And then there were Eight and then there was Five and Tomorrow there will be three

Today was a time for farewells as the first mob of Canadians left at 7am, then the next lot left at 11am. It has been a great time working with these guys. Except for Corry they have all been to Grace before, some of them have been four times. They are really committed to the vision of Seeds of Hope. John was saying that when they first started in Ndola and teams would come to build or minister there would often be children who would die. It was a regular occurrence, HIV children just did not live very long, but now they are able to give the kids the   Antiviral drugs there has not been a child die, or a serious illness since 2005.

Seeds of Hope have a huge vision and believe God is going to use these kids and the workers at Grace and Buseko to make an impact on the nation of Zambia. If you could see how far they have come in such a short time it really is evident that God has his hand on this place.

There is still more building to go. Lots more building. The new Buseko house has to be finished, then there are 4 dorms started, another 4 dorms after that, then a huge 2 storey workers accommodation. Then plans include the Coffee plantation  (which could employ 200 people), then a restaurant and souvenir shop up on the main road, then a  whole village for workers. A proper village with proper housing that the locals can own.

So any time you want see some of Africa and meet some fantastic kids and the people who care for them and at the same time help in a practical way consider joining a Seeds of Hope team. I am sure we will be back. There is a regular building team every January so why not plan to be here in 2013.

 I know Mitch is coming – He promised that if we got back alive he would come next time, so only a few more days to survive.

And if you cant come why not consider sponsoring a child or 2.  All of the running cost for the kids – food, clothing, the dorm mums, the cooks the cleaners is all supported by the child sponsorship. There are always new kids coming and they need people to support them, to write to them and pray for them and of course come and visit.

Contact  sponsor@seedsofhopecm.com  if you are interested. One of our friends has already decided to sponsor one of the new girls. There are plenty more that need support. In Zambia there are an estimated 800,000 orphans – can you get your head around that. 1 in 6 adults has HIV. If all that seems like an over whelming picture, it is so good to know that God is most definitely concerned about the individual.

Sam and Phil have only a bit more work to finish the roof and a few small jobs to tidy up. Sue is still sorting through supplies for the teachers and books for the library as well as the clothes and toys that came in the container.

We plan to go and see Hudson tomorrow and take some of the glass and things we have got for his house. He wants us to meet the Pastors that are coming for a weekend of prayer as well.