Out in the boonies of Zambia, in a village called Mansa near the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there was an old abandoned hotel. It was originally built to house guests for three days out of the year during a tribal ritual which brought thousands of visitors from around the northern province. When the owner died, his family stripped the hotel and left it to the elements. A few years later, a man named Tom Morrow and his wife were looking to set up an orphanage. Tom remembered seeing the hotel in a previous trip to Zambia. Eight years ago, they bought the hotel, and converted it to an orphanage, and started the Morrow family ministries.
The orphanage only accepts children from the ages of several hours old to two years of age. The Morrows feed and clothe them, as well as have school, using a Christian-based curriculum. They have seven staff members which are hired from the amount the locals. The staff must be able to speak English, as well as the local language. The turnover rate, however, is very high. Many of the staff are just out of high school, but in order to graduate, the government requires that they take a test, which costs money. So, in order to raise that money, the girls work at the orphanage until they’ve made enough, and then take the test and leave.
Tom himself is a Zambian Police officer, even though he is American. This allows him to get through corrupt road blocks and have a strong influence in his community. He is also a wildlife ranger. He responds to reports of rouge animals and poachers. And even though the land that the Hotel sits on is only one acre, they house quite a few rescued animals, including snakes, monitor lizards, and at one time a monkey.
The Morrow’s vision for the future is equally impressive. They have just bought one hundred acres of land about an hour south of Mansa. Here they plan to build a completely self sustaining orphanage branch for the children ages 12-18. They have a few years to complete it, because the oldest child at the orphanage now is nine years old.
The ministry opportunities in Zambia are endless. The Morrows have found their niche, and have begun Gods work in the Northern Province. They have become good candidates to host World Race teams in the future. Who knows? Maybe a future racer reading this blog will end up there, serving the Lord alongside the Morrow Family.
