Zimbabwe October and November 2006 Ministry Report

These past two months have been filled with opportunities to meet the "Zimbabwean people's needs with the gospel of hope". Orpheus Hove, Zimbabwe Team Leader, and the rest of the African Enterprise (AE) team have ministered in multiple cities around the country to thousands of people, through preaching, teaching, counseling, fasting, and praying.

The AE team ministered to the Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) at Mnene Mission and the Karanda Mission Hospital. The ELCA weekend was attended by over 2,000 people, many of whom responded to the alter call and made first time commitments to Christ. Much of the time at both locations was spent counseling people struggling with sickness, family and marriage problems, witchcraft, ancestor worship, bitterness, and un-forgiveness.

The last minute cancellation of the Sanyati Mission by local town leaders resulted in a wonderful two week long ministry opportunity in Glenorah and Chitungwiza in Harare. The mission went off beautifully despite the last minute changes and frequent electricity cuts, and the Zimbabwe team members, joined by the Foxfires, were able to effectively spend their time preaching, leading the listeners to Christ, casting out demons through prayer, and counseling.

AE was able to partner with two churches that have a particular focus on the need for nationwide change. Orpheus spoke on "Evangelism and the Local Church", which is a topic very close to his heart, at the invitation of the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (UCCZ). This church is embarking on a massive nationwide evangelistic project and is dreaming of church growth, church planting, and evangelism. He also spoke at the Reformed Church Intercessors Conference in Harare where a group of 58 prayer warriors spent two full days in prayer and fasting for the nation, the church, the economy, and the existing political situation.

Recently, God has begun opening many doors through which AE has been able to reach out to the youth of the nation. The team spent time with 120 youths at the Lutheran Youth Camp in Kambuzuma, speaking on the "Unity of the Church as a body of Christ". The church is currently facing a division between the older generation who want to preserve their church traditions and the youth who are more charismatic in their worship. They also spent two days at Chinhoyi State University where they were greatly encouraged to see that there were a number of students who remain committed to the Lord and who desire to see the salvation of their colleagues. The team was particularly excited as they see this mission as the long awaited break through into the Zimbabwean universities and colleges. The school chaplain was very happy and promised to organize more of such meetings at the college.

The current focus on youth will continue in the two upcoming ministry opportunities. Orpheus has been invited to speak at the Masvingo Teachers Training College, which produces more than one thousand teachers each year. If these teachers can "meet with the Lord at an early stage in their lives…they can in turn impact the communities in which they are going to teach". He will also be addressing over 3,000 young people at the annual Church National Conference early in December.

It was particularly encouraging for the team to see the way that the Lord prepared the way for them, softening the hearts of the people with whom they spoke. They found people that had "already been dealt with by the Holy Spirit". After many of the sessions, the local churches pleaded with the team to extend their visit, and many of the same visits were immediately planned again for next year.

The AE Zimbabwe team requests prayer for the 2007 Ministry Diary, the Marondera Mission, the new Foxfires interviews and training for 2007, the Gweru Leadership Workshop, the church weekend ministries, financial needs and the need for prayer partners.

They begin their annual Christmas leave on December 8th, and request prayer that this be a time of rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation.