More Photos

(Above Left) "The Baby Elephant with its mom. (Above) Kamau being stalked by "The Baby Elephant."

Photos for February & March Update

(Far Left) Kimani & Malaika in the corn field at the village.

(Below) The oxen at the village. The red one was not happy that Kamau was taking its picture.

February & March Update

These last two months have been very busy yet an exciting time for us! God has been doing wonderful things in a variety of ways! We have received lots and lots of rain which begin in November last year. The landscape is a beautiful rush green as far as the eye can see! Quite a far cry from October when we first arrived here and the vegetation was scorched brown and the heat intense.

We would like to share some of the things which the Lord has been doing this month:

Village Construction:

The walls and the roof on the fourth and the last cottage of the first phase have been installed Kitchen counter tops on the first and second cottage are already in place there is yet a lot to be done but we are encouraged to see the beginning of this process.

We are very grateful to God for the provision of $12,000 towards the installation of the power lines and the transformer which will enable us to access power into the children's village! We made the necessary payment to Zesco, the local power company on the last week of February.

The Farm

The Farm is doing great!!! Thanks to God for the rains and the 11 conservation farming students who have been working diligently. The corn has matured and twice we have gone to the farm to obtain fresh honest to goodness corn for meals! Being a city girl, Kamau had to show Kimberly how to break off the corn from the stork. In our January update you may recall a picture we sent of Kimani and Malaika next to the corn which at that time was up to their ankles, now however, the corn is much higher than even the adults! The other crops we have on the farm such as sunflower, cassava, soybeans and groundnuts are also doing very well.

Another addition to the farm are two oxen which we obtained during the beginning of February. We plan to use the oxen to plow the farm in readiness for the next planting season this year. They will need to be broken and trained before we can use them. We figured that this would be a more cost effective way of plowing the farm instead of using the tractor because fuel is outrageously expensive here. One gallon of diesel cost $5 dollars(petrol $6 a gallon) we usually spend $75 round trip to Lusaka which is only an hour away, you can bet we don't go often! Another reason we decided using the oxen is a win win situation is that we can “eat them” when we are no longer able to use them at the farm. But don't tell this to Kimani and Malaika, they think it would a terrible tragedy to eat such cute things, Kamau though begs to differ, he thinks they are palatable.

Another wonderful blessing we received on February 24th is a machine called Vitagoat designed in Canada but manufactured in India because it is cheaper to build it there. The beauty of this machine is that it was designed for use in a village setting without the need to use electricity nor generator. All one needs to process soybeans into milk is a simple bicycle like pedaling machine to grind soy which has been pre-soaked the previous night for 6-8 hr. The soy beans are then put inside a specially made cooker which is heated upto110celus using either firewood or charcoal. Two Canadians technicians came to help setup and also trained the Conservation Farming students on it's use. We have since been using this machine to process soy into milk, it really tastes good! The milk is also rich in protein! We also make tofu from the milk processed from the beans. We have also used the Vitagoat machine to make peanut butter and tomato paste. The machine can also be used press the sunflower seeds into cooking oil and to make mango puree including grinding corn into flour which can be used to make Nhsima, a local staple food in most parts of East and Southern Africa. The abundance of the food at the farm and now the machine to process it means that there will be plenty of food available when the children finally arrive at the village.


Community Outreach

We have been so grateful for the opportunity that the Lord has provided for us to begin to have a weekly Bible club at the local community school close to where our children's village is located. Once a week on Tuesdays, Kimberly teaches two classes of students. One group is fourth and fifth grade students and the other group is seventh and eighth grade, each class has about 30 students. The pastor's wife of the church that we attend, Mary Zulu, team teaches with Kimberly in order to translate into the language of Bemba. Kimani and Malaika have been attending as well so that they can have the opportunity to learn about proclaiming the Good News.

