Mr. Mamvura's Testimony

One of the men who has been helping to renovate the huts for the orphan care center is Mr. Mamvura from Shauro. Recently he shared his testimony with us:

“I had reached the position of Second Prophet in the Zionist Church in the area where I live. (The Zionist Church is a mixture of African Traditional Religion and the Old Testament.) I was always eager to “prophesy” for money. It was an easy way to make a living. But there was no knowledge behind my prophecies. It was all a lie. I also enjoyed drinking a lot and was not on good terms with some other people.

Then some people came to Shauro to preach the gospel. I realized that I had not been living my life in a good way so I repented. With great joy I was baptized with eleven of my family members. (He has 2 wives and 14 children.) God has helped me change my life. I don’t drink anymore and I am on good terms with others now.

God is teaching me how to take better care of my family. I spend a lot of time working with my family in the fields, but we never work on Sunday anymore. Now we got to church and worship God.”

Orphan Care Center in Mberengwa #2

Recently, we had an opportunity to sit down with Pastor and Mrs. Mabvumba, the Baptist Convention Evangelist, and the ones who are overseeing the establishment of the Orphan Care Center in Mberengwa. They gave us an update about what is happening there.



Mabvumba says there is still much work to be done to prepare the center before it can be approved by social welfare and take on boarders. It is hoped that the facility will be ready to take in orphans as boarders for the new school year beginning in January of 2012. There are 16 huts which were originally built with cement so the walls are strong. But the roof, doors, and windows must be replaced. Presently three huts have been fully refurbished, including painting the inside a white color so that it will reflect light better. Baptists from Zvikombe and Shauro have been working together to accomplish this task.



Pastor Mabvumba says other work to be done includes: solar powered lights so the children can study at night, toilets and bathing areas, a kitchen and eating area, as well as a house for those who will be overseeing the orphans. He is hoping to have bunk beds built so they can put 4 children per hut which would allow for as many as 64 orphans to be able to live on the premises and attend school.

When asked how the orphan care center would choose which orphans would live there, Pastor Mabvumba said they would be relating to families caring for orphans, the village headmen, as well as the headmaster, and teachers of the school to identify the children with the greatest needs. In some cases, it is hoped that with a little additional help to the extended family, the children would be able to continue to live with relatives and continue to attend school. Children who receive assistance from other aid and non-government organizations will not be stay at the center. The children who stay at the orphan care center will have their school fees paid for them and they will not be charged for the rooms in which they stay or the food they eat.



The greatest concern, according to Mabvumba, at this point is getting the right people to run the orphan care center. Ideally it would be good to find a Christian couple who feel called by God to this ministry. A couple who would minister not only to the physical needs of the children, but to their mental and spiritual needs as well. He hopes this will be a place where children come to know the Lord and are discipled so that when they leave (graduate from) school they will be “equipped for every good work”.

School supplies for orphans

More than 50% of the kids in most schools in Zimbabwe have only one parent living as a result of HIV AIDS. About 1/3 of the students are orphans. As a result, these children are at risk of not receiving their education. Thanks to several churches in the U.S. who have donated funds to purchase school supplies and Baptist Global Response who has paid for exercise books (like spiral notebooks) we have been able to help many students in rural schools in Mberengwa, in and around Gweru, in Bulawayo and in Harare this year.



After the school supplies are obtained, we go and visit with the headmaster (principal) of each school and seek to obtain a list of the most needy children in the school.



Then we ask him to assemble these children and we pass out the supplies to the children themselves because we want to ensure that the pupils receive them. Then the headmaster usually allows us to address the students and give a brief witness to the students and pray for them.



We have been able to supply children in primary (elementary) schools and secondary (high) school. We do not have middle schools in Zimbabwe.



It is such a wonderful experience to see the excitement and gratitude on the faces of the children who receive the school supplies.



“O God, you are the helper of the fatherless . . .You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed. . . God sets the lonely in families.” (Psalm 10:14,17,18, Psalm 68:6a NIV)

Pray for the orphans of Zimbabwe that God would be their helper, that He would listen to their cries, encourage them, defend them, and give them families that will love them and take care of them.

Orphan Care Center in Mberengwa

Near Neta in the Mberengwa Resettlement Area are 16 abandoned huts in an old farm compound close to a primary school and a high school. The community has been concerned about the number of orphans in the area who are not able to attend school. Some of the new Christians are giving of their time and efforts to help refurbish these huts so orphans can live in them (like a boarding facility) during the school term. During the school holidays and on weekends they will live with their extended family members.



In order to refurbish them, the roofs are being re-thatched. They will each have one small narrow window and a sturdy door placed on them.



Plans are to put 2 sets of bunk beds in each hut, so eventually 64 orphans could stay here. Pray that all will be in place for the orphans to be cared for before the beginning of the next school year in January 2012.

