Generosity Small Enough to Change the World

One of our partners in Africa once told me “Even the mighty Victoria Falls began with one drop of rain.” I will never forget that conversation or the lessons I learned that night about God’s provision. When we respond to the call to service, there is no telling how God will enhance, magnify, and multiply each individual act of generosity into an enormously powerful and far reaching impression on the world.

To me, Forgotten Voices represents all that God can accomplish when even a few people are willing to sacrifice of their time and resources in order to serve the needs of others. Through what started as a very small group of committed volunteers, God has blessed our efforts and used the resources of our donors to make a difference in the quality of life for thousands of vulnerable children and their communities devastated by the AIDS pandemic.

Although, I am no longer involved in the day to day operations of the organization, our family is committed to continuing to donate our time and resources to Forgotten Voices throughout the year. We know from experience that a small sacrifice here can mean a world of impact for our brothers and sisters around the world.

Matt Hoover - Forgotten Voices Board Member and Director of Commercial Leasing, Triple Crown Corporation

December Prayer & Praise

At this midway point in our Advent series of blog posts, it seems fitting to turn our and your attention to God's ever-constant promise to hear our prayers. Each month we receive prayer and praise updates from the churches with whom we partner across Zimbabwe and Zambia. Below are just a few of those updates. We hope you'll take some time to pray about these requests and praises, and remember the work of our church projects in Africa this Christmas season.

Northrise ECZ – Zambia

Praise God that many children have been inspired to achieve new educational goals with the provision of school fees!

Pray that the Lord would provide moments of dawn in the midst of discouraging times for many orphans who are attending school. Ask that God would provide encouragement in the form of friendships and pastoral care.

Echoes of Mercy Project – Zambia

Pray for a twelve year old girl who lost both parents to HIV-AIDS and has also tested positive for the disease. Pray that God would comfort her as she attends school and that He would cover her with a sense of love and purpose.

Pray that the project would continue to find new and sustainable ways to raise the required resources to serve children in their community.

Free Methodist Church – Zimbabwe

Praise the Lord that a number of woman have recently attended a literacy class in which they are receiving an education to help them better care for orphans! Ask that God would bring to bear immense fruit as a result of their studies.

Pray for the church to strive together in unity and for God to intervene in love when conflicts or pressure arise.

Pray for those who are currently looking for employment. Ask that God would bring about wholesome employment opportunities that will meet the needs of many families.

Pray for the encouragement and strengthening of local leaders who serve everyday with courage and compassion.

Mighty Mouse: Cartoons, Courage, and Christianity

Source: Paul Terry Productions, "Mighty Mouse"

Mighty Mouse always amazed me when I was a kid. He was just a mouse, but seemingly knew no bounds for what he could do to solve adult problems all around him. No matter how hard they got, Mighty Mouse solved the problem with courage.

As you may have noticed today (Dec 6), cartoons have invaded Facebook in an attempt to raise awareness of child abuse. The simple idea that a cartoon seen would trigger memories of a simpler, care-free time where we remember just how vulnerable we were as kids... then realize that kids all over the world are being abused right around us. My prayer is that it causes all of us to take some action to empower and protect a child today.

When I learned of this Facebook movement yesterday, I was struck instantly by the story of a 6 year old child in Zimbabwe that I do not know and haven't figured out how to help YET. He dominated my mind throughout this last trip to Africa. Early in the trip, a dear friend of mine in Zimbabwe asked me for some advice about child abuse case law in Zimbabwe knowing I have studied under one of the most respected child rights advocates in the world during my time at Harvard (You can read some of my research on widow & child rights here). Yet, nothing prepares you for the story my friend told us. I don't want to trouble you with the same images that trouble me.

But the big picture is this --- A 6 year old child orphaned by AIDS was being abused by his own grandfather, yet no one in the family was willing to file a complaint to the police fearing reprisal and violating the sacred trust of family.  Like in any society, families experience great shame in sharing family secrets of this horror and in a male driven culture this was especially true.

I didn't know what to tell my friend then, but I promised to ask everyone I saw who may be able to help her as she begins trying to intervene. This child needed a church champion. Pray with me for his liberation.