The excitement and attentiveness on the faces of the younger children as the lessons are being taught is very evident. At first they were very shy as we began to interact with them and many still are, but more and more we are able to engage them, especially during game time. Both Kimberly and Mary have been experiencing great joy in being able to share the Gospel in this way to the children. We have noticed that the younger group is more eager to hear, where as the older group at times seems less so. This convinced us even more that there is a sense of urgency to reach young children with God's truth while their hearts are still tender.

Also, each day during the week, morning devotions are held for the 36 farm workers and the 11 Conservation Farming students. What a wonderful blessing that every day they are able to hear the Word of God before the begin their work day!

Fellowship

There is a very dear group of believers from Zimbabwe that have befriended us. During the month of February we formed a care group and began to meet together every other Friday. Currently, we are reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren which is a wonderful study on understanding and applying the truth of why we are here: to glorify God and honor Him through the use of our gifts, abilities, talents, resources, everything that He has given us.

Animal Encounters

Lions & Hyenas

We have also enjoyed some interesting animal sights as well . We were able to visit a local game reserve for the first time. There were two memorable sights that stood out during out visit. The first was seeing lionesses and hyenas interact with another. They were each in their own fenced in enclosure but they were still able to come face to face with one another. It was fascinating to watch them as they irritated each other. Actually it was very amusing to see that all the hyenas did to provoke the lions was to walk back and forth in front of the fence and stare at them. They did not make a sound but the lions were furious and were roaring at them in a burst of rage!

The guide also brought it to our attention and demonstrated that when an adult person approached the fence where the hyenas were, they backed away in fear. However, when Kimani and Malaika got out of the truck and approached the fence (not too close, mind you!), the hyenas showed great interest in them and began to move forward to get a closer look at them. They were not afraid of the children at all. They were probably thinking, “Hmmm, just the right size for a morsel!”

Elephants

Another delight we received at the game reserve was to see a small family of elephants cross the road just as were were leaving the park. We had looked for them earlier but they could not be located. When we saw them, the guide stopped the vehicle so that we could take pictures and get a better look at them. Kamau got out of the truck to get photos of them and he was able to get pretty close. As he was taking the shots, the baby elephant decided that Kamau was a size that he could handle and he began to charge him! It was very cute to see this small baby of an elephant behaving in such a tough manner!

Monkeys

On our way to church one Sunday, we were able to see a family of monkeys gathered in some trees . They had grayish brown fur on their bodies and white fur on their faces. We believe that they may have been grivets which are very common in this part of Africa. Kimberly was so excited she almost scared them away. One of the monkeys began to fuss quite loudly as we sat there and watched them. It was a great way to start our day as we marveled over the wonder of God's creatures.

Oxen

Once again Kamau found himself as an object of wrath when he and a couple of guys had to wrestle one of the oxen to the ground in order to apply medication to its injured hoof. The next day, he happened to pass by where the ox was grazing and either the ox has a very good memory or he retained his scent or whatever but he seemed to have remembered Kamau as one of his tormentors because he came charging at full blast. After the episode with the ox, Kamau is really glad that he is NOT the one training nor breaking them!


Praise & Prayer Request

Praise: The amount needed of $8000 to install electrical power at the village has been provided!
Prayer: We have read reports of the power company delaying the installation of power for up to three years even after the customers have paid the amount needed for service. This is, of course, most outrageous. Please pray that God will give us favor and cause the process to move along in a timely manner.

Praise: All four cottages are now up.

Prayer: Please for the provision of funds to complete the plumbing, windows, doors and furniture in all of the cottages.

Praise: The outreach opportunities that God has provided among the 36 farm workers, the 11 students and the children at the community school.

Prayer: Pray that the lives of each and every one of these souls will be transformed to become faithful disciples of Christ. Please also be praying for Kamau, Pastor Zulu and Mr. Phiri as they lead the morning devotions and for Kimberly and Mary Zulu as they teach the Bible club at the community school.

