Watching Zimbabwe

Yesterday I was heavily bummed out due to a few setbacks.  But when I returned home, I found a note from Ryan Keith of  http://www.forgottenvoices.org/  . Here's some background info.  Last October, Gail and Abbie and I went to Zimbabwe.  We visited a Christian school with hundreds of students, no small number of whom were orphaned by AIDS.  The school had no electricity and no water, and the nearby medical clinic was in the same predicament for the last three years. It seems vandal/thieves had stolen the oil from the transformer on the nearby utility poles.  The transformer had overheated and was damaged beyond repair.  This had happened three or four years prior to our visit, so the power, and subsequently the well water, had not been available during that entire time.  The government-owned utility company had totally neglected requests to restore the power, even if a transformer was provided by outside sources.

  I climbed up on a rickety ladder to assess the situation, we took some pictures and notes, and Gail and Abbie proceeded through the week to minister to the orphans and others there and elsewhere in the area.  I submitted a report to Forgotten Voices, and we began to pray.  We also were able to raise some funds to send for the project to help in the acquisition of whatever materials and labor were needed to get the job done.  We didn't hear anything for months, then earlier this year, we were informed that because some American guy (I) had been climbing around on the electrical poles, the government decided to commit to repairing the transformer!  We were elated but cautious, due to the reliability of promises made by Zimbabwean officials in the past. As it turns out, they were true to their word this time around.  Yesterday Ryan Keith assured me the electricity was hooked up, and they had been able to acquire two 5,000 gallon water tanks and the plumbing needed to supply the school with water!!!!  This made my day, my week, and my year since we had been there. And it has vastly overshadowed my temporary and minor setbacks that had seemed so overwhelming before. We hope to return to Zimbabwe and see the results, and to do more for the beautiful people of former Rhodesia.
Please visit the Forgotten Voices Website and see the other great things being done there and in neighboring countries. You may be able to help more than you thought!!