Baptism at Shauro

Seventy-four new believers were baptized on March 20, 2011 at Shauro in the Mberengwa Resettlement Area. Because there was no surface water, children helped pump water from the well to fill the tarp-lined animal watering trough. Then the baptismal candidates, as well as observers stood around and watched, singing choruses as one person left the water and another entered.



Soon to graduate seminary student, Willie Green, was given the opportunity to baptize for the first time and baptized men, women, and children of all ages.



During the baptism, this beautiful butterfly symbolically flew in and out among all those observing or waiting their turn to be baptized.



After the baptism, we all met under the shade of three shade trees to worship together.



Continue to pray for these new believers that they will grow in their knowledge and relationship with the Lord.

Lifestyle Evangelism

Recently, Zimbabwe Evangelism Team Member Marleen Robinson had two opportunities to witness as she was going about her daily routine:

Having completed the business I was doing I exited a building and a man approached me who was selling paintings. He had four nice paintings but I told him I didn’t have room in my house for any of them. I asked him his name and if he went to church. He said his name was Mr. Motsi and that he attends a Catholic church. So I asked him if he knew for sure when he died that he would have eternal life with God? He said he didn’t know, but I assured him that he could know, and quoted 1 John 5:13. Then I asked him why God would give him eternal life and he gave an answer about trying to do good things or go to church.

He listened while I shared the gospel with him. I often asked questions to see if he understood what I was saying. When I finished talking with him I stressed the importance of making a decision soon because no one knew for sure when they would die. I told him he could think about it or that I could lead him in a prayer to ask Jesus into his life. He replied, “Madam, I am prepared.” To which I asked, “You mean you are prepared to die?” He looked a bit shaken, but said, “No, I’m prepared to pray!” So Mr. Motsi became a believer that day.

Please pray for him that he will find a Bible and begin reading the book of John. I may never see him again, so pray that he will get involved in a church where he can grow as a believer. Pray also, that he will share his salvation with his family.

Another day in the flea market I met a man named Thomas. He was selling just the item I was looking for and assured me he could get the number I needed. He was smoking and I told him that smoking could kill him because it could give him cancer and he could die from that. Of course he countered with how hard it is to quit. I told him that it may not be easy, but I knew a way he could have the strength to stop smoking. I told him that Jesus could give him the power in his life to stop. There were several other curio vendors there who listened and began participating in the conversation.

When I asked Thomas if he knew for certain he would have eternal life he couldn’t really answer and another man answered when I asked why God should give someone eternal life. He thought going to church and doing good things was enough. I explained that there was nothing that we could do that was good enough. We talked about sin and how Jesus died on the cross and took the punishment we should have had.

When we reached the point of making a decision for Christ I asked him if he wanted to think about it or did he want me to pray with him then. He said he wanted me to pray with him. I asked him if he was really serious or was he just saying that because he was trying to please me? He said, “Yes, I’m really serious. I want to have eternal life with God and I want my children to know about God.” I led Thomas in a prayer for salvation and told him to start reading the gospel of John in his Bible. I told him I would be back in a few days to let him know about the items and that I would check to see if he was reading. I invited him to church and he asked me for the address which I gladly wrote down for him.

Please pray for Thomas that he will share what happened to him today with his family. Pray that he will become involved in a church so he can grow. Pray also that the other vendors who were listening will soon commit their lives to Christ, too.

Visioning Trip

The first step in working with a partnering church from the U.S., or group of churches, is often a visioning trip with representatives who come to see what kind of work they might be able to do. Recently a visioning team came from Trinity Baptist Church in LA made up of Pastor Steve James, missions pastor Greg Bath, Dr. Dick Landry, and Mike Reed, a nurse. They spent the first 2 nights of their visioning trip in a tent on the grounds of a primary school.

This classroom was used during the day for discussions about the potential partnership and meals were cooked and eaten here.



They began their tour in South Central Zimbabwe in the Mberengwa resettlement area which has been very responsive and is made up of a mix of Shona and Ndebele people. Missionary Gregg Fort put them to work showing the Jesus Film, preaching, playing with the school kids, and participating in a Sunday morning worship in which more than 40 people were baptized and participated in the Lord’s Supper together for the first time. Pastor Steve James stood in the baptismal waters beside Pastor I. as this special event was celebrated.



Greg Bath had an opportunity to address the school children and gave them a short lesson on trusting God in the storms of life.



Then missionary Gregg Fort took them on a tour of Tongaland where they were able to visit with Pastor S. and discuss the spiritual and physical needs in Tongaland which their church could address.



The tour concluded with a trip to Victoria Falls and a meal at the Boma where they were able to experience African food as well as a variety of game meat. They were all game to eat their mopane worm!



“Jesus (and his disciples) went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds He had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:35-36 NIV)

Pray for this Visioning Team which desires to help their church members know how they can personally meet the spiritual and physical needs of some of the people in Zimbabwe. Pray that God will show them where and how He is calling them to join Him in the work of His kingdom.