12/28 - The year of Remembrance

It is thoroughly astounding to me that God always remembers us. At no point is He distracted so that His focus deviates from His children He has meticulously created. There is unspeakable comfort in knowing that we are remembered. There is a confidence in knowing that when we cry out to God, He remembers to listen and to act.

The very act of crying out infuses every life and may well be endemic to the human condition - men, women, young people, even children. Not every cry is ridden by anguish, but every life has its own cry or has heard the cry of another who is struggling with emotions or passions in need of explanation and relief. I think of the particular cries of vulnerable children in southern Africa who desperately need advocates for their survival. Every person, in the midst of life´s various seasons, raises their voice to express the pain or injustice of the present situation. However, some, for a variety of reasons, are better able to cope more readily with such pain or are better able to handle the general vicissitudes of life.

Forgotten Voices is not simply a movement to apply some healing balm to the bitter pain of an unheard cry from an African child; rather, it is a movement that seeks to face squarely the reality that all of us in our private moments deal with deep cries of anguish and need. Some of you have experienced the pain of losing a loved one. Many children and in Africa know this pain in the form of a dead parent. Some of you have felt the pain of loneliness. Many children in Africa know the loneliness of separation from friends and family due to the stigma attached to the AIDS virus. Some of you have known what it is like to trust in God for the provision of your physical needs. Many children in Africa depend daily on God to sustain their lives. We all have a lot more in common than we think.

It is for this reason that I need your help to share in the cry of an African child. These deep, unheard cries of loneliness, fatigue, loss, and anguish are the same in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania as they are in Harare, Zimbabwe. Remember that you are not alone. Likewise, there is a child in southern Africa that needs to know that they too are not alone in their cries for help.

In my personal life, I am making this new year the ¨Year of Remembrance¨. I want to remember the cries of these children each day. Please join me in becoming an advocate for their lives in 2009.

In remembrance and with blessings,

Jesse

12/25: Merry Christmas!

12/24 - Where would Jesus live?

It is hard for me to hide my excitement about tomorrow.  Finally, our Savior has come!  God has made Himself known to us!  The almighty, unquantifiable, and immeasurable has chosen to wrap Himself in the finite flesh of His creation to be a tangible part of our collective human experience.  As I take a moment away from the businesses of the impending holiday to ponder this overwhelming gift from God, I am compelled to ask: where would Jesus live?

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

How absolutely backwards that the King of Glory would choose to live among you and me.  How wonderful that he would immerse himself in the messiness and ugliness of humankind especially since He was without blemish.  Jesus chose to spend His time not with the elite and beautiful of our society, but with the forgotten and the suffering.  Jesus wanted those whom we had worked hard to exclude.  Remarkably, it was His presence among the likes of these which caused His glory to shine like the noonday sun.  The glory of Jesus was made evident to us because of where He chose to be and with whom He chose to associate.  This has compelled me to pose yet another question: is it no less different for us?

Many of us live in safe, comfortable, and popular places.  There is nothing inherently wrong with this.  But I cannot help but wonder if we have moved out of Jesus' neighborhood where the underprivileged and the marginalized live out their days hoping against hope.  At Forgotten Voices, we're trying to move back in.  We want to be where Jesus is.  It is clear to me, as I have examined my Bible this Christmas season, that God has a special place in His heart for the poor, the suffering, the destitute, and the grieving.   Through the gift of His son, God drew close to these and He promises that He will be close to us when we are close to them.

You can move back into Jesus' neighborhood too.  In fact, the only way we can make a difference is if we make the move together.  On this Christmas Eve, please consider joining the work of Forgotten Voices by making a small financial gift.  Every dollar raised helps us to show vulnerable children in southern Africa that they are known and loved by the very same God who created their beautiful land.  Please come be a part of Jesus' neighborhood.  There is plenty of room for you.

Please make the move by clicking here.

With glorious anticipation and blessings,

Jesse

  

"THE LIGHT OF HOPE"

“Remember The Children”

Doing ministry with Forgotten Voices International here in Zambia has given me confidence that the Church still carries the LIGHT OF HOPE to a poverty ravaged and HIV/AIDS exasperated continent of Africa. FVI, through its demonstration of the love of Jesus Christ to fellow man is giving hope to orphaned children and widows in Zimbabwe and Zambia; The Bible says, “The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow…” (Psalm 146: 9). I see the Lord, indeed, watching over these orphans and widows through the ministries of Forgotten Voices as its focus is on strengthening the church’s capacity to reach out to those that are, otherwise, slowly being forgotten because of their poverty and HIV/AIDS situation. The Church represents the life of Jesus Christ here on earth. We are the Church; we are the light of hope for the vulnerable!