Praise: Malaika became ill with high fever, diarrhea, and headaches two weeks ago. We are very thankful that the Lord led us to take her to the doctor in time for him to diagnose her with malaria and prescribed immediate treatment. She is doing much better now. Thank God also that the rest of us have not been seriously ill since we arrived.

Prayer: It seems that Malaika becomes sick more easily here in Zambia that when she was in the States. At the moment she has a rash of fine bumps that turn into sores all over her body. Please pray for God's healing and protection upon her.

Thanks for praying & May God bless you,

Kamau, Kimberly, Kimani & Malaika

Celebrating Christmas and New Year in Zambia

(Our little friend Joseph, Malaika &
Kimani on Christmas Day)



December 30, 2006

Greetings!

From Kamau...

We hope that you, your families and friends had a delightful Christmas Holiday as we remembered the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, Him who left the splendor and glory in Heaven and came to this sin stained world knowing His destiny was to be the lonely hill of Golgotha.
Our holiday here in Zambia was rather quiet and low key. We took the time to rest and recharge and then for me, it was back to work the following day on Tuesday. We are very encouraged as we reflect on the last three months since we arrived in Zambia, how that in spite of many challenges and bumps along the road here and there, the Lord our God has been very gracious and right there with us in every situation.

I think of our wonderful church family in Delaware and our many other friends who prevailed with us in much prayer and intercession as we prepared to embark on the journey which we felt the Lord was leading us.

Looking around us now, there is sense of awe and deep gratitude to God as we see the wonderful things He has done in the three months that we have been here, challenges notwithstanding . Please take a brief picture tour of some of the things which are now in place, none of which were there when we arrived in first week of October.






The foundations on all of the first cottages have

been completed and the walls are going up!

















Kimani and Malaika at the farm in the Village. This is

our first crop of maize that the Conservation Farming

students planted. We began the Conservation Farming on

November 1, 2006 and the farm was cleared and planting

of Corn, Soybeans, Cassava, Groundnuts and sunflower

seeds was completed which will feed the children when they

arrive in the children's home. These are the latest pictures

of how our corn is growing!

Cottage number one is ready for the roof to be installed

in the first weeks of January.

The road which leads into Village of Hope

Road improvement and grading was started

towards the end of November, a process

which is still in progress.

From Kimberly...

Our Christmas was warm and sunny, quiet and restful. We celebrated the birthday of our nine year old houseguest as well with the day culminating in presenting a cake and singing “Happy Birthday.” On Tuesday the day after Christmas, Kamau was approached by one of the Conservation Farming students and told him that she wanted Jesus to come into her heart because she had been doing bad things. She shared that she had recently been involved in a verbal altercation with another girl who had made her angry. Her mother witnessed her behaving this way and this caused her a great deal of guilt and shame. She also said that she had been drinking at times and she was tired of being this way and wanted to change. Kamau spoke with her briefly about what salvation is all about and told her that he would bring his wife to talk about it with her in more depth.

Later that afternoon we went to the farm where the students were finishing up for the day. Kamau introduced me to the student, Ireen, and we found a quiet place so that God's Word could be shared with her. It was absolutely delightful to be able to speak one on one with Ireen and explain to her how she could come out of the kingdom of darkness into God's kingdom of light through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. She was eager to receive God's Word into her heart and she prayed for forgiveness and received Christ. After counseling with her, I invited her to attend church with us on Sunday. She was concerned that her father may not let her attend because the family is Jehovah's Witness, so we prayed and and asked God to intervene. I encouraged her to obey her father and trust that the Lord, her Heavenly Father, would work on her behalf. How very exciting to receive a text from Ireen which said, “Hello Auntie, how are you, what time will we be leaving for church this Sunday.?” It was an awesome display of God's grace!

