Zimbabwe Part Two

Youth for Christ Zimbabwe.

We finished out Smart Choices program with the Youth for Christ team on Monday. We had them prepare and teach all of lesson four and part of lesson five back to us. They are enthusiastic about the program and did a great job of teaching their sections. We are presenting the program to thirty-three students at an orphanage/private school called SOS. It is financed by a European organization, I think from Germany. It is a secular organization but the administration welcome Christian content programs.

Tammy and others from the Baptist Church go out there weekly to do activities with the kids at SOS and at least two other orphan care facilities. The Youth for Christ team that we trained are doing the whole program and we are just filling in a few spots for one of the team members that didn't show up. They are doing a great job of teaching and are all very enthusiastic about the impact that it will have on the community. It is now Friday morning and we have completed the whole program at the SOS school.

During our downtime in the morning we have visited several orphan care facilities. One lady who is originally from Australia has adopted four girls that live with her at her home in town and she is also responsible for another 96 children who are living at a Youth for Christ campground about 18 Km out of town. They are required to vacate the camp site by the end of this year so they are frantically searching for a location to move them to. They have found a hotel that is available and would be an ideal property but the owner wants $800,000 for it. The caretakers are hopeful that the owners would accept $500,000 and are prayerfully seeking financial support to come up with the money. All of the children that are cared for by this organization have been victims of some kind of sexual or physical abuse.

One family that we have met that also attends Jeff and Tammy's church have adopted fourteen children and are currently living in a three-bedroom house. He is English and she is Matabele and their place is spotless. Considering the children's backgrounds they are all extremely well behaved with wonderful manners and so friendly and welcoming to visitors. As soon as we arrived one of them grabbed each of us by the hand to show us all the shrubs and trees growing in the garden, then a tour of the vegetable garden, and than a visit to the chicken coop before getting a tour of their bedrooms.

It is time to start packing up and getting ready to head to the Bulawayo Airport for the long journey home. I will add some pictures to these posts when I we get back to California so come back and visit this blog in a few days time. Also plan on coming to be part of our trip feedback evening soon. We will let you now the exact date and time shortly.

Glynn Smith