I know America and the world over, economies are not doing fine. Here in Zambia, the mining industry has had a fair share of good times the last couple of months when copper was fetching more than $8000 a tone on the International Market. The government had barely finalized negotiating for a better deal in royalties when things started nose diving due to the global recession. The current copper price is no more than $3000 a tone on the London Metal Exchange. This has virtually rendered mining the copper quite unprofitable.

Some mines have started closing and laying off their employees. It is for this reason why poverty is not far from the homes of over 300 workers who suddenly lost their jobs last week at Bwana Mkubwa Copper mines in Ndola and the further 1,500 who lost theirs this week at Luanshya Copper mines (ZNBC News). This situation will definitely affect other industries related to mining in this part of Zambia.

Exacerbating the situation is the increase in the price of maize meal used to prepare our staple food, nshima (a thick porridge), from $8 to over $14 a 25kg bag and the situation shows that the price is still likely to go up. Most families can no longer manage to have three meals a day. Those that are lucky can manage to have two at most; otherwise one meal a day is what most of these families are now surviving on. And the trend is having that meal in the afternoons and hoping to stay strong till the following day. Our partners have introduced feeding programs for children in their churches. Ryan, Fibion and I hope to visit one of these feeding programs in January.

Through the ministry of Forgotten Voices, pastors have brought hope to the vulnerable members of their communities. Orphans, whose hopes of continuing with their education had been lost, are being revived. I have personally seen faces brighten up just by talking about what we do in this ministry. There is no better way to serve God than this very way that is making people’s future hopes be ignited again. Please! Please! Please! Do not grow weary in doing right. Continue the good works. Many lives are being changed by your help through the ministries of FVI here in Africa. The love being demonstrated by the church through your help is doing wonders words can never express. Even though you may not be here in person, but am assuring you that your love is being felt among many.

Finally brethren, how do we show the light of hope to these 1,800 mining industry job losses that translate to over 10,800 family members being affected and left in the cold to fend for themselves? It is sad to think of what most of these parents’ children will be subjected to. I know one thing for sure; they will stop school; they will probably start selling vegetables along streets and eventually become susceptible to abuse. With the myths of HIV/AIDS being cured through sexual intercourse with young girls still rampant, I can’t imagine the horrors of abuse these young girls may have to undergo on these streets.

As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember these children; whose hopes of celebrating it the usual way have been thwarted: As is always the tradition, most of these kids were promised goodies on Christmas day. They won’t receive the promised toys; they won’t wear that new pair of shorts, or shoes or dress or even share in eating rice with chicken which they always long for during Christmas, simply because it will not be served.

We are indeed the LIGHT OF HOPE to the world’s ills even though the world sometimes does not seem to notice this. Therefore, let’s give to the ministry of Forgotten Voices International, through their works here in Africa; someone’s difficulty situation somewhere will be given a solution because of your help.

Have a blessed and very Merry Christmas!

Your fellow servant in Christ,
Remmy Hamapande.

12/23 - He's coming! He's coming!

These days are filled with a special anticipation.  Every moment seems to echo with the joyful expectancy of Christmas.  Jesus is coming!  The Savior of the world is on His way to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth!  With bated breath we cling to the promise of old as we wait in this moment of pregnant expectation:

The people walking in darkness

have seen a great light; 

on those living in the land of the shadow of 

death a light has dawned.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

But Jesus didn't usher in this new Kingdom in the manner by which His contemporaries expected.  He didn't do it with standing armies or mighty men of military valor.  He didn't establish the Kingdom of God by way of government intervention or shear force.  In fact, Jesus chose perhaps the most unlikely method to bring the Kingdom of God here to us on earth.  He did it by gently becoming Lord of the heart.  One person at a time.  Heart by heart by heart.  In the same unassuming way that He entered the world, Jesus enters our hearts and compels us to follow Him by His own meekness and love.  Together, this is how we are changing the world through Forgotten Voices.  One heart, one gift, one dollar, one child at a time.  You know Jesus didn't establish the Kingdom of God in the manner everyone expected, but He still managed to save the world anyway.  At Forgotten Voices, we're giving our best efforts to following this example of Jesus.  Christmas reminds us that love has already conquered the world.  It's our job to let everyone know by recruiting one voice at a time.

Today I wish we could all get on a plane together and fly to Zimbabwe.  I'm confident that if we did this, we would witness first hand just how much we all have in common right now.  We could look into eyes of our African brethren with joyful anticipation and raise our voices together shouting, "He's coming!  He's coming!"  The Lord of our hearts is on the way.

It is not too late to lend your voice to the Christmas story.  I truly believe that gift to Forgotten Voices is an extension of Jesus' love to a child in need.  Please click here to send a little love.

With excitement and blessings,

Jesse

12/22 - Some still come ...

