In July 2005, many "shanty towns" in the cities of Zimbabwe were plowed over, leaving 300,000 homeless across the country. Some found housing with friends and family. However, many were left with nowhere to go.

In one city, the homeless were welcomed with open arms into 10 churches—all different denominations and community makeup—throughout the city. They not only housed the homeless, they also fed them and clothed them, and they did so in the midst of severe food shortages. Local people made huge sacrifices to serve their needy guests. Those helping were of all different racial, national, and generational groups. But then things got worse.

Trucks came in the middle of the night to forcefully take the homeless into the rural areas. It appears that they were scattered and dropped off in camps on farms in remote areas. The churches continue to search avenues to help these individuals, even at personal risk.

Fuel continues to be unavailable at the pump. (The fixed price is too low to make it feasible to import.) And now, following a poor rainy season, water in this region has been rationed to 150 gallons a day per household. This means using water from baths to flush the toilet, reusing laundry water to mop floors, etc.

We seek to enter into God's command and promise: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, so that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything," James 1:1-4.

Pray

Please pray for the church and mission community in Zimbabwe today.