We cannot use our CDN bank or credit cards to access cash.  Please pray that God would continue to ‘make a way where there seems to be none’.

- The construction slow-down, has meant that our new students and teachers have taken up residence during the day in our church, and in 3 storerooms while we race to complete the double storey school block and move them into proper classrooms.  We are blessed by our relationship with Hope Community Church!

- the construction slow-down, has also meant that our 4 children’s homes under construction have taken a back seat to the expansion of CHAPS.  We are now hoping to open the first of these four homes at the end of February. 

- the economy, the legalization of the use of foreign currency, the trouble our staff are having in feeding their families, have ensured that we rework the Village of Hope budget to provide for them as best we can.  This required a little creativity .

PRAISE REPORTS!

– After more than 6 months of waiting, our 22nd resident child joined us at the Village of Hope!  Her name is Fatima and she smiles and giggles constantly!  She is the youngest sister of 2 resident children who lost both parents to AIDS.  The slowdown in moving her to the VOH was a result of fuel shortages, cash shortages, and personnel shortages at the Ministry of Social Welfare.  All gov’t offices are having trouble functioning on a devaluing ZD!

- On January 27th, 2009, CHAPS opened for a total of 315 students!  About 100 of those are brand new to the school, 70 of them sponsored through Child Care Plus!  However this opening was supposed to happen early in January.  The opening of school across Zimbabwe was arrested due to the lack of teachers who were on strike and protesting their pay and their ability to get cash for food, for bus fare to work.  A massive walk out and pay disputes meant that schools closed early last year, and could not reopen on time in January.  These disputes are not settled yet with government paid teachers, and 1000’s of children are affected!  CHAPS is again an oasis in the middle of an education system that is falling apart, and is being dealt a double blow after the many school closures during the 2008 political year.  

- we have been working for 2 years to get all our resident children tested for HIV.  The systems in place did not allow it without a parents consent.  Most recently, the hospitals and clinics were not functioning.  Unless a child became visibly ill, we could not test, or get them treated.  But God opened a door this month, and 18 of our 22 resident children tested negative!  We praise God for their health!

I form the light and create darkness; I give prosperity and create disaster.  I, the Lord, do all these things.

Isaiah 45:7

God is still on the throne!

Thank you for standing with us!