For more than ten years, Gideon and Jennifer Chisamba had been working in Mthombothemba village, just outside Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. During that time, and largely because of their influence, the village that had once been a den of thieves and violence began to change. It took ten years before the local people trusted them and allowed them to have a voice in the community.
Gideon and Jennifer went to the village to see the people transformed. To achieve this, they poured themselves into investing in the people. They had begun training the community in Foundations for Farming, which uses simple methods to radically improve crop yields. From a small intervention they were seeing spectacular results. In the process they helped to refurbish old cattle dips and dams, and people began to take pride in their community.
Gideon and Jennifer then turned their attention to young people. They invested in the local school and began a feeding and tutoring programme for the poorest children to improve their performance at school. The community trusted them to take the most vulnerable children into their home.
When Bright Hope World became involved, Gideon and Jennifer had almost thirty children living with them and had developed a team to help. They were clearly a a compelling couple with a solid track record. It was easy to say ‘yes’ to partnership!
The work continued to go deeper into the community and many of the local leaders became followers of Jesus. Children began to do better at school and some emerged into national sporting teams. Even though it is classified as an arid area, they began to grow the best crops in the region and win produce competitions. The police dropped plans to build a station in the village as crime became virtually non-existent.
There has been great opposition as well, as evil is exposed. There have been a number of personal attacks and attempts to burn down their base, an abandoned YWAM facility. More children are being placed with them as the authorities observe the changes in the lives of the young people.
Other villages are asking for help and this is growing every year. Wells are being dug, children are being rescued, cared for and enabled to attend school. Families are eating better meals and the arid areas are turning green. People are coming to faith as the love of God is demonstrated in their midst.
To read more about Gideon and Jennifer Chisamba, click here.
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