A MOMENT OF LOVE AND SWEET FELLOWSHIP

It was a moment of sweet fellowship as Rev. Nseemani, Phyllis (the TCCA librarian), Irene and myself visited one of the Brethren in Christ Churches in rural Mpongwe (seen here behind Rev. Nseemani and myself), on the Copperbelt. Such are the local churches' orphan care ministries your donations support. The journey was long, but we were determined to visit and encourage one another in the Lord.

As we branched off the tar road, the winding dust road was long and sandy. It took us over an hour and half to finally reach our destination. We were almost getting worried thinking that we had missed the way. Our main worry, though, was not so much about whether we will reach or not, but that if we got lost, we might use all our gas and fail to get back home as there was no where we could get fuel in the middle of the bush; (Each one must have been saying a little prayer am sure).

Finally, with the help of a few people in the spaced up villages, we reached our destination. The church members were eagerly waiting for our arrival. It was such a time of sweet fellowship as they received us with jubilation and love. We were very encouraged to see that in the middle of nowhere, the Church is ticking and God's word is being preached and people are getting saved. Nothing can be more fulfilling in ministry than this fact; that God is in the business of reconciling mankind to himself. Our visit with the area overseer (a TCCA grad) was as much an encouragement to them as it was to us. We did not only have Sunday worship together, but we also had a wonderful meal fellowship; chatting about life, how great our God is and the beauty of his creation as we laughed and joked with one another. The air was fresh and the tranquility of the atmosphere was just wonderfully refreshing. A reason indeed to praise God!!

Such are the forgotten local churches that the ministry of Forgotten Voices International through local pastors from seminaries like TCCA, who are on the ground, seeks to partner with. As you give to the ministry of FVI, just know that your help ends up to children from such as these places; these are places where kids orphaned by HIV/AIDS may never see the inside of a classroom without your help. These places are so remote that very few organizations dare to venture into. Forgotten Voices has given hope to many children in this area; a number of children will not only continue school, but they will also look forward to a poverty free future. Yes, because of your help, those that are infected will receive food supplements and improve their health to enable them continue with school. Because you have chosen to say "yes" to helping orphans in Africa, this has been made possible. This also marks one of the uniqueness of FVI's ministry in Africa, its focus on empowering orphans with local churches.

Here Phyllis and Irene are seen sampling some of the wild fruits that the locals introduced them to. This was the epitome of a loving community of believers. Irene encouraged the ladies to continue the habit of meeting together.

Finally we had to say bye and our journey back to 'civilization' was tiresome, but full of wonderful memories of our fellowship.

Your fellow servant in God's ministry,

Remmy.