Silembe Foundation

Talked with Mike earlier this week, and he informed me that the foundation is complete for the first home at our House of Faith Orphanage project in Silembe, Zambia.

Christmas Over The Border

JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT TRIP TO MEXICO: Our next trip to Juarez will involved serving multiple orphanages as we set out to provide gifts for 200+ Orphans in the greater Juarez area; up from just over 80 children served in 2006. This will be our 3rd consecutive year in Mexico for Christmas where we first served 20 Orphans in 2005.

We will be sending 5-7 families to serve 5 or more homes.What will be involved for each family is as follows:

• Raise Funds for transport, 1 night lodging, team meal = $600
• You'll need a vehicle that can fit all the gifts and supplies, we have used a suburban last two years. If this turns out to be a problem for your family we might be able to help.
• Raise funds for Orphanage to be served = $300
• Take collection from friends and family - food, school supplies, cleaning supplies, and personal hygiene items.
• 4 days
• Passport should not yet be required for re-entry in to the U.S.
• And prayer before crossing border

You can expect to be as blessed as you will be a blessing for the children you serve. We currently have all the children sponsored through a local church ministry called SECOR. We will attempt to travel as a group from the Denver area leaving Thursday morning, December 20th, and arrive that evening in El Paso, TX. We will then cross the border into Mexico on Friday, December 21st, late in the morning. You will then have the opportunity to spend Friday evening and Saturday at your assigned home. We will then meet early Sunday morning, December 23rd, for the returned trip home. Please pray about your involvement with this mission, either as a participating family or as a financial contributor to this effort. Please contact the WOR office at (303)840-1123 with any questions you may have.

Silembe Construction

We received an additional update from Zambia yesterday(edited):

Hey Scott,

No word today on the Landcruiser.

Silembe is in Tonga Land, so it must be Tonga. I've asked several people, but have not received a good answer on the meaning. This is a common thing. Some of the names are "deep Tonga", not used in many places so the meaning has been lost. The area is known as Mapampi. I don't know the meaning of this name either.

I strung the 1st house and bath house today, and hauled a load of brick. The foundation is being dug. Hopefully, when I go Thursday the foundations will be dug. Then, we will haul sand, rock, and brick. Monday we should start laying bricks on the house. After the first couple of weeks I should be able to give you a reasonable estimate. Now that the buildings are going up, I'll start looking for the house mother. Absenteeism is high in Africa. We may need two "parents". Pray about it. We can start with one and see how it goes.

Sometime down the road I think we should consider putting up a 2000 liter (500 gallon) tank. As we build more houses, the tank could be replaced with a 5000 liter and the old tank could be used as overflow. The good thing about overflow is we could offer this overflow water only to the community, and have some reserve for water problem times.

Things are finally moving! Great Day, -Mike

Keep this project in your prayers.

Silembe Update

This is a recent update (edited) from Mike Jones, WOR - Africa Missions Director

Good Morning, -Just a quick update. The money we have withdrawn so far is approximately $6000. The bank has a limit of $1000 per day per card per bank branch. They give us the kwacha equivalent of $1000 on the bank's current exchange rate. The transaction is in Kwacha. The actual currency exchange happens when this transaction arrives at the card holder's bank, usually the next day.

The Visa Card worked great. Let us call it $6000 for now and make adjustments when the actual figures are confirmed. The bore hole cost increased K5M due to the dry hole. And the exchange rate was under 4000 to 1, which is the rate I had used for calculations. This left me with about $225. I bought rebar for stringing the foundations (rebar will be used in other places later) and more picks and shovels for digging the foundations and hauling sand and rocks.

I drove from Livingstone to the building site to start laying out the buildings and go over plans with my builders. We pulled some lines, but had to stop. Someone had set fire to the bush. This happens every year. I'll finish stringing today. The fire should make our site fire proof from here on out.

Tomorrow We are picking up two ladies from America at the Lusaka Airport. If time allows, I would like to withdraw another $2000 and buy some things in Lusaka.

God Bless, Mike


Mike and Linda Jones have been in Zambia for 13 years, and recently founded NOAH Ministries. Their calling is to spread the Good News to the people of Zambia, train the local people in various trades, and also have a special call to care for Orphans.

We met Mike and Linda on our trip earlier this year, and they came highly regarded by others. Mike has agreed to work with World Orphan Relief as we set-out to serve Orphans in Africa.

Thank you, Scott N.

Silembe Bore Hole

This is the crew drilling the second hole, going through the rock.

Truck Update

Please keep the Jones' in your prayers as the continue to work with local law enforcement in an effort to find their vehicle. A message from them early this morning:

Please keep praying -there has been no word yet. They, the police, are now posting the engine and chassis numbers into their Interpol system so if someone tried to register it here or another country it will show up stolen.

Blessings,-Linda

A majority of the peole in Zambia have no vehicle whatsoever.

