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The Michael Project Newsletter
August 2003
Contents
A new dawn for the Tonga people
Kulonga
is the word used to describe Exodus in the Tonga Bible, and the Tonga
people experienced their own exodus when they were transported from their
homes on the banks of the Zambezi River in 1957, to escape the rising waters
of the newly built Lake Kariba. They use the word kulonzegwa when
referring to this displacement from what they saw as their promised land.
But the Tonga also have a saying "Kabuca uleta tunji" which
means "the dawn brings many things". We believe that God
is bringing many new things for these displaced people. As a result of Greystone
Park Christian Fellowship's (GPCF) training seminars with the pastors from
Siabuwa and Binga, we have started to build relationships with these communities.
Like much of Zimbabwe, this area has been severely affected by AIDS and famine,
and there are many sad stories of orphaned and destitute children with very
little in the way of food, clothes or hope. The Michael Project's next pre-school
is destined for the heart of Siabuwa. Once the rural council gives the go-ahead,
building work will commence, bringing a new dawn to the children of Siabuwa,
and with it God's love and hope.
The Michael Project is also involved with the co-ordination of food distribution in the Binga area, targeting undernourished children. Sue Dunn from GPCF reports:-
'We have just returned from a wonderful trip to Binga on the shores of Lake Kariba. It was no ordinary trip. Ten of us travelled on the back of an open five tonne truck for 26 hours in total! Fifteen of those hours were perched on top of 450 bags of maize meal destined for the hungry people in north-western Zimbabwe.
Our journey was not without incident. My sleeping bag became a "flying bag" at one point, so we had a whistle stop (everyone whistled and the driver stopped), while Jamain ran back down the highway to retrieve said bag. At another time in the night, a bag of maize fell off somewhere after the town of Gokwe. Fortunately, I had written on it in Tonga, "With love from Jesus - God is good" so I expect someone in the road received a gift from heaven with surprise and delight.
What a joy and privilege it was to distribute the food and
clothes, and work for our Lord. We were not "us" but merely the
arms, legs and heart of Christ's body. We represented many giving and loving
people in sharing the love of God with many hungry and "naked" little
and big people. Every beautiful little dress, shirt, shorts and bag of maize,
was received in the knowledge that it was God who gave it, not us - the answer
to the Tonga people's dreams and prayers.'
TOP
The Michael Project
team grows
Junic Kusvabadika has now joined the Michael Project
team to further develop our orphan care and community work. Junic, who is
from Chiredzi in Southern Zimbabwe, has been with Youth With A Mission (YWAM)
in Zambia for nine years working with children at risk. She will regularly
visit the communities in Wingate and Binga to work with the children, to encourage
them and to teach them about Jesus. She has had an incredible impact on the
Wingate community already.
Danielle Alexander and Christine Dube have also joined
us to take up the challenge of further developing our work in Chikurubi Prison.
We now hold bible studies with the women on our monthly visits, and hope to
increase the frequency of these visits. Plans, although in the early stages,
are also in the pipeline to build an daycare centre within the prison grounds.
This exciting development will mean that the children will be able to leave
the confines of the prison block, and spend their days in a normal environment.
More about this in future newsletters.
TOP
Working with the Wingate
Children
Earlier this year, Katrina Morris spent 3 months at our Wingate Pre-school
on an Oasis Professional Placement, and shares some of her experiences.
The first day I visited the play centre (pre-school) and the community of Wingate, I was amazed to see so many truly happy children who appeared to have little in the way of material possessions. It was also a real eye opener. I had to teach children how to use soap when they washed their hands and how to dry them on a towel. Many had never held a pencil before, but they learnt very quickly and it was amazing by the end of term to see how much they had progressed in their academic skills. It was a great experience to see and be a part of the children's joy, seeing them play with balls, using dressing up clothes for the first time and eating a sweet when it was someone's birthday, eating it so slowly and enjoying every lick!
The children took great pride in coming to school. They wore their only pair of shoes, but if it rained they would take them off and walk barefooted so as to keep their shoes dry and clean.
I had many humbling experiences during my time at the play centre. One 4 year old girl came and told me (in Shona but the teacher translated) that she had been praying for me, and she would continue to pray for me. Another girl, also 4, put her hand up after a bible story and said , "I'm already a servant of God". She led the singing most days! One day when we were talking about what makes us grow, like food and water, a boy put up his hand and said, "we need to read our bible, and pray everyday and we'll grow." It amazed me daily to see and hear the children's responses and to know that they were learning so much about God. I really witnessed the power of prayer when I was in Zimbabwe. I kept in contact with family and friends by email and asked them to pray for specific things each week. It was encouraging to see so many of those prayers for the children and the community being answered almost instantly.
Please Pray for
The food distribution in Binga; that God would lead us
to those with the greatest need.
Favour with the Rural Council in Siabuwa and that our plans for a pre-school
would proceed unhindered.
The children in both these
communities; that they would know the love of God.
Junic as she begins to develop relationships in the Wingate Community; that
God would protect her, and give her wisdom and discernment.
Danielle and Christine as they visit the nursing mothers in Chikurubi Prison;
and that Jesus would impact the lives of these women and children.