Over and over, as I asked pastors in Zimbabwe and Zambia, I was saddened to hear that abuse among children orphaned is VERY common. Every pastor had first-hand experience with my question and almost all of them had personally intervened where culture and lack of laws protected the abuser. Though I was struck by the horrors of abuse I heard, I was also struck by how amazing Christians can be by the courage that God provides. Pastors shared stories of their interventions, how sermons and time with families began changing cultural habits to value kids, and how Christ's love trumps pride we fear will be tarnished. Kids were being saved by these champions. Kids were being protected by churches that were taking kids in instead of leaving them alone and vulnerable.

Without their own "mighty mouse" in the local church, even more abuse would happen.  These theologically sound, vetted pastors are checking in on the kids, taking many of them into their own homes or finding quality caregivers within the church community. They are doing what they can.

Daily, I hear stories of vulnerable kids our church partners in Africa know about but can't help because they lack funding. This trip, more than any before, I connected our actions to equip churches with stopping abuse of children orphaned by AIDS. We are not just sending kids to school, but getting them out of being home alone. We are not just providing them seed & fertilizer, but giving them their own food source so they don't have to beg or barter themselves.

You and I are like simple mice, presented with giant problems. How will we respond? Will we harness the courage of our childhood cartoon inspirations or let this suffering slip away into the busyness of our adult lives?

Our local partnering churches in Africa are working in very adult scenarios, full of bleak conditions, where hope should not win by all logic. But, the story of Jesus coming in a manger reminds us that hope springs out of the poor. The faith, love, sacrifice, and joy in the midst of fear for Joseph and Mary shows us that God can equip us to be champions and shepherds for His desired work in the world.

Jesus came to redeem the world. He came, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. As He left us to return to heaven, He left the church behind to demonstrate the love of Christ. To bring hope to the hopeless. To defend the fatherless. To take our mouse like bodies, inept by the world's standards, and offer ourselves up as living sacrifices to bring God's hope to our still hurting world.

This Christmas, I'm reminded of our need to not fear what we cannot solve in our world. Instead, may we offer our best before God and do what we can. Thanks for helping local churches be courageous to protect children from abuse. Their mighty efforts are made possible in part because of your mighty efforts. For that and for the kids we all get to serve, I'm forever grateful.

Have courage today,
Ryan Keith
President of Forgotten Voices International

Be a champion for a church looking to be a Mighty Mouse for a child orphaned by AIDS in their community.  Give today at www.ForgottenVoices.org/donate.

Here I Am

Two weeks ago today, I stepped off an 18.5 hour return flight from South Africa. I'd taken a group of pastors from Central Pennsylvania to see the work that Forgotten Voices is doing in southern Africa. In a two week whirlwind tour we visited Zimbabwe, Zambia and spent one night in South Africa. We visited with roughly 15+ families and met with only a handful of the 150 churches that partner with Forgotten Voices. We experienced humorous moments - see picture of baby monkey chewing on Julie’s ear - and heartbreaking moments - like the visits with families who had no food and no seed to plant. We prayed, we laughed, we cried, but most importantly we had the opportunity to meet true heroes of the faith. We spent time with devoted pastors, listening to what their church is doing to help their communities, praying with and for them, encouraging them and rejoicing with them over the work that is being accomplished.

Every single day these men and women arise from their beds and say, “Here I am Lord, use me.” Throughout the day they change their hats - one second they are a pastor, the next they are counselor, a social worker, a business man or woman working on income-generating projects to benefit their communities. They put on each hat with a spirit of humility and a reliance on God and the Spirit to lead, guide, and direct them. When you sit with these men and women you can begin to see what it means to be the Church in the community. Each of our project partners adds a unique approach to addressing the AIDS crises. They develop locally-relevant action plans for meeting the needs of children who have been orphaned by AIDS and other vulnerable children in their network.

I love volunteering for Forgotten Voices to help equip our church partners to fulfill their action plans for their communities. I have witnessed firsthand the value these action plans bring to a community and have seen our partners transforming communities one child at a time.

I serve by leading our volunteers here in the United States and helping run the day-to-day operations of our ministry. Forgotten Voices has roughly 30+ volunteers in the USA who help us equip our brothers and sisters in southern Africa. We are looking to grow our volunteer network throughout 2011. If you are interested in volunteering please visit this link for volunteer opportunities.

In closing, my challenge to you is to arise each day with the spirit of “Here I am Lord, use me.” Learn from our partners, grow along with us as God continues to reveal new things about Himself, and participate with us in making a permanent change in the life of children.