Challenges from Zambia

I received a message from Mike in Zambia early this morning, please keep them in your prayers:

Pray for us,

Last night at 1:45pm someone was stealing our Landcruiser. I ran outside as soon as I could get the doors unlocked. They got the Landcruiser started and busted through the gate. Linda told me to go to the police, so we did. We waited an hour before anyone could go with us. The police supposedly called the boarder crossings and check points. We rode to Livingstone to see if we could pick up the trail. I believe I found our tire prints on the dirt paths that bypass the Livingstone weigh bridge/check point.

No one was injured and nothing else has been disturbed. We are praying as we have done before....

In Zambia, most of the police don't have vehicles. So when something like this happens, you have to go down to the police station and pick-up an officer so you can file a report. This doesn't make for the most timely pursuit of a theif, but I guess it is better than nothing.

The challenges are plentiful enough working in a country like Zambi, without having to deal with mishaps like this. Please lift up the Jones' in your prayers.

Blessings, -Scott

Water Update

As I posted earlier today based on my phone conversation with Mike Jones, below is detail he was able to provide via email (edited):

Hey Scott, -We do have water. Just enough. It would have been great to have some to spare, or use for other things like gardens (we should be able to make some shallow wells for gardens) or helping the school (which has no water). I must admit to praying much more earnestly after drilling dust for 60 meters. I'm sure many people were praying. Prayer works.

The new building site is on a gradual slope, making gravity fed water work better. I'll send some pictures soon, and some drawings.

I plan to be in Livingstone tomorrow withdrawing the money and buying a few things for stringing the foundations and digging. I'll go to Livingstone again within the next week, needing money and materials. Barclays Bank has increased the amount we can withdraw on our Visa Card to $1000.00, and since we have another Barclays Bank at Sun International I can withdraw Approximately $2000 in kwacha in Livingstone in one day.

God Bless, Mike

Wow. Admittedly I didn't realize that there was a risk with finding water. I suppose I knew there was a chance that we would come up dry, but to actually question whether water could me found?!

I imagine that this won't be the only surprise at we set-out to serve His children. Stay-tuned....

Water!

I did call and talk with Mike this AM, he was on his way back from Silembe to Kalomo. We did get water, and he indicated that there would be just enough to serve the six homes we plan to serve there.

Often times God gives us just enough to get us through doesn't he? Money, water, patience, endurance, He always provides at least 'just enough'.

For those of you that have been in prayer with us, thank you, and thank Him for answering it!

Bore Hole

We received an update from Mike in Kalomo, Zambia, this afternoon. This is the message:

Pray for water (I know, you already have.)! The driller went down 60 meters (almost 200 feet), dry hole. I really didn't think water would be a problem, since people are getting water from shallow wells only a few feet deep. The dry hole cost K5,000,000. The driller was also surprised, having drilled over 200 boreholes near Kalomo. He picked another place to drill, moved the equipment, and started again. We are down about 60 feet and into the same type of rock formation -drilled and found dry. I'm believing we will break through into better rock formation and find good water, probably after 120 feet.

I've asked our secretary in the States to give me the exact dollar figures for yesterdays withdrawals. We never know until the transaction reaches our bank, usually a day later. Then, I'll give you the figures and keep you updated on all expenses.

I called Noah again last week. He said he had been in Lusaka and would check on getting the work done yesterday. I suggested finding someone to do the simple plumbing and run one wire. I'll follow up this week.

I won't be at the bank until Thursday for the withdrawal. I need to be at the drilling site to keep a handle on things. I'll send a sketch soon. I just got in tonight.

God Bless, -Mike

Things are moving along, and for that we are thankful! God is good, and I am confident that tomorrow will bring better news. Please stay prayerful as we need water before staring construction.

-Scott N.

Silembe Update

Mike and Linda Jones returned to Zambia several weeks ago from their trip to the U.S. This is a message that I received from Mike yesterday, July 16th, at 2PM (edited):

Hello!

The well driller is in Kalomo tonight. We will depart at 7am. Should have a well tomorrow.

We already plan on being in Livingstone on Wednesday. I would like to take the lorry, withdraw and start buying materials.

Our house will be a bit unusual due to the bathroom, kitchen, and laundary being in detached buildings. The detached kitchen/laundary should service six houses. The detached bathroom should service three houses. Each house should be three bedrooms and a living room designed for 12 orphans and the "parents". The house is 30' x 20' with a simple A roof with 10' walls making the house cooler and easily extended. The bath house is 24' x 10' with a slanted roof. The kitchen/laundary is 20' square with an A roof and at least partially open sides, containing concrete sinks and masonry fire place for cooking.

These buildings should be simple and effective, and excellent in the eyes of Zambians (especially rural residents).

God Bless,
Mike

~Please pray for water as we bring life to House of Faith Orphanage in Silembe, Zambia.