Orphan Support

"Therefore, we should teach children in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it" Proverbs 22:6

Statistics shows that 83% of all Christians today make a first time commitment to the Lord between the ages of 0 and 14 years.

We need to raise a new generation of believers who worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

Background

• The latest census showed that Mpulungu has a population of +- 40,000 people. The ratio of children to adult is about 7 to 2 (approximately 31,100 children to 8,900 adults). Many of the 31,000 children in Mpulungu are orphans or vulnerable children.
• One out of very five people in Zambia has Aids (approximately 20% of the population), as per reported cases. Based on the infrastructure and education levels, we can assume that the percentage of people who have contracted the Aids virus, are much highter. This has an enormous impact on the community and the children and further on the extended families in Mpulungu.
• Schooling for orphans in Zambia is free at government schools up to grade 7. Although schooling conditions are poor and the education is not of a hight standard. At this point there are no Christian schools in Mpulungu.

There is an enormous need among children and young people ages 0 to 21, both spiritually and physically.

• The P.A.O.G. (Pentecostal Assemblies of God) church in Mpulungu started an orphan support program in 2002, supporting 21 orphans from the community. Currently (2007) this program supports 52 orphans.
• The Lord convicted the church through James 1:27 and Isaiah 58:1-8 to give care and support to the orphans and vulnerable children.
• This support includes school uniforms, pens, books, ect.
• The orphans stay with their extended families and are helped with monthly food supplies.

Focus of Project

• To care for orphans and vulnerable children
• To work hand in hand with the local churches and the community in supporting the orphan children of the communtiy
• To look after the spiritual needs & the upliftment of the children
• To assist in their daily care exp. schooling, health and hygiene
• To contribute to future education
• Being a link between the churches and the wider body of Christ
• Helping with the adminitration and recoord keeping of the finances for the center

Current Activities

• The Lord provided money for the Day Care Orphan Center and a plot with building was purchased.
• A brick making machine was bought in order to make the bricks needed for additional building and future work.
• The building of an ouside ablution and kitchen is in process.
• The following agricultural project were started: Planting of a quarter hectare of maize and nursery for a vegetable garden
• Cleaning the areas, maintenance, electrical and plumbing work
• All the activities of Good News II Ministry (Sunday school training, youth meetings, prayer room, ect.) have moved to the premises.
• We are planning to buy the necessary chairs, tables, beds, closets, bookshelves, ect. in the near future.

With a monthly donation we can help to provide a vulnerable child with food, hygiene and school supplies.

Good News II Projects

We currently have a variety of ongoing project. I will list all of the project and will provide more information on each as we continue throughout the year.

• Orphan Support
• Boat Project
• Prison Ministry
• Playgroup project
• Adopt a village Project
• Building Project
• Library Project

Any donation towards these project will be handled through the ProChristo website via Give and Gain.

Du Plessis News - January 2008

Dear Prayer supporters,

It is wonderful to greet you in this very first month of 2008. We wish jou a prosperous new year. May 2008 be the year that each of us draw even closer to our Heavenly Father and know that we can trust him completely with everything. Remember, seach first for the Kingdom of God and all the rest will be given to us.

Thank you very much for all your commitment with us and what God placed on your harts to do. May you all receive God's riches glory!!! Thank you for all your prayers and all the care you take with us. Thank you for all the tasks that so much of you complete for us. We appericate it and love you dearly!

Since our last e-mails from December last year, we have been considerly busy, but also had a couple of days to relax and spend time with God and nature. Riaan and Mariska had a great time when two of there old friends from Masaiti, Joshua and Isreal came to visit. They spend a lot of time swimming in the lake. Between Christmas and New Year, a few missionaries from Kabwe, including a family that sponsors them came to visit. Luckely we all worked together to prepare meals for 16 people.

During the week before Christmas we organized a party for all the children and food for all the missionaries in the villages so they could have a wonderful meal with the members of their village. We wanted to spoil them with with food and sweets which they don't always get, but the main reason was to provide them with the main message of the Christmas Season.

On Monday, 24 December, the youth group decided to support their community through a hands on manner. From early that morning there was lots of activity in and around the house to make provisions for the afternoon lunch with patients in the hospital (really only a clinic) and for the prisoners in jail. A small group of the youth also washed and waxed the hospital floors. The hospital workers were touched by this gesture from the youth.

During the meal the youth went to the different sections and comforted and prayed for people. While they were praying for one of the children, that was really sick, he became much better and they could feel that God had made him better. For most of them this was the first time that they had seen the wonderful power of God and it had strenghend there faith.

It was very uplifting to see the youth do this work even as it was a rainy day outside. In Mpulungu, as in most African towns, there is not much for young people to do and for them to work together was a wonderful adventure. Our prayer is that God will continue to work through them and to provide us with the opportunities to provide more such projects. We also hope that they saw that it's not necessary to give something to someone to serve them, but that your love and compassion for other people can be seen through your actions.

All the Good News II missionaries came together this year. We could reflect on the year gone by and prayed for God's strategy for us during 2008. I will also post the documents on what had been done during 2007.

We will depart for South Africa in a few days. Div, Eleanor and Mariska in a 3-ton truck. The main reason for our trip is to buy supplies for our mission. We plan to be in Tzaneen on the 26th to service the truck. This all depends on the paperwork we need to get in Lusaka. Please pray, that this will take place within two days, as it can take a lot longer. Please pray that all with go well with all the supplies that needs to be purchased.

The children will begin with a new school year and we ask that you will pray for them especially. Riaan is busy with his last year and has lots of work. In addition to his normal school work, he has to do extra work for all the other exams he has to do complete during this year.

Love and blessings
Div, Eleanor, Riaan en Mariska