Ray Tipei arrived in Africa last month and is now in Zimbabwe He is visiting with several groups that we support. Ray is currently serving at Eden Village Orphanage in Doma, located about three hours from the capitol of Zimbabwe. 

Ray writes: "This place really does have the "African feel. It is secluded, surrounded by beautiful scenery, and deprived of luxury. There are electricity power cuts every day, the food is very basic, and the homes are teaming with animals; both domestic and wild. Our roof is made of straw, the floors of wooden planks, and the walls of concrete plaster. Doors and windows are always open allowing free flow of air, but also entry to every kind of creepy critter.

This place is not comfortable, but definitely not boring. I can see how living here takes a great deal of faith! Despite the instability in resources there is mental, emotional, and spiritual stability in the people. And this stability is built on one name alone; Christ Jesus.

It's because of Him that the people here can still sing and dance. He is the reason why they still have Hope. The truth is that when one focuses on Christ, the Hope of Glory, this world grows stangely dim. Our "needs' for luxury items begin to melt away and fade. We begin to focus on the things above rather than the things below; the spiritual rather than the physical. And it's because of these people's heavenly focus, that i find this place to be one of the richest places I have ever known.

Last Thursday, we had the oppurtunity to visit a pastors conference on the campus of a boarding school. During our stay we got to meet some of the teens and see the conditions in which they eat, sleep, and learn. 

Up to 50 of the students are housed in a concrete room that is divided into sections by brick walls. These children sleep on mattresses that are as thick as some of our comforters and dirtier than anything we have ever slept on or worn. They bathe from buckets outside, and eat corn and beans for weeks at a time. They have no running water and their toilets are holes in the ground,

In spending time with them, I was shocked by what I saw, but even more so by what I heard. Amidst their unfortunate circumstances, I have never heard one complaint about anything, i even tried to pry and get them to admit that they live in a literal dump, but still nothing. Again and again they constantly turned the focus back on this "white man that has come  from far away". They would ask me if I have ever seen a polar bear and if I know the president. I was shocked at their thirst for knowledge. They kept asking me questions about geography, math, culture, and my family... they seemed so hungry for knowledge. Their view of the future is not dark, but is as bright as the promises of God". 

Please continue to pray for Ray and those serving on the ground in Zimbabwe. In many ways Zimbabwe is a beautiful nation with great potential, and many God-given promises, yet a nation that is still struggling for justice and peace and where the poor continue to suffer. 

"He gave justice and helped the poor and needy, and so all went well with him. Is that not what it means to know me? Declares the Lord." Jeremiah 22:16

In His service,