The next few days were spent preparing for another houseguest whom we picked up from the bus station in Lusaka. Her name is Betsy and she has been volunteering at the Children of Zion children's home in Namibia. She will be taking a couple of weeks to rest and fellowship with us. Betsy is a young woman in her twenties from Maryland and will be returning to the US soon to prepare to return as a long term missionary. She is seeking the Lord's direction on whether to serve at the Villages of Hope here is Zambia, return to Children of Zion in Namibia or another country in Sub-saharan Africa.

Yesterday, Kamau came to the house to ask for first aid supplies. One of the Conservation students had injured his hand and knee and needed care. Later on, I asked Kamau how the student had been hurt and Kamau shared with me that the young man, Peter, had actually been running for his life. As Kamau was telling me this I was thinking, “Oh, someone must have been trying to fight with him or something”, I certainly was not prepared to hear what the true threat was. Peter said that he had been walking towards our farm to begin his day at school, and he heard movement and looked around but saw nothing. He heard it again and this time when he turned, he saw a hooded cobra standing (yes, standing!) almost as tall as he, prepared to strike. Peter began to run and then fell, which was how he received his injuries. The cobra had disappeared into the grass as Peter began to run.

I was speechless as thoughts which tried to take root as fears tried to crowd my mind as I considered what Kamau had just told me. I remembered that just two weeks ago, we had seen a baby snake near one of the cottages where we will soon be living, and the obvious question which was left lingering in our minds was, “Where were the parents and siblings?!!”

I could hear the “what ifs” in my head begin. But then the Spirit of the Lord brought to my mind some verses from Psalm 91:
“You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.”
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

It was very comforting to mediate on these verses and the “what ifs” began to be pushed away. This morning when Marika was having her quiet time, she came excitedly to Kamau and I and said that the Lord had just impressed upon to share these verses in Psalm 91 to us. We had not told Marika about what had happened with the cobra and Peter, the day before! It was a wonderful confirmation to my spirit that the Lord had truly been speaking to my heart and once again addressing my fears and encouraging me to trust Him fully with all things. I could do nothing but praise God from my heart.

Marika, typing letters to loved ones back home.

January 1, 2007

Celebrating the New Year in Zambia

Our our new church home is in a rural village and has mud walls, a grass thatched roof and dirt floor without electricity. To bring in the New Year, an all night prayer vigil was held that began at 7:30pm and ended at 6:00am on New Year's Day. We joined them at 11:00pm and were very excited to participate in the celebration. As we approached the church it was very dark except for the glow of candlelight coming from the windows of the church. We could hear the voices of believers praying and pouring out their hearts to the Lord. When we entered the building, we saw men, women and children gathered together. Some people were standing, some sitting, others were kneeling as they prayed.

As 2007 approached, the prayer intensified to welcome the New Year by imploring God to accomplish His purposes in our lives, our church, our communities and in our nations. There was a sense of a refusal to let the enemy of God continue to wreak havoc through division among churches and believers and through deceiving the lost into believing that seeking the things of this world is what life is about. When midnight came, there was singing of praises to God and greeting and hugging one another.

Throughout the evening there was a joyous spirit of worship through prayer, personal testimonies of God's faithfulness in the past year, exhortations, singing and dancing. Pastor Nzulu encouraged us from John 16:33 that though we may have trouble and tribulations in the world, we are to be of good cheer because Christ has overcome the world. We were reminded that these are the last days and perilous times will come, yet in all this we can take comfort in the knowledge that God will never leave us, nor forsake us. We can therefore, have hope and confidence as we enter the New Year with all of its unknowns. As we were returning home we drove past a tavern not far from our church. The people there were dancing and ushering in the New Year also. We could not help but notice the stark contrast of those who choose to worship the Lord and acknowledge Him in all things and those who seek only after the pleasures of this world.

Our prayer for you is that you all would experience the best that the Lord has for you this year, and that the character of Christ would be formed in you in increasing measure until He is all that can be seen.

