Home... Family
There may be a thousand definitions or heart-held memories for these words, but at the Nyadire United Methodist Mission, there is a special place that is both HOME and FAMILY.
The Home of Hope (HOH) has a fitting name. Located in the center of the mission, the HOH may be the one of the first places a visitor goes – to be with the children. Its construction was financed by the Finnish United Methodist Church and prompted by the revered Finnish missionary nurse, Sister Rut Lindgren who lived in Nyadire.
Jump back to 2006 and the first mission trip to Nyadire. At that time, the Home was managed by the Nyadire Hospital. The team was impressed with the Home’s “mothers” and their abilities to muster resources although they had not been paid for several months. There was no administrator.
When the 2006 mission team returned, debriefed, and decided to organize into what we now know as The Nyadire Connection (TNC), the group decided to invest their energies into the revitalization of the hospital and the Home of Hope. Mary Beth Zollars accepted the Home of Hope challenge and is handling those responsibilities a decade later. First job – to understand how much it cost to operate the Home. Second job – offer sponsorships for the children, first to Christ UMC members, then to other churches. It is interesting to note that many sponsors still support “their child.” At first only one sponsor was needed per child. As the children grew, and school fees had to be paid, and more mothers and an administrator, Emmanuel Chiimba, hired, several sponsors were needed to pay for housing, food, clothing, and staffing. The best parts of the sponsorships were the relationships that developed – “watching the children grow.”
Today some of the original HOH children still live there – Precious, Beauty, Tinashe, Nyasha, Godknows and Tsungi; others have been relocated to live with relatives – Susan, Tadfadzwa, Lorraine, Charles, Lindiwe, Lovemore, and Kudah. Two have gone on to further education. Catherine is in third year at Nyadire Teachers’ College, and Chriswell is now a master builder.
A newly-constructed HOH, built again with the Finnish UM funds, occupies a large parcel of land behind the hospital. Mr. Chiimba hopes to use the land for growing crops for the Home’s sustenance. Presently maize and potato crops are flourishing thanks to good rains. The building with its will provide more space for boys and girls and staff.
The good news is that new or old building, good care and love prevails. The children take responsibility for themselves and their new space and help each other.
As they say in Zimbabwe,
“ God is good all the time.
All the time, God is good.”
The Home of Hope (HOH) has a fitting name. Located in the center of the mission, the HOH may be the one of the first places a visitor goes – to be with the children. Its construction was financed by the Finnish United Methodist Church and prompted by the revered Finnish missionary nurse, Sister Rut Lindgren who lived in Nyadire.
Jump back to 2006 and the first mission trip to Nyadire. At that time, the Home was managed by the Nyadire Hospital. The team was impressed with the Home’s “mothers” and their abilities to muster resources although they had not been paid for several months. There was no administrator.
When the 2006 mission team returned, debriefed, and decided to organize into what we now know as The Nyadire Connection (TNC), the group decided to invest their energies into the revitalization of the hospital and the Home of Hope. Mary Beth Zollars accepted the Home of Hope challenge and is handling those responsibilities a decade later. First job – to understand how much it cost to operate the Home. Second job – offer sponsorships for the children, first to Christ UMC members, then to other churches. It is interesting to note that many sponsors still support “their child.” At first only one sponsor was needed per child. As the children grew, and school fees had to be paid, and more mothers and an administrator, Emmanuel Chiimba, hired, several sponsors were needed to pay for housing, food, clothing, and staffing. The best parts of the sponsorships were the relationships that developed – “watching the children grow.”
Today some of the original HOH children still live there – Precious, Beauty, Tinashe, Nyasha, Godknows and Tsungi; others have been relocated to live with relatives – Susan, Tadfadzwa, Lorraine, Charles, Lindiwe, Lovemore, and Kudah. Two have gone on to further education. Catherine is in third year at Nyadire Teachers’ College, and Chriswell is now a master builder.
A newly-constructed HOH, built again with the Finnish UM funds, occupies a large parcel of land behind the hospital. Mr. Chiimba hopes to use the land for growing crops for the Home’s sustenance. Presently maize and potato crops are flourishing thanks to good rains. The building with its will provide more space for boys and girls and staff.
The good news is that new or old building, good care and love prevails. The children take responsibility for themselves and their new space and help each other.
As they say in Zimbabwe,
“ God is good all the time.
All the time, God is good.”
