Our team in Zimbabwe is doing a great job sending updates our way as much as possible, given their limited access to email and cell phone service. They've spent the last two days at Mtshabezi Mission, which houses the Brethren in Christ National AIDS Programme, one of our original partner projects.
Their itinerary at Mtshabezi included plans to visit the local school with Neatness, a young girl who's story you MUST hear if you haven't already. Learn more about her here.
They also planned to go with the AIDS Programme staff to visit families in the community who were being assisted by Forgotten Voices, or who could (and need to) be assisted if the reach of the program were able to grow. According a text from Nate this morning, these visits were hard. Many of these families are in desperate situations, lacking food or seed to plant for the next harvest. No doubt our team met some individuals who are living out their final days with HIV. These moments are difficult to put into words, whether it's a brand new situation or one you've been in more times that you care to count.
As you pray for our team, please also pray for the families they are meeting. I'd also encourage you to read the following two blog posts, as they may give some insight into what our team - both those seeing this for the first time and those who have been there before - are experiencing.
Both were written in the past few years.
The first is written by Ryan Keith, reflecting on one of the many times he's spent sitting with someone on their deathbed in Zimbabwe or Zambia.
The second is written by Stephen Bozzo, a friend of Forgotten Voices who has traveled to Zimbabwe several times to see our project partners in action. This blog is from his very first visit to Mtshabezi.
This weekend, the team will be visiting our partners at Foundations for Farming (think back to those families who are in need of food and planting seed - this partnership is part of our response). They'll also visit Matopos Primary, another school where children who have been orphaned are assisted by a partnership with Forgotten Voices. They'll worship at The Rock Church on Sunday before flying out Sunday afternoon, headed for Zambia.
Thank you for your prayers!
Ellen Shaffer, Director of Project Management
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1 comment:
What an experience! I can't imagine what it must be like to be face to face with people experiencing such hardship.
I'm praying for the team and the communities they come in contact with.
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