With much love and gratitude,

The Kamaus

Psalm 73:28
“But as for me, it is good to be near to God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds

Adusting To Life in Zambia

Our hearts are full of praise and encouragement from the Lord as we have seen many answers to prayer. Here are just some:

Kimani & Malaika...

They have been adjusting very well to their new home. We have settled into a daily routine of homeschooling and are provided with an abundance of fascinating creatures to observe in our yard which is a great outdoor classroom. This is the first opportunity that they have actually been able to spend a great deal of daily time outside exploring their surroundings. It is fun to see them with smudges on their faces as they examine strange new insects and bring in flowers and fresh lemons that they have picked from the trees.

God has answered the prayer of courage for Kimani as he fearlessly handles frogs, caterpillars, lizards and the tails of lizards so fresh off its body, that it is still moving (without the lizard!).

Malaika has been taking great delight in digging into dirt and making mud creations after being introduced to geology during school time.

Both children have befriended a stray cat whom they've named Butterscotch (otherwise known as “Scotch the Butter”, by Kamau). They had been praying for a pet even while we lived in the U.S., but they were not able to have one because Kamau, true to his African culture, did not want an animal living in the house. Only the Lord could answer this prayer in such a way that all parties involved are satisfied. The children have an animal to play with that does not live in the house. Perfect solution!!

Kimberly...

Has seen God begin to strengthen her concerning her various fears, especially as it concerns spiders and insects of which there are many. There is a definite sense of a new level of trust in the Lord and growing pains that have to take place in order to adapt to the challenges of living in this new country so very different from the U.S.

Some of the challenges include almost nightly power outtages that often take place during the preparation of dinner and stay out for a couple of hours or sometimes for the whole night. It becames especially difficult because if the power goes, then so does the water since it has to be pumped into the house. This usually means that we cannot cook, bathe,wash dishes or even flush the bathroom.We are learning the importance of preparing the dinner meal in the early part of the day, especially when guests are coming. And speaking of guests, it is customary here in Africa for visitors to drop by unannounced so Kimberly has had an opportunity to strengthen her hospitality skills.

We are also adapting to life without hot water for bathing, doing laundry or dishes, unless we heat the water on the stove. Laundry is done by hand and dried on the clothes line. We have recently learned that during the rainy season, clothes must be ironed if they are hung out to dry outside. This has nothing do with neatness but everything to do with killing the eggs of the putsi fly which likes to lay its eggs on damp clothing. If, by some unfortunate chance one happens to wear an article of clothing that has the eggs on it, the eggs make their way onto one's skin and implant themselves there so that they can feed and develop into maggots. All of this takes place just under the surface of the skin and they are quite painful to remove. Needless to say, some of us that have had a casual, come what may attitude about ironing, have now become quite diligent in performing this vital task!!!!

She praises the Lord for signs of answered prayer concerning the balancing of homeschool, managing the household tasks and ministry. He has provided a very capable team member in Marika Galanis who is gifted in organization and doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done. She is helping to keep Kimberly on task!

Health

We are very, very grateful to the Lord for strengthening our bodies to resist illnesses that could easily plague us. With the exception of some upset stomachs for a couple of days, we have been feeling great! We have also befriended three physicians and they all attend our new church! (How awesome is that!)

Spiritual Growth & Fellowship

The very first Sunday that we arrived in Zambia, God led us to a church where we could grow and develop relationships with local believers. Along with the local Zambian Christians that we have have been meeting, we have also met Christians from Zimbabwe who moved to Zambia after having their farms seized by the government there. Although they have gone through a very difficult and painful time, their hearts are tender to the Lord and they are open to what He is doing in their lives. They are excited about what God is doing in Zambia and desire to take part in some way. We are so grateful to the Lord for answering this prayer of finding a church home and new friends.

Miscellaneous...

