The Sandra Jones Center

Old Hotel Rio is a place you just want to take your shoes off and run around in the grass. First because of the obvious, its grass, in Africa. But second because your running with a mass of 3 year olds behind you. You're running with the sound of tiny voices yelling, "Auntie!!!!" As you walk in for tea time, you scan the room for a chair to sit in. You see little feet, shoeless, dangling, and kicking vigorously in their seats. You sit with some older girls and they smile and giggle as you ask them about their tea and how school is going for them. They love to hear you speak, they hang onto your words as they come out of your mouth. They starve for your attention. You see, they have been left, they have been abused, they have been broken, and they need your love. They crave it, its why they ask if you will be returning to them. They want to be sure you won't leave forever. They have come to memorize the day and time of our coming and going, they wait outside as if they were just hanging out out there, in reality you can see in their faces they were waiting for us to drive up. These children have been brought to the Sandra Jones Center, now located at the Old Hotel Rio. They range from birth to 18. They have either been abused in one way or another or just simply abandoned. They are beautiful souls. Beautiful souls in need of Jesus Christ. Us Bulawayo girls have had the privilege and honor to invest our spare time and energy into these children. Some of their precious little faces consume my thoughts at times. They are so full of life, so full of joy, it just ebbs out of them into us and we keep coming back for more. So often I think we find ourselves more ministered to by those we are supposed to be ministering to. God has been good in opening doors and windows and flood gates for us to just pour into this group of children and teens. We have been given the opportunity to share the love of Christ through math tutoring, swim lessons, bible studies, and starting very soon a volley ball team! We take time to do every day things so as to invest for an eternity. We are excited to see what all is going to unfold in our time with these girls, but for now, we know that this is where the Father wants us.

Sanyati Makeover 2012: Picture the Results!

The noise of excited volunteer construction workers at Sanyati Baptist Hospital has come to an end, but the results of their labor of love will be evident for many years to come. So much work had to be done, and if you read back through the blogs you will see the terrible shape the hospital was in before the makeover. Recently, missionary Gregg Fort made a trip to Sanyati. He arrived to this stunning view of the newly painted hospital beautifully framed by these Flamboyant trees.

One of the most urgent projects was getting backup lighting to the hospital due to the frequent and lengthy power cuts at Sanyati. Here you see pictured the new solar powered system.

The new system is capable of supplying power and lights to the surgical theatres (one is seen below), as well as providing lights to the remainder of the hospital!

Another priority was the chapel, where daily services are held and patients and staff are all encouraged to participate. It looks very beautiful after its repairs and painting.

In addition to Baptist donations and construction efforts, the hospital was awarded a government grant to help with some of the refurbishing. The government funds provided for the tile floor you see in the chapel, and throughout the hospital. It also provided for some of the painting which was done as part of the refurbishment process.

It also provided for the repainting of the dormitory for the nursing students.

The government also provided a new ambulance for the hospital.

Thanks to Baptist Global Response and all the Baptists who provided funds and helped by donating their time and talents in the makeover project this year. Stateside Makeover Director Peter Sierson and BGR representative Mark Hatfield will be meeting to determine which needs will be addressed in 2013. Some of the outstanding needs are new covers over the walkways between buildings, the plumbing and the electrical wiring.

Hands On

Welcome to our semester student Hands On missionaries.

Kara Canterbury, seated in the swing, is from Mt. Vernon Kentucky and has been training with Childlife helping children with "emotional wellness" who are doing physiotherapy, dealing with a protracted illness, or those who have experienced the death of a loved one. Haley Richter, seated on top, is from Birmingham, Alabama. She enjoys doing photography and writing and feels called by God to work with orphans. While they are here in Zimbabwe, they are working with journeygirls Robyn Allison and Jennilee Phillips in schools teaching the principals of True Love Waits, assisting as volunteers in various children's homes (for orphans) and sharing the gospel through their life and testimony. Pray for Kara and Haley that God will open their eyes to see how they can minister to others during the short time they are here. Pray for a compassionate and loving heart toward those they come in contact with. Pray that they will learn to rely on God every day and listen to His voice. Pray for wisdom as they face great needs to know what they can and cannot do and not to feel guilty for the things they cannot do.