Nate Shaffer - Volunteer Executive Director

True Sacrifice

As a “missionary family”, people are often saying thank you to us for the “sacrifice” we make in our work with Forgotten Voices. I am always a little taken back and never know quite what to say in response to this. I do not often think of what we are doing as a sacrifice on our part. Sure, Ryan travels quite a bit and Avery and I are not always able to join him. Sure, he works a lot of nights and weekends, since calling Africa and working with volunteers requires odd hours. Sure, we might be able make a little more money doing something else with our time. But sacrifice? After spending time in Zimbabwe and Zambia and hearing the stories from our partners in Africa, I certainly do not feel like we are sacrificing much.

I have seen first-hand what I would consider true sacrifice. Sacrifice is the grandmother taking in her twelve grandchildren after their parents have passed away due to AIDS related illnesses. Sacrifice is the twelve-year-old who stops going to school so he can work and care for his younger brother and sister. Sacrifice is the home-based care worker who volunteers her time to visit with widows and children who are orphaned. Sacrifice is the pastor who conducts many funerals in one week – week after week. Sacrifice is the pastor who works tirelessly to support his congregants as they work to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the hurting families in their communities. Sacrifice is giving when it would be easier not to – when it would be easier to focus on themselves, but instead focus on the needs of others.

Sacrifice was Jesus coming to Earth as a man and dying on the cross so that our sins would be forgiven. Christ’s love for us resulted in the ultimate sacrifice, so that we may have life. This leaves us with an incredible responsibility and blessing to honor Christ with our lives. I have learned so much from the pastors, volunteers and families in Zimbabwe and Zambia about what it means to honor Christ with my life through service to others. This Christmas, join our family in praying about how God may be calling us to serve those in our community and in Southern Africa. May we know what it means to truly sacrifice for the sake of others, and as we do, may we learn more about the love of Christ for us and for people all around the world.

Merry Christmas!

Katie Keith

Grandmas are my heroes

Earlier this fall, my husband came down with a nasty flu bug which turned into a nastier sinus infection. He was sick for over a week, which left me balancing my job, our household, his care and our newly mobile eight-month old son. By the end of the first week, I was exhausted.

Enter the hero of our story - my mother-in-law. Armed with chicken soup and a stack of adorable baby clothes (she can't help it, she's a grandma!) she spent two days helping take care of our son so I could get work done. She played with him, fed him, rocked him to sleep, and I could relax knowing he was in good hands while I tended to other matters.

I read multiple reports each week from our church partners in Zimbabwe and Zambia. The week my husband was sick, I read through these reports with new eyes. Over and over, they referenced the needs of families made up of grandparents caring for grandchildren, after the middle generation of parents has died or become too sick to help. In Zimbabwe and Zambia, 86% of children orphaned live with a grandparent. Often these grandparents are both physically and financially unable to fully care for their grandchildren. The entire family faces hunger, children drop out of school, housing becomes unreliable and they become increasingly vulnerable.

I was tired after just one week of taking care of my child and sick husband. It's hard to imagine the impact of raising my son while my husband slowly died of AIDS-related complications.

I was relieved when my mother-in-law babysat my son so I could be gone for a few hours running errands. I can't imagine being HIV-positive and wondering who would care for him after I was gone - forever.

The holiday season is a time when many of us see our grandparents more than usual or remember the times we had with them more frequently. Will you join me this Christmas in making the grandparents in your life feel extra appreciated? And when you see them or think of them, remember to say a prayer for the millions of grandparents in southern Africa bearing an incredible burden of care for their families.

Ellen Shaffer - Director of Project Management

PS – One way to pay tribute to a grandparent in your life this Christmas is to give a donation to Forgotten Voices in their honor. Click here to find out more!

On to Zambia!

After 6 days in Zimbabwe traversing between multiple project partners including Foundations for Farming, Mtshabezi Secondary School, and The Rock Church among others, the team from Forgotten Voices has moved on to Zambia. You may have noticed from their tweets that the team's schedule has been incredibly busy, a roller coaster ride of mixed emotions as they reunite with old friends and also become reacquainted with their hardships.

Today the team has landed in Ndola to visit the Theological College of Central Africa and meet up with Zambian Program Director, Remmy Hamapande. Leading up to this trip, Remmy had the opportunity to visit the United States for the first time, speaking at numerous events and learning a lot about America culture (and enjoying no small amount of pizza along the way!).