We were somewhat apprehensive about driving on the left side of the road before we arrived in Zambia. It turned out that our concerns were real. It really took some getting used to because everything was opposite from what we were used to. We shift gears with our left hand, the turning signals are located in a different place so we kept turning on the windshield wipers by mistake, making turns felt strange, etc. Then add to the mix, speeding drivers on a two lane highway, large slow moving trucks that make it necessary to pass (overtake) frequently, fast moving trucks coming in the opposite direction, people (children as well) walking or bicycling alongside major roads and a nervous wife shouting “WATCH OUT!!! It most certainly makes for a harrowing experience!

Now, due to your prayers and God's faithfulness, we are zipping up and down the highway to and from the city of Lusaka for shopping and hunting for car parts on the infamous Cairo road in the downtown area where underworld and shifty characters hang around, attending church in Liteta, and taking the children to play on the trampolines at a lodge in Fringilla! We are feeling quite comfortable with our new driving skills. What a gracious, kind Lord we serve!

Kamau...

Well, he is here contemplating the ways of God. All he had wanted to do was return to Africa and bring hope and encouragement to orphan and destitute children. He thought he had a fair idea of who and what he is or is not. He knows very well that he is not a construction supervisor or a mechanic, he is not a commercial farmer nor is he one to consult when a road needs to be to be widened and graded. He is just a simple guy with a burden to join the Lord in rescuing and rehabilitating orphans who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS and bring them up in a loving environment conducive to spiritual growth.

He is finding out that in order to rescue the orphans they will need houses to live in and since there are no houses they will have to be built. The children will need food to eat, so the fields will need to be cultivated, seeds will need to be planted to produce crops for the village. In order for the farming and the construction of the cottages to proceed, the road leading into the construction site and the farm will need to made passable, especially now that the rainy season has began. These activities require machinery which has tendency to break down, sometimes too often . With all of this going on, he is asking himself why God, fully aware of his inadequencies, placed him in a position to oversee this undertaking. This is not what he had in mind when he started out, he would never have wanted it, nor would have gone looking for it.

Yet, now that he is here, he realizes that in order for a Village of Hope to exist, it has to be built from the ground up. Many times, Kamau has found himself pulled in so many different directions, stretched almost to the limit, one particular week was very trying due to problems with the with the tractor, the farm tractor is very crucial to the operation, without the tractor operating, all activity at both the construction site and the farm usually comes to a complete standstill. This is because all the building material has to be transported from the storage area to the main construction site. Until recently Kamau had to go out to the nearby farms, on what he now calls "begging missions", to borrow tools when the tractor broke down since we did not have tools of our own. it did help that when he went there, either there were no tools or the farmers were very reluctant to lend there tools to strangers. But praise God! Our church provided resouces towards the purchase of tools which Beth and Jason Stabley delivered when they came to visit with us!!!

Here is an example of what one week looked like:

Monday- The tractor stalled while ripping and the battery had to be removed and taken to Liteta for charging overnight.
Wednesday- The exhaust pipe broke which stopped the ripping from being completed, a farm manager who is our neighbour kindly allowed us to use his arc welding machine and asked one of his men to help us repair it.
Thursday-The front right tractor tyre sustained two punctures while ripping, we removed the tyre and took it to Fringilla for repairs.
Friday- The sharp pointed tooth attached to the middle ripper broke right before the work on the entire 4.7 acres being used for farming was completed. Kamau and the workers went looking for the 5-6 inch broken piece but did not find it. He had to call the person who lend it to him and nervously explain what happened. What a week that was!!!
Kamau believes the only thing that keeps him going is the confidence that he did hear God's call and that God has allowed him to be in a situation where he will need to depend on Him for strength and direction every step of the way.

There is also the process of establishing rules and policies for the Village and the recruiting and interviewing of the house mothers and other employees who will work in various capacities once the children are finally here. (Ah, now this feels more like the comfort zone that Kamau is used to!).