We are all familiar with the usual suspects in the Christmas story: Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, the shepherds, and the wise men.  In fact, we have become so accustomed to these characters and their customary place in the nativity scene that we often fail to remember what originally brought them to the manager.  When the Son of God entered our world some two-thousand years ago, He did so in the midst of great tumult and disorder.  Those who restlessly awaited the Messiah’s arrival yearned for the One who would “break the bow and shatter the spear” ushering in the new and glorious reign of God.  Orderliness from anarchy.  Love from violence.  Justice from wickedness.  Peace from chaos.  There was a lot riding on this child.  And this was preciously what brought the shepherds and the wise men to the cradle-side of their infant Savior.  They came to the manger hoping against hope that this child would bring the promised peace of God.  Peace for the world and peace for their souls.

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

Not much has changed since that glorious baby entered the world in a cow stall outside Bethlehem.  One needs only to examine the international news headlines to understand that we still live in a world replete with chaos and tumult.  Consequently, there are many who still approach the manager, not because it is the obligatory culmination of random seasonal frivolity, but because they still hope against hope that Jesus will be able to provide the peace for which they desperately long.  It is the hope that this child can offer something different: a peace that is able to withstand the chaos of the world in which they live.  Jesus said it best Himself, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

This very minute, there are millions of vulnerable children in southern African who are wondering whether there is anyone in the world who cares if they live or die.  For these children, the manger is more than a handsome Christmas decoration.  Rather, it is their hope for peace.  The manger is their expectation of an inner tranquility and a sense of value that the world cannot take away. We have a unique opportunity to become part of the Christmas story whenever we introduce and extend the peace of Jesus to others in our world.  For this reason, it is time to bring some atypical characters into the Christmas story: you and me.  Forgotten Voices does many things to help meet the needs of vulnerable children in southern Africa, but none more critical than introducing them to Jesus.  Although Forgotten Voices often provides food, training, and supplies to our friends across the world, all of this is worthless unless it is accompanied with an introduction to the Messiah.  He is the only one who can truly save us.  His peace does not depend on circumstance.  This is the way Forgotten Voices is trying to love others well.

This year, as the blessed day of Jesus’ arrival approaches, I encourage you to become part of the Christmas story in a new way.  Through a gift to Forgotten Voices, take the hand of a child and together, come to the manager where peace awaits each of you.

Please click here to give.

God’s peace and blessings,

Jesse

12/21 - You want to grow worms?

At Forgotten Voices International, empowerment comes in many forms.  Sometimes, as I described yesterday, it comes in the form of a small loan to help a mother begin an income generating small business.  And other times, empowerment means growing earth worms.

Yeah, that's right.  Worms.

Farming God’s Way (FGW), an organization in partnership with Forgotten Voices in Zimbabwe, is involved in training and equipping the rural poor of Africa to realize the God given potential of their land. It is the goal of FGW to bring about a great harvest in righteousness and faithful stewardship by uniting the Word of God with agricultural discipleship.

Farming God’s Way employs technologies that conform to the way God maintains and sustains His natural order.  By understanding how God interacts with His creation to promote plant growth, FGW has initiated simple farming techniques that are extremely appropriate for the 700 million poor farmers in Africa who cannot afford expensive machinery, fertilizers, and related supplies.

Specific emphasis is placed on training community leaders to effectively utilize the wonderful treasures God has provided to increase agricultural yields without expensive imported inorganic fertilizers and harmful chemical compounds.  

Included in these natural treasures are earthworms and other wonderfully abundant microbial life in the soil.  So, some time ago Forgotten Voices partnered with FGW to build a wormery.

Yeah, that's right.  A wormery.

What exactly is a wormery?  I'm very glad you asked.  A wormery is a special building in which earth worms can be grown - almost like a green house, execpt (again) there are worms instead of plants.   In this pilot program, FGW is studying how to breed earthworms and make inexpensive and very efficient composts and manure with the realization that a combination of these treasures – applied with God's wisdom – will bring great

 breakthroughs for the people of Southern Africa.  It is the final goal of FGW to provide those who will receive

 training with some of this nutrient material in order that they may begin fertilizing their crops with earthworms and create similar nutrients in their home environments.  Forgotten Voices is extremely excited about exploring and implementing this technology especially since it is appropriate and does not require millions of dollars in development costs. At present, FGW is constructing a simple wormery that will help produce the highly fertile earthworm castings (manure) which will form the base material for farm trial plots.  The pictures which accompany this post chronicle its construction.

I am so thankful for our FGW partners who continue to serve the people of Zimbabwe by finding new and creative ways to help them provide food for their families.  Already, people have traveled from all over southern Africa to the FGW training center to visit the wormery and learn about the power of earthworms.  Who would have ever thought that earthworms would be a critical element in fighting starvation!?

Remember, if you are still looking for that unusual Christmas gift, we would love for you to help Forgotten Voices to provide more worms to farmers in Zimbabwe.  Please click here to give.

Worms and blessings,

Jesse