On the streets of Zimbabwe live the forgotten- the outcasts, the runaways, the homeless. With no one to take care of them, they are forced to beg and steal to stay alive, never knowing when their next meal will come. These teenagers and children have to fight for their life everyday and most turn to drugs or sniffing glue to ease their pain. Most look at these kids and see a problem that can't be solved. God looks at the children and sees his beloved who he created for a purpose and a hopeful future. And to make sure that they see that too, He gave two women, born on the other side of the globe, his eyes and heart to show them.
A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege to meet these women. It was our first night in South Africa, and we were getting a tour of the children's home we'd be staying at for the next week. We got to a room full of babies and immediately, all eight of us had little ones thrust into our waiting arms. As we held them, we were introduced to all of the volunteers and as soon as it was mentioned that we were from the World Race, one of the girl's eyes lit up. Eevan had thought about the Race before, and like all true Race fans, had stalked countless blogs. She was so thrilled to meet us and couldn't stop talking about how incredible our adventure was.
After talking to her for about 30 seconds though, anyone could gather that she didn't need the Race to live adventurously and that God was writing a different story for her- a story of redemption and hope for Africa.
Later that night we got to meet her friend Krissy, and over the next week, their story unfolded. Whether it was over dinner or while rocking the sweet babies in the Nest, I asked countless questions and listened intently-captivated by the magnitude of their faith and what God was doing through their lives.
Eevan is 27 years old and has lived all over the states- originally from Texas. She used to be a 6th grade teacher, but felt like God was calling her to something else. Chrissy is only 20 and after one year at Liberty University started taking her courses online, because she knew that God was about to do something big and that she needed to be ready to move. Shortly after a 2 week missions trip together to Zimbabwe, they discovered what it was that God wanted to do with their lives.
He began to speak to them each about Zimbabwe and it didn't take long for them to realize that they had received the same vision. God told them to begin forming relationships and building trust with the people by starting a soup kitchen run by the community. Then, he wants them to start a program to help restore some of these children to their families and homes. It will include a halfway home to transition them from street life back into their homes. The final part of their ministry will be orphanages. Teens do not often get adopted, but they deserve to know what a home is like. They want each home to take up to fifteen kids and have foster parents to show them the structure God designed for families, including family dinners and lots of love.
After discussing God's heart for these street kids and His desire to have them partner with Him, they decided to pack up and move to Africa. They left everything they knew and everyone they loved behind to follow the Lord in blind faith, not knowing at all how this would happen, but trusting that He would provide.
It was amazing to listen to them talk about what the Lord has taught them in their year in Africa and how much they still trust Him, despite nothing going as planned. After a year, they have followed the Lord through Zimbabwe and South Africa, waiting on visas to move permanently to Zimbabwe. In the mean time, they have served wholeheartedly and gained as much experience from the children's home as possible. These women taught me so much and are doing amazing things for the kingdom. They are truly Unsung Heroes.
Please join me in praying for them as they prepare to begin this ministry in Zimbabwe and that their visa issues would be quickly resolved. Also, check out their ministry web page at http://www.hopehouse4zimbabwe.com/index.html?