Yet inspite of the challenges, God has been gracious to us, for when we first arrived here last Month in October, the foundation of the first cottage was being laid down, now almost two months later, foundations for the 4 cottages has been completed and the walls are already up on the first two cottages! walls on the third cottage is well under way!

Prayer Requests

You certainly can pray for us, we are right now in the process of completing the first of the two cottages where orphans will be living, the walls on both are up but the roof and the windows have not yet been put into place.

We are also in the process of recruiting house mothers who will be the primary caregivers of the children, this is a critical part of the process since the House mothers will literary be the parents of these orphaned children who have suffered so much trauma through the loss to their loved ones. It is very important that we find godly house parents who truly love Jesus and will likewise love these children as their very own. Please, pray that God will give us discernment and clarity of mind as we seek and interview the house mothers candidates, we are not interested with applicants who just want a job but those who have a heart for God including love and compassion for these children.

As far as our needs are concerned, please pray for an increase in our monthly support to help us meet our daily needs. We also need a vehicle to help with our transportation.
In Lusaka, the city where we usually go for shopping is about an hour each way, having a reliable vehicle will help us in a great way. We have saved about three thousand dollars towards the purchase of a vehicle. We found that buying a car can be rather expensive in Zambia since it is a landlocked country and they have to import very thing from outside. We will need between $7000----$8000 for a used vehicle, please, pray with us and believe God for provision of this need. We are also in the process of applying for a phone and internet service to help with communication. This is a dire need because we are not able to receive or send e-mails when we need to, we usually wait until we are able to travel to an internet cafe.

● There is a major problem with corruption in many African countries, Zambia is no exception. Whenever there is a need to conduct business such as obtaining permits or any legal document in order to facilitate programs or projects which require clearance from the government, it has become an accepted practice to pay bribes. As believers we know that we cannot and will not give in to the pressure to pay bribes. Please pray God will go ahead of us when we have to deal with government offices and to break this stronghold of corruption which is widespread in this country.
● On Monday of this week, Kamau will be going to the Social Welfare office to begin the process of identifying the Orphans & Vulnerable Children (OVCs). This is the government office that we must go through in order to obtain legal custody of the children who will move into our village. Please pray that God willl grant us favor and that all the legal documents we will need will be released in a timely fashion without unnecessary hassle.

Kamau asks prayer for discernment and wisdom for the following areas:
● Supervision of the Village of Hope construction phase and especially for peace when equipment breaks down.
● Balancing grace and firmness as he deals with the 31 employees that work on the both the farm and the construction sites.
● Preparing devotions for the 13 students of the conservation farming and also the general oversight of the the project.
● Setting up the terms of service for house mothers and other employees.
● Interviewing and recruiting house mothers and other employees

Kimberly asks for prayer in the following areas:
● That she would cooperate with God as He continues to deliver her from all of her fears.
● Pray that Kimberly and Marika would continue to strengthen their bond of friendship, bear one another's burdens, submit to one another, encourage one another and pratice patience with one another.
● That Kimani and Malaika would receive all that they need spiritually, emotionally and academically from the Lord.
● That Kimani would develop the skill of focusing on completing one task at a time without being distracted from what he is supposed to be doing.
● Continue to pray that Malaika would receive correction without a spirit sulking and pride but with humility (Kimberly needs to grow in this area as well). Pray that Malaika would learn to be happy for others when good things happen to them.

We are encouraged because we know you will pray about these things and the joy will be ours as see the Lord provide for each need.

With much gratitude for your faithful support and prayers,

Kamau, Kimberly, Kimani, Malaika & our team mate Marika

HABARI!

Habari is a Swahili word which is a form of greeting and also means "news." We would like to extend our greetings to you and provide you with the latest news from the Kamau family.

We do have some exciting news in the works that we like to share with you. It might be helpful if we gave a brief overview of how God, in ways which were unknown to us at the time, has been preparing us for a new ministry.

WHERE WE HAVE BEEN...

