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July 1, 2002
Dear Friends,
Heartbreaking and breathtaking! These were the words used to
describe the two-week experience of the mission group of ten individuals
sent by the Outreach Foundation (TOF) of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.).
Heartbreaking was the news that many infants are abandoned in
dumpsters, ditches, and hospitals. Breathtaking was the visit
to Crisis Nursery, where we held babies who are rescued and brought
to this "oasis" to receive tender loving care, good
nutrition, and hygiene. Eventually they are placed into a family
who can raise them to full physical and spiritual health.
It was heartbreaking to tour an area that had no school for
their children, but breathtaking to see what the Namumu Orphanage
is bringing to the village. Namumu is "under construction,"
but that hasn’t stopped them from meeting needs and proclaiming
the good news. Because the need for schooling was so great, Outreach
Foundation funds provided for two teachers, and 214 students registered!
Breathtaking! It was heartbreaking to see there were no
desks, paper, or pencils and the students sat on the floor amidst
the construction rubble, but breathtaking to watch the children
being taught by dedicated Christian teachers!
Thus went the experiences of this group of "TOF Troopers"
as we trekked to Lusaka, Zambia, to spend time with students and
staff at Justo Mwale, a top-notch theological seminary as well
as the Crisis Nursery and the House of Moses. We also traveled
on to Siavonga, Zambia, to witness the work at the Namumu Orphanage,
which is being developed for residential- and home-based care
of HIV/AIDS orphans with the help of TOF funds.
TOF serves as a fundraising arm of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
It raises funds that are specifically designated for the proclamation
of the gospel of Jesus Christ in both word and deed. In order
to showcase the work of our church partners here in southern Africa,
TOF sends a group of people to visit us each year. This hardy
group was comprised of representatives from churches in the U.S.
that are, or may become interested in, supporting our ministries.
This year’s group survived 3,000km (1,800miles) of travel
in an old van, an airplane tire blowout that required an emergency
landing, and all the challenges of functioning in a new culture
(including stolen luggage). In addition to Zambia, the group also
traveled extensively in Zimbabwe.
One of the highlights of the Zimbabwe leg of the journey was
visiting a commercial farm near Harare. It was there that we gained
insight into the struggles that both white and black Zimbabweans
are enduring over the highly politicized Fast Tracked Land Redistribution
Program. While on such a visit, a very powerful incident was shared
with us. We heard that through a political scheme, white farmers
were goaded into a violent confrontation with black squatters.
The farmers were all arrested and jailed. We listened in tears
as Jim, a white farmer and Presbyterian elder, told how he had
carried blankets and food to the prisoners, knowing that, though
uninvolved, he too
would be arrested. "I knew God wanted me in that jail,"
he said. He described how the Lord used him in prison, together
with some of the black Christian inmates, to unite them all in
praise and worship to the One who is Lord over all. Paul, Jim’s
pastor, who is the first black pastor in Jim’s church, concluded
by saying that Christians in Zimbabwe must stand up to injustice
wherever it is found. He said, "Why not take a stand? All
they can do is put us in jail. They cannot take our soul or our
spirit. Even if they kill us, they can never
separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus." (Heartbreaking
and breathtaking!)
Our final day together was highlighted by a devotional/debriefing
time led by Warren Evans, an elder from the Woodlands Presbyterian
Church in Austin, Texas. Warren suggested that two words seemed
to best describe his two-week experience, breathtaking and heartbreaking.
As the discussion ensued, it became obvious that in the Kingdom
of God, these two words are often used simultaneously to describe
the powerful work of God.
"And now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than
all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work
within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout
all generations, forever and ever! Amen" (Ephesians 3:20).
Yours in Christ,
Bob and Bobbi Snyder
The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 53
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