We Have Friends in Africa / Mnene Update
What a wonderful Adoption Sunday we had Aug 30th—a rousing sermon preached by Pastor Chris Chikoore, lively songs by Shepherd’s House Church“clergy quartet”, delicious American and Zimbabwean foods, and all 37 orphans adopted! THANKS, Good Shepherd! For the coming year each orphan has a Good Shepherd family or group who will pray for them and send letters & pictures every month. May God bless these “adoptions” to enlarge our love, deepen our commitment, and develop personal relationships
Pastor Magwizi of Mnene Parish wrote:
“The response of the sponsors (Good Shepherd) was very good especially during the 2007-2008 drought. The children got food at the time when most people in the communities could not afford. Thanks to the Lord.” Pastor Magwizi also reported that 8 orphans have progressed to Form I (secondary school). He proposed that if funds permit, these 8 should be sent to boarding school, as there is no secondary school near their home.
Good Shepherd currently provides complete support for 37 AIDS orphans at Mnene Parish—food, seed, blankets, clothing, toiletries, shelter, school supplies, uniforms, & fees. Annie Mhaka reported that costs are $250/year for school ($500/year for boarding school), and an additional $150/year for other needs. That’s a total of $400/year ($650 for boarding school). Financial support for the orphans is NOT part of the “adoptions”, and is not part of Good Shepherd’s budget. In 2008 we provided $14,335 So far for 2009, we have provided $7779 to The Mordecai Trust for the orphans. Annie & the Mordecai Board work hard to stretch our dollars. Contributions can be made anytime to GLSC, earmarked ”Mnene orphans”. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has granted a 1:4 match (up to $1500) for funds raised between Oct and early Dec. We need to raise $6000 to earn Thrivent’s full $1500 match. Thanks for your generosity and faithfulness!
Bishop Ambrose Moyo Sermon Online
Bishop Ambrose Moyo was the Bishop of ELC Zimbabwe, and is now head of the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA), which includes 11 sub-Saharan countries. He is the one who paired Good Shepherd with Mnene Parish.
Bishop Moyo was our guest speaker on November 9. You can download and listen to his sermon as an mp3 here or you can download a transcript to read here. (thanks to Peggy Ruopp for the transcript)
Mnene Parish Visitor Has Arrived
Annie Mhaka, our guest from Mnene Parish arrived tired but excited on Wednesday, April 18 after a 24 hour trip from Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, the four others scheduled to come with her were unable to come due to visa issues. However, Annie has done an excellent job of representing Mnene. GSLC welcomed her with a potluck dinner on Saturday evening where she presented slides (click on the slide to progress through the presentation) and talked about Mnene Parish. She shared greetings from Mnene at each of the Sunday morning services. A recording from the 11:15 service may be found here.
I Have a Friend in Africa - Mnene Parish
Good Shepherd has been in a growing partnership with Mnene Parish in Mberengwe Zimbabwe in southern Africa. It is the oldest parish in Zim, begun by Swedish Lutheran missionaries 101 years ago. It is a rural parish with a center and 11 outlying “congregations”. Mnene Parish center has a European style church building, elementary & high schools, an orphanage, and a clinic/nursing school. The outlying “congregations” are typically led by deacons & evangelists, and usually gather under a tree for worship. More photos may be found here.
Mnene Parish Update - March 2007
We sent $6000 to The Mordecai Trust for this school term. We wired the funds through The Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa under Bishop Moyo’s care to protect the value against incredible inflation in Zimbabawe.
Bishop Moyo wrote: Again thank you for taking your time to walk with us as we seek ways and means to care for the millions of orphans and others affected as a result of the deadly epidemic. I hope you will have a very fruitful visit with the people from Mnene. I go to Zimbabwe very regularly as I am deeply involved with the churches on the Ecumenical Peace Initiative as a member of the Steering Committee. Taking the funds to Mnene will be done as soon as we receive them. I am also constantly in touch with Bishop Shava and between the two of us we will ensure the maximum out of the funds received.
Best wishes to you all. We look forward to meeting some of you at Mnene next year. I and Iris will make every effort to be in Zimbabwe when you come so that we can welcome you also in our home.
I Have a Friend in Africa - Mnene Parish Guests Arrive
April 18
5 guests will be arriving from Mnene Parish April 18 & will be here until May 4. Volunteers are needed in a variety of areas.
- HOSTS & DINNER HOSTS NEEDEDˆWe need a total of 15 families to host a visitor for one week each and dinner hosts are needed ˆContact Angela Metz at angelametz@nc.rr.com.
- TRANSPORTATION ˆDrivers needed to get our guests to/from their various activities. Contact Carla Kraehenbuehl at 601-3536.
- Sat., 4/21 - a potluck dinner to meet our friends at 5 pm.
- Sat., 4/28- meet at 7 pm at the church to begin plans for members interested in being a part of the 2008 Mnene Parish visit.
- Sun., 4/29, at 4:30- a concert and a farewell meal for our visitors.
Go to the Mnene Parish page on our website to read the bios written by our visitors & to view pictures taken at Mnene Parish. Watch for a calendar showing all planned activities.