Tomorrow the team will visit Lubuto Church of Christ, an hour and a half drive from their current location in Ndola. Through partnership with Forgotten Voices, Lubuto Church of Christ has been able to send over 80 orphans to school, provide sewing and empowerment projects to 32 widows, and construct a hammer mill for the community.

With the hammer mill in place, the church is now able to generate enough income to sustainably provide for the orphans and widows it currently supports. This project is a powerful example of what successful international partnership can look like, a model that Forgotten Voices is seeking to replicate elsewhere. It's important to note that the ideas for these self-sustaining projects are generated and spearheaded by the local people, as they clearly know what's most needed in their own communities. Forgotten Voices can then act as a conduit for their plans to become a reality.

Please continue to keep the Lubuto Church of Christ in your prayers, as well as our team. May the team's visit provide encouragement to the local community and leadership there as they seek to empower a growing number of orphans and widows across the region.

You can also keep up with the team's journey on facebook as they continue their time in Zambia.

Jan 5th Update From Zimbabwe

Today was marked by a visit to 4 homes focused on orphan care, three run by Jenny, a woman from England. Jenny is one of the Forgotten Voices partners in Zimbabwe. Each home was in a wonderful neighborhood, housing 10 children. The homes were clean, with plenty of interior and outside space, all provided in a great neighborhood. The children were incredibly energetic, jumping all over us, laughing and hugging our legs. It was great fun. The other facility was one that worked with Jenny, and specialized in rescuing infants and young children abandoned on the street or on the hospital doorstep. This home was much more heavily staffed with nurses and social workers, and was a temporary place where children are stabilized and adopted out or placed in foster care. Those who cannot be placed go to one of Jenny’s facilities, that she calls a “home for life”. The first impression is that these children are luckier than those we have visited yesterday, living in a safe, secure, and loving environment. However, we were reminded that in a society where family is all important and the key to marriage and acceptance in the community, these children will struggle all their lives for not having a family to call their own. Some wounds are more visible than others.

The most sobering moments of the day were spent visiting cemetery number 6, one of the smallest in the Bulawayo area. I wanted to visit a grave yard after I had read an article that cited casket making as one of the few healthy business in Zimbabwe. The number of fresh graves was overwhelming, with the dates on the headstones a reminder of the young age of people taken by AIDS. The headstone that hit me the hardest had an inscription taken from the book of Ecclesiastes. What struck me was the way the verse was paraphrased.

“Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses.”

In light of the suffering that these people endure on a daily basis, this was a remarkable expression of faith. I am humbled and ashamed of the shallowness of my own faith in the presence of these remarkable people.

Steve Proctor

Jan 4th Update from Zimbabwe

The burden carried by the church here is unbelievable. In both of the churches I have visited so far between 25 and 35% of the congregation is comprised of orphans – children in desperate straits.

Today we spent most of the day visiting families who were being supported by Forgotten Voices. I am not exactly a novice when it comes to seeing poverty and foreign mission, spending over 6 weeks in Honduras over the past several years. Even with this prior experience, the visits were hard emotionally. Each of the 5 stories were similar, with some variations. All had felt the impact of AIDS, losing a parent, son or daughter.

These are people of great composure and dignity, especially given the circumstances they are facing. Occasionally the despair and grief punches through and they are overwhelmed. There were several moments that will stick in my mind forever. One was with the first visit, where a mother her two sons were living in s 10x10 space. During the visit the son we were supporting in school spoke of his father’s death - tears welling up in his eyes. The mother seemed to be like all mom’s I have known - just hoping that her children would have a better chance in life.

The most difficult moment in the day was on another visit when Ryan asked one of the young boys being cared for by his aging grandmother what he liked about living there. He got very quiet and tearful. After about a minute of silence he said quietly, “I have no where else to go”. I found it hard to keep from weeping and hugging this precious child of God, clinging to his grandmother as the last person who wanted him or would provide for his needs. No 10 year old child should be reduced to such an edge of despair. Having a soft spot for older people my favorite photo so far is of his aged grandmother. It appears that for many of these vulnerable children, a grandparent is the last line of defense and the only stability they have in life.

I was also struck by the fact that no white person has visited these homes before. One of the grandmothers remarked, “We have seen you on TV and now you are here!”

-Steve Proctor