Moving Home Soon

Sunshine + Breeze + Answered Prayer = the kids get to move back into the children's home soon!! Praise God! The waters have been going down and the water mess has been cleaned up and everyone is just waiting for the official 'ok' from the government officials to move back home. Aaand they have even been kept safe thus far from the snakes, hippos, and crocs (even though there have been daily visits by some). God just continues to provide, so praise Him and thanks so much for the prayers!!

You can keep praying for the families of the hundreds that have lost their lives and homes in all this flooding.

Keep Praying!

I just wanted to give an update on the flooding situation. To the right is a picture of the place in which they are currently staying (Hippo Lodge). There are some holes in the roof and it is right over the water (which is currently much higher than shown), but are blessed to have a place to stay. Pictured above is the flooding at the front gate to the children's home that they were evacuated from. Overall everyone has been very busy, but have been kept safe thus far. What an answer to prayer! The water has gone down to about 1/2 a meter, but another meter is expected to hit within the next couple weeks. This is the worst flooding the area has seen in 100 years. So far 97 people's lives have been claimed by crocodile attacks and many more from drowning. Hundreds have had their homes or tents washed away. Fortunately none of those statistics have involved any the kids of COZV, but one of the workers has seen a crocodile nearby. They clearly have been kept safe by God's protection, but they still need your prayers as well as prayers for those who have lost their homes, family, and/or friends in the area.

Floodwaters Rising!

So if you happen to be following this a little early, I have a large prayer request. The Minks (the family that runs COZV) are being forced by the government to evacuate their compound (located on the Zambezi River) tomorrow due to dangerously high flooding. For now they will have to pay to stay at lodge nearby. The logistics of moving 60 children, as you can imagine, will be quite hairy. But in addition to that, please pray for the safety of the children and staff against moquitos (and thus malaria), poisonous snakes that will be trying to find dry ground, and the crocodiles that seem to be lurking around all the more often. Pray also for the safety of their belongings. The compound is fenced in with armed guards and large dogs and yet things are still somehow getting stolen. This has the potential to only increase once most of the kids and staff are gone. The waters are expected to continue to rise until the middle of April and possibly stay up until the middle of May. Pray that these predictions are wrong and that the children will be able to move back quickly. This is the highest flooding they have seen since they opened in 2003. And lastly please pray for the patience, wisdom, and sanity of those trying to keep 60 kids occupied, fed, clothed, bathed, schooled, and safe while out of their normal environment.

This picture was taken right outside the children's home overlooking the Zambezi River at its lowest point during the year.

Welcome to my blog! Throughout the year I will be posting pictures and blogs about my time at Children of Zion Village, located in Katima Mulilo, Namibia, as a way for people to keep up with my ministry here. :-) Stay tuned...