Learning from Hope

Today's story is from one of my favorite people in Africa - my dear, young friend Hope. She is Remmy Hamapande's niece. Remmy is our Zambia Director, who some of you were able to meet in Oct/Nov 2010. One of my favorite things in all the world is to sit and learn from children. Hope's eternal joy and quiet smile always warms my heart. It is no exaggeration to say that she has helped me get through dark times. When I come to Zambia, I stay with Remmy's family, including Hope.

After spending a long day with children who have recently lost their parents or assessing a difficult situation, it is common for me to return home exhausted and out of steam. But, Hope - like God's gift of hope - always invigorates me with her request to play games outside or UNO. Her endless joy refreshes me and helps me refocus on God's hope for all who I've seen that day. She is always concerned to make sure I'm doing well and always enjoys a laugh. From Hope, I've learned to come home to my daughter ready to play, laugh, and love despite a tough day. For all the kids we serve, I long to create a family environment of laughter and hope - a lesson Hope has helped me learn again and again.

I'm thankful Hope offered to write this. Though she is shy, her heart is full of love for all of us. I hope that her reflection, offered with love, offers you hope.

Ryan Keith - President, Forgotten Voices

(Click to enlarge)

Hope Shanungu, 12 year old from Ndola, Zambia

Christmas in Zambia

Typical Zambian child’s Christmas: Celebrating Christ’s birth, a gift of life to mankind!

It is Christmas time again! This period always reminds me of the days when, as a young boy in my father’s home in Livingstone, Zambia, my siblings and I would be so excited and expectant of what our father had for us. We would be playing with friends in the mud, but eagerly waiting for that moment when he would stand on our house veranda and call us inside so that we would try on the clothes and/or shoes that he had bought us sometime back, but kept from us for this special day of Christmas. This would be one of those days when being told to take a bath was a joy instead of a hassle. Bathing would be done from a huge basin placed in the shower room; and together we would scoop the waters and splash them on our soiled bodies with zeal knowing what is motivating us. Thereafter, each one would try on their new pants and/or shoes to see if they fit. Then we would all go to church for the usual Christmas service even though only mom would take us there. In the afternoon back home, as we wait for a meal that consisted of rice and chicken for the first time in many months, we would wander around so that friends would see the new clothes our parents bought us. This tradition showed how much our parents loved and cared for us.

Unfortunately, though this may still be a typical child’s way of celebrating Christmas across some families in our country, it is no longer like this in many homes. HIV/AIDS has decimated many families leaving children with no parents from whom they would expect new clothes; expect a heavy meal of rice, chicken, bread and sweets; and above all, expect this sincere love and care from a parent. Orphans have no one to look to for a gift of love like this. Christmas at church was normally celebrated as a service early in the morning, and later in the day families would gather in their homes and enjoy meal fellowships. As years went by, it was observed that many children being orphaned had nowhere to go for a feast after church. It was then when my church began to have not only a service, but also a meal fellowship together with the orphans at church.

Thank God, for through Jesus Christ, he has showed how much he loved and cared for us. As a child, I am sure Jesus grew to desire children’s play just like my siblings and I did; he yearned for His father, Joseph, to give special treats during special days for him and his siblings and therefore he knew what childhood life is like. Christ once said “I will not leave you orphans…” John 14: 18; meaning he understood how tough a life an orphan underwent. He now dwells in the Church, and through it he has championed the love and care for the many orphaned children. They find refuge; they find compassion, care and love in the church. This is why the ministry of Forgotten Voices International has identified partnership with local churches as the ultimate solution to the plight of the orphan. The Bible continues to remind us that; “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” James 1:27. These things are closest to the Father’s heart as He commands us to respond with love, John 15: 12.

Therefore, as we celebrate Christ’s birth, a gift of life to mankind, let’s remember the many orphans that have nothing or little to eat. We can do this by donating to the ministry of Forgotten Voices in its partnership with local churches in Southern Africa; we will make one more child’s Christmas life forever blessed and meaningful.

Remmy Hamapande - Zambian Program Director

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

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!