Baptism Class 101

Missionary Donna Fort has been passionate about teaching God’s Word to others since she was young. “My younger brothers used to have to put up with my “Sunday School Lessons”. As I grew older, I was given the opportunity to teach in Vacation Bible Schools. God has continued to open many more doors for teaching God’s word to people of all ages since we came to Zimbabwe.” Earlier this year, a new opportunity for teaching opened up for Donna. The Baptist Seminary of Zimbabwe has been undergoing some radical changes, and she was asked to fill a part time teaching position. Donna taught two classes from January to May. The six students she taught were in their final term before graduation. Five of the students were present for graduation and they are pictured below with Mrs. Fort.

This current school term Donna has been teaching five new students a total of four classes. “It has been such an amazing experience teaching men who are hungry to know more about God’s word and who desire to be equipped to be ministers of the gospel.”

The Forts were heading to the Mberengwa Resettlement Area for a baptism with Pastor and Mrs. Mabvumba, so Donna made the arrangements for her five students to go as well. They left early Sunday morning and after a 2 ½ hour drive arrived at the place where the people from the Matotse area had gathered to worship. Members from Zvikombe, Gumbalo, and Nyezi Baptist Churches traveled by foot to be part of this joyous occasion. Pastor Mabvumba invited three of the seminary students to help with the baptism. Then he took the time to give them a few important pointers to help them know how to baptize.

Then everyone walked down to the “pond” where the baptism was to take place.

Each student in turn was given the opportunity to baptize about 11 people each. (Altogether 35 people were baptized. Pastor Mabvumba did several first as an example for the students.)

After the baptism, everyone returned to the two large shade trees where the “worship center” had been set up. The people danced and sang in joyous celebration while another student helped write out the baptismal certificates. Then they were distributed as part of the worship service.

Pastor Mabvumba gave a brief message while his wife prepared the elements for the Lord's Supper.

Then Missionary Gregg Fort spoke and administered the Lord’s Supper.

By 2:30 p.m. the worship time was complete and soon after that the visiting guests were served lunch. By 3:30 they were on the road home and got back to Gweru about dark. The students expressed their appreciation to Mrs. Fort for helping them be part of this extraordinary day. Then one student commented, “It is one thing to be taught about baptism and what it means, but quite another thing to be the one who does it! It is not as easy as it looks!” Another student gave his testimony a few days later in chapel at the seminary: “Pastor Mabvumba did a good job teaching us how to baptize. He was very patient with us to show us how to do everything before we got in the water. Then he baptized several people so we could see and hear him do it.” Praise God for this opportunity for seminary students to learn a new aspect of carrying out the Great Commission. . . “Go ye therefore. . . baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

Trinity Medical Team

Trinity Baptist Church of Lake Charles, Louisiana, sent a medical team to work in Mberengwa at the Neta Growth Point. ( A growth point is a very small business center with a service station, a few stores, a clinic, etc., that services the villagers from many miles around.)

Word spread quickly that medical help was available and long lines quickly formed as the clinic opened on day one. A Zimbabwe nurse paired with a nurse from Trinity interviewed the patients to determine whether the patients required help from a physician or if they could be helped by other medical staff. Inside the large one room clinic, four medical stations were set up. Dr. Richard Landry saw patients at his station,

and Dr. Barry Newton saw patients at his station. Several patients even had minor surgery.

Mike Reed, an RN was able to help a number of patients.

as was nursing student Gandy Osburn.

After the patients saw the doctor, they were invited to sit and listen to a gospel presentation by Greg Bath, Missions Minister of Trinity. Many listened while waiting for their turn to see the pharmacist to get their medications.

Their pharmacist, Mandi Jordan was assisted by other Trinity volunteers to distribute the correct medication for each patient.

One young girl about age 10, named Raviroyashe, who was seen had a bowel obstruction of some kind. Her only sibling died last year with a similar problem. Even though the doctors could not help her at the rural clinie, they were able to refer her to a doctor in Harare and donors paid for her to have surgery. She and her parents have come to know the Lord as a result. It is interesting that even though her parents were not Christians at the time that they named their daughter Raviroyashe - which means "The will of the Lord". We praise God that it was the will of the Lord that she live and that he provided for her life in a miraculous and unexpected way! The four medical stations saw over 2,000 patients in five days. In the meantime, Dr. Herbert, a veterinarian from Lake Charles, dosed 3,000 cows for worms, blackleg and other diseases with preventive medicine. He did some minor surgeries and other treatments as well.

Overall, more than 4,000 people prayed to receive Christ during the week. Praise Jehovah Raphe – the God of healing – physical, emotional, and spiritual!