In 13 days I will be leaving for a week of training camp outside of Atlanta, GA. I will be meeting my teammates ("I Squad") as well as the other three teams on September routes. In preparation for training camp and then our launch in September, my team is focusing on the 13 countries on our World Race itinerary over the next 13 days.
Each of us will only visit 11 of the 13 countries on the list but we don't know yet who will be in Zimbabwe or Botswana the first month and Costa Rica or Panama the last month. It is important to know the needs and climate (political, economical, etc.) of each country and to begin praying for the people we will encounter. Here is a great link to get an overview of Zimbabwe with basic information, as well as the urgent needs for the people of this country.
http://www.operationworld.org/country/zimb/owtext.html
In addition, here are specific needs and prayer requests for Zimbabwe:
Economy
-Zimbabwe's economy is very unstable.
-Hyperinflation and unemployment rates are super high.
Education
-Schools are shutting down and kids can't afford to go to school. Without education, the people of -Zimbabwe are robbed of their future and potential!
Health Care
-It's very limited. Many NGOs are providing basic health care, more than the state is. So pray for those NGOs, that people would fund their good work and that they would be able to help many!
Government
-That they would have the wisdom and resources to fix these problems. And that good, non-corrupt leaders would step into these positions and create real solutions.
AIDS epidemic
-It's getting better in Zimbabwe, but it's still really bad. Pray for healing and changed hearts toward AIDS and sex. Pray for cures and programs that address this issue.
Orphans
-Because of AIDS, there are more than 1 million aids orphans.
-Thank the Lord that He is the Father to the fatherless. Only He has a solution for this. I sure don't and it hurts my heart.
The Poor
-Obviously all of the factors above make for some extreme poverty. Pray that God, our Living Water, our Daily Bread, our Strong Tower, will provide those basic needs of water, food, shelter, etc. in supernatural ways that only He can. Because, again this is an insurmountable task for me. But it's not impossible for God.
The Church
-Zimbabwe is a predominately Christian nation. 7% of the population is still unreached with the Gospel. However, I've been to Christian nations in Africa, and many of my friends there have told me that there is a problem with people only grasping Christianity very shallowly and believing in the prosperity Gospel (the more you have, the more God loves you basically). Pray that the people we meet, both Christians and non-Christians, will completely grasp the love of God and understand who Jesus is. Pray that we will encourage our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe!
From now until July 13, I will post a link for the country I am focusing on and praying for so that you too can learn about where I'm going and pray along with me if you choose. Thank you for being a part of this journey with me!