Some of you may know about our previous missionary activities. In fact, it is fair to say that we both met on the mission field when Kamau was working with the Jesus Film Project in Moscow, Russia in 1992. Following several short term missions trips to Eastern Europe, Kimberly came on staff with Child Evangelism Fellowship in Northern Delaware. After we were married in 1997, we had hoped that we would both be able to return to the mission field right away, but as so often happens, God had other plans. Kimberly continued to serve full time with Child Evangelism Fellowship and Kamau began working with the Ministry of Caring, a relief agency in Wilmington.

During this time, both of our children were born. After the birth of our second child, Kimberly became a full time mom and we settled down into routine family life.

WHERE WE ARE...

The past eight years have been spent learning how to live and grow together as husband and wife and parents to our children.
Through Kamau's employment with the Ministry of Caring, Inc., we have also had the opportunity to work with the inner city population of Wilmington. This organization is a non-profit social services and relief agency that serves the poor and homeless population through various programs such as emergency shelters, dining rooms, medical services, child care services, etc. Currently, Kamau is serving as program director for House of Joseph I, and emergency shelter for men. Kimberly began working with the same organization two years ago at Mary Mother of Hope House II/III, and emergency shelter for homeless women and children.

It has been a very challenging and valuable time for us as we have learned lessons in compassion, conflict resolution, humility and servant hood. We have had the opportunity to acquire new skills in administration managing staff and overseeing the daily routine of a community of individuals living together in the shelters.

Unbeknownst to us, God has been preparing us for a new phase in our lives...

WHERE WE ARE HEADED

"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

In sub- Saharan Africa, the disease of AIDS has claimed the lives of millions of fathers and mothers leaving behind millions of children who are growing up alone and as heads of households. Grandparents who would normally look to adult children to care for them in their advancing years, are now having to care for their grandchildren, in many cases, several sets of grandchildren.
Here are some staggering facts about the crisis:

• At least 10% of the population between the age of 15-49 is infected.
• Every 14 seconds a child is orphaned due to AIDS.
• 50-69% of new infections are youth.
• By 2010 there will be more than 40 million orphans in Africa.

In September of 2005, while hosting a routine missions meeting in our home, the enormity of the crisis was brought to our attention and specifically, how the nation of Zambia has been affected:

• Zambia ranks among the highest in proportion of children who are orphaned, with 1,100,000.
• One in five people is HIV-positive, which for a population of only 10 million is devastating.
• Most people in Zambia do not know if they are infected.

Our hearts were stirred with compassion and we responded to an invitation by the founder of All Kids Can Learn International to prayerfully consider coming on board as staff to join them in the effort to rescue the orphans. We believe that answering God's call "...to visit the orphans and widows in their distress...", is His plan for us at this time.

The children will receive basic necessities such as, shelter, meals and clothing in a loving, nurturing and godly environment. They will also be presented with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and receive instruction in God's Word.

This will be done by establishing Villages of Hope which will contain cottages for children with Christian widows or couples as the primary caregivers of each cottage. The children will also receive educational opportunities to help equip them with skills for the future. We will be involved in supervising the daily activities of the village.

The first village is expected to open in November of this year and we anticipate leaving for Zambia towards the end of summer or early fall of this year.

Prayer Requests

We would greatly appreciate your prayers for our family as we embark on this new ministry. Please join us in prayer for the following:

• The construction of the first village will move forward without hindrance.
• That God will provide godly local staff to work with us and that our hearts would be knit together with them.
• Wisdom to know what to pack and what not to pack for our departure.
• That Kimberly and the children will quickly adapt to Zambian culture and environment. (Francis [Kamau] is a native African from the country of Kenya)
• That God would provide the prayer and financial support needed from various individuals and churches.
• That God would lead us to a home church in Zambia with solid biblical teaching and welcoming spirit.
• Godly friends for each family member.
• That God would enable us to get our home ready for sale and a buyer would be provided before it is time for us to leave.