Zimbabwe epistle

One family’s adventure in being called to serve | Diana Hamberger

Photo by Jenna Schaa

It was a year ago this month that my husband and I read WORLD's article on the economic situation in Zimbabwe. The article mentioned Paula Leen and her work there in Marange, Zimbabwe. We were inspired to contact Paula, and after several months of preparation, savings, finding someone to watch over our business and home, we traveled with our daughter and new son-in-law to Murwira Children's Home.

We stayed two months.

During that time, we installed a small solar electric system to provide lights to the orphanage, installed a solar well pump to bring water to the kitchen and bathrooms, repaired vehicles, and worked on various other building and improvement projects.

We were taken, at times, to the limits of our endurance. There was, and still is, so much work to do. While the children and workers at the orphanage are well fed and as happy as can be expected, the poverty, illness, death, and starvation in the surrounding community is, to say the least, overwhelming.