Wed 10/22 – Our team was very excited for Wednesday to arrive. Many of us have been anticipating a visit to Binga for nearly two years…and today was the day! For those who are unfamiliar with the work of the New Hope Home in Binga, you can read the beginnings of it here. We received news that the roof over the chapel had been completed just prior to our arrival, and so our conference will be the first event held in this new facility.
On the way to the New Hope Home, we stopped at a small rural school to share about Jesus. The school house was a basic thatched-roof structure with the older students in the room on the left and the younger students in the room on the right. I think we may have unintentionally frightened some of the younger students, many of whom have never seen white-skinned people before.
When we finally arrived at the New Hope Home property, we were caught by surprise as hundreds of people were waiting for us. We briefly toured the property and put our eyes on completed projects that only had been observed in pictures (borehole, fence, garden, etc.). We were overwhelmed with how well the people of the community have taken ownership of the property and facilities and are keeping wonderful care of it.
After a short tour of the property, we were escorted back to the front gates for a flag-raising ceremony. Some of the school children sang and then Kendall gave thanks to the Lord for the work that is being accomplished there. After the celebration, some of our group members visited schools across the street while others went into the chapel to begin the conference.
The conference included 147 pastors, their wives, and community leaders. Of the sizable crowd, only a small handful owned Bibles. So, we were pleased to be able to pass out Bibles to many in attendance. We kept the theme of this conference the same as in Bulawayo, but abbreviated the material to fit into one afternoon of teaching. Kendall, Peter, and Richard all spoke about the importance of Christian leaders to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4).
Before we left the area, we stopped at a nearby village. This village is noteworthy because it is home to a number of orphans who have been taken into families. Without the welcoming love of these local families, the children you see in these pictures would have no place to live, no school to attend, and no parents to care for them. We thank all of our faithful supporters who make these newly-formed families possible.
Please continue to pray for the work in Binga. Finding families willing to take in orphans is a monumental task, yet one we believe is worth the effort. As you pray, consider the children pictured below who are still orphaned without families. We are trusting God to help us place them into Christian homes…
The Empty Team
Other posts from this trip…
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Wow, wow, wow, great pictures (except for that one with those four ugly guys). Wonderful progress since we were there around Easter time. Glory to God for how He has prepared the ground for this to be embraced by the community.