COME TO OUR NEXT PLANNING MEETING Sunday, February 25th at 6:30 in the library at GSLC. Please contact Peggy Ruopp 795-3975 or email peggyruopp@yahoo.com or Serena Mika, 845-7039 or e-mail her at mmika@yahoo.commmika@yahoo.com
There are sign-up sheets on the Wittenberg Wall and the Mnene Bulletin Board.
Mnene Parish Update - Dec 2006
Mnene Parish has been hard hit by the AIDS pandemic. We are committed to long-term support of the parish’s ministry to more than 600 AIDS orphans . In 2006, our partnership has fully supported 7 families (42 orphans) with food, clothing, shelter, basic needs, and school uniforms, fees, and supplies. Our goal is working toward self-sufficiency for these destitute families. These are children whose parents have died from AIDS, and who may be HIV positive themselves. “We lost one orphan and one caregiver (in2006). We are deciding to assist the kids get tested in order to know their HIV status and monitor their health. Where possible have those infected get the approval of Doctors for ARV’s. this may be an expensive program since these are taken for the whole life.”
Mnene Parish to Visit GSLC
As part of our 25th Anniversary Thank You, Lord celebration, we are planning a mission trip to Mnene in 2008, and hosting 4 visitors from Mnene for two weeks in April 2007. One April visitor will be Rev Kenneth Sibanda, Dean of the area including Mnene Parish, and a director of the Mordecai Trust which administers our funds. Dean Sibanda is “father” to the orphans we support, as he is the one who visits them and distributes the food, clothing, and school supplies we provide. (You can view his photo on the bulletin board next to Pastor Jennifer’s office.) The other three visitors will be a highschool aged orphan, a teacher, and a mother/AIDS volunteer.
Thankfully, our visitors will speak English, although with a British accent. Zimbabwe was once Rhodesia, a British colony which suffered under apartheid as neighboring South Africa did. Altho Zim is made up of different tribes (in Mnene they are Shona), everyone speaks English as well as their tribal tongue. Children read and write in English at school.
Their visit will offer us many opportunities for personal connection, deepening our relationship & commitment. We will host them in our homes, share our congregational activities, welcome and celebrate their presence among us. If you would like to help plan the details of this exciting visit, contact Peggy Ruopp 795-3975 / peggyruopp@yahoo.com, or Serena Mika 845-7039 / smmika@yahoo.com, or sign up on the Wittenburg Wall.
From Dean Sibanda's 2006 report:
The following are the families under the program and the names of the orphans. There are seven families altogether. This is the grouping we have made for easy reference.
Family No. 1 ˆ CHIPA FAMILY
Blessing Chipa Grade 7 Female
Shuvai Chipa Form 2 Female
Tatenda Chipa Grade 4 Female
Happiness Chipa Grade 1 Female
Family No. 2- MNENE VILLAGE
Justice Ngwenya
Sheunesu Ndlovu
Handman Shumba
Robert Mpofu
Aletta Mpofu
Likwa Mpofu
Aleck Mpofu
Chipo Mpofu
Rosemary Mpofu
Sithokozile Mpofu
- They are all doing primary education
Family No. 3 ˆ GUMBO 1 FAMILY
Knowledge Gumbo Form 6 Male
Reward Gumbo Form 3 Male
Tinevimbo Gumbo School leaver Female
Sheunoziva Nkomo Skills
training Male
Stephen Mpofu Grade 4 Male
Sithembile Mpofu Grade 4 Female
Family No. 4 ˆ GUMBO 2 FAMILY (Ivhu Kuvanhu village)
Freedom Gumbo Form 4 Male
Effort Gumbo Grade 3
Male
Shuvai Gumbo Grade 4 Female
Tinomuvinga Gumbo School leaver Male
Tamuka Gumbo School leaver Male
Tofara Gumbo „A‰ level
Male
Family No. 5 ˆ MBUYA MOYO
Tania Mashumba Grade 5
Female
Juliet Moyo Grade 5
Female
Freeman Mashumba Grade 2
Male
Wiseman Mashumba Grade 3
Male
Learnmore Moyo skills training Male
Komborero Mashumba 3 years
Female
Family No. 6 ˆ ZONDO FAMILY
Tsamani Sigono Grade 6
Male
Talent Sigono Form 3
Female
Thokozani Sigono Form 3
Female
Mthokozisi Sigono Grade 3 Male
Foreman Sigono 3 years
Siphathisiwe Sigono Grade 4
Female
Nodious Sigono Grade 1 Male
Family No. 7 ˆ MAI HOVE
Mary Joyce Sibanda Grade 3
Female
Travor Ndlovu Grade 3
Male
Simbarashe Tembo Grade 3 Female
ASSISTANT GIVEN
The following items were given to each family:-
Bathing soap
Tooth paste
Washing soap
Cooking oil
Exercise books
Pens
And other stationery
School fees paid
Uniforms to some orphans
Mbuya Moyo family was assisted to construct a kitchen hut. Mai Hove family and Gumbo 2 family will be assisted to construct a 2 roomed flat. This is because there is need for accommodation in these families.
Mnene village was assisted to boost their Tuck Shop as an income generating project.
You will receive Financial Report from our Book Keeper Annie Mhaka covering all the items that I have mentioned.
We received the boxes that you sent in good order and they were distributed to all the kids.
We also received the letters written by your Sunday School kids and they have been distributed.