Megan and James Williamson traveled to Zambia a few weeks ago and were able to see firsthand the progress and challenges associated with the HFA ministry.  Here's an excerpt from their report:

We arrived on Sat, July 26, in Ndola, which is about 4 hours’ drive north of the capital, Lusaka.  Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Ndola is the main congregation through which our giving to Zambia is distributed.  After checking into our hotel, we went to visit the orphans of the Hope for the Afflicted ministry in a shanty town suburb outside of Ndola called Kawama.

           The orphans and their guardians had gathered to greet us.  We met in a house that a donation from last year helped to rent and renovate.  Presently, a pastor named Christopher Ndumba lives there and helps with the ministry.  We also brought $2800 from sister churches for the ministry, which will be used to build a covered area on the premises of the house.  This area will alleviate the need to rent a spot at a local school, which is presently being used for the Sunday school described below. 

While with the orphans on Saturday, we got to hear reports of thanks for the food, medicine, and schooling which the ministry provides to them.  We also heard the children speak of what they had learned about the Lord through the Sunday school program.  Presently, there are 28 orphans being supported, as some have moved from the area since our last visit.  A few of these children have HIV/AIDS, and the ministry provides a special diet for them to go along with the ARVs (Anti Retroviral Drugs) they must take to combat the illness. 

         It was good to see that five of the children in the program have now moved on to high school—four boys and one girl.  They usually take 6-8 subjects at a time, and school is in three semesters beginning in January and going year round, with short breaks in between.  Their subjects included English, Biology, Chemistry, History, Latin, Music, etc. 

           These 28 children are among about 100-120 who attend a Bible School on Sunday mornings.  The Bible school is taught in the native language of the area (Bemba), and includes a lesson from the Scripture, memorization, and singing.  There are two LARGE classes, because the church has two teachers per week rotating there.  Many times, very young siblings are brought to the classes by older siblings so that they can get the snack provided after the lesson.  But, this makes it hard to keep the classes quiet and orderly for the lesson.  Often, the teachers run out of food for the kids because of the large numbers and limited resources.

Please pray for the teachers not to “grow weary in well doing,” as it is a good work but can be overwhelming to see so much need and only be able to do what you can.