JULY - SEPTEMBER 2018 THE MAKING CHRIST THE CENTRE CENTRE$4 orphan care feature 10 things adoptive parents should know health break free from emotional eating Ecocash 0774884532 C h u r c h 5 2 1 Church Sites Meetings loving God loving people River of Life Greystone Park 8:30am (Eng) 1:30pm (Shona) 6:00pm (Eng) EVERY cnr Gaydon & Quinton Rd, Greystone Park COME JOIN US SUNDAY River of Life Eastlea 0 9 0 0 H R S - 1 1 0 0 H R S 9:30am (Eng) 12:00pm (Shona) 11 Inverness Rd, Eastlea +263 4 307786 | 111 The Chase, Mt Pleasant, Hre For more info: www.riveroflifechurch.co.zw “The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow.” Psalm 146:9 CONTENTS Testimony Education He Makes Everything Beautiful 8 Education for Vulnerable Children 30 SPORTS Life Skills Learnt Through Sports 42 Editor’s note interview Projects 4 19 Fostering and Providing a 34 Moses Basket Gospel Place of Safety 5 I am a Child of God Oasis Zimbabwe orphan care 35 orphan care 20 Besides Adoption or Fostering, Biography 6 Why Should the Church be How Can I Help? 36 George Müller Involved in Orphan Care? Testimony youth testimony 22 Our Adoption Story 38 The Ego Has Landed 8 He Makes Everything Beautiful Testimony Parenting 23 Kinship Adoption 40 Would Jesus’ Photo Make it Onto orphan care Your Fridge? 10 A Model Any Church Can Use family 24 Henderson’s Family Portrait Sports testimony 42 Life Skills Learnt Through Sports 12 Journey to Become a Family The centre news 26 Business orphan care - parenting Interview 44 Being a Business Woman in 14 Homecoming 28 An Interview with Taps Mugadza Zimbabwe Frequently Asked Questions Education Spiritual Growth 15 30 Education For Vulnerable Children 45 Lemonade in the Wilderness testimony 16 Adopted and Now Adopting Recipe HEalth 31 Bobotie 46 Break Free From Emotional orphan care Eating 17 Facing Fears on Fostering and orphan care Adoption 3210 Things Adoptive Parents Should 48 kids corner Know George Müller and the Orphans orphan care 18 Adoption and Foster Care Book Review short story Guidelines 33 The Connected Child 50 Mephibosheth’s Story 51 sudoku THE CENTRETHE • CENTRE CHRISTIAN • CHRISTIAN COUNSELLING COUNSELLING CENTRE CENTRE “I rescued the poor who cried for help and the fatherless who had none to assist them.” Job 29:12 3 EDITOR’S NOTE Editor’s Note Producing this magazine involves 30 plus people, from the authors, editors, the designer, the advertisers who help pay for it, and those who distribute and sell the magazine. The editor co-ordinates all this. Tami Davy has just stepped down as editor due to work and family commitments. I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for all she has done, completely voluntarily. May the Lord bless you Tam. This issue tacklescaring for orphans and vulnerable children. Reading all the articles has brought home to me the severe impact and trauma caused when a child is left without parents for whatever reason. I have also been made aware of God’s loving intervention through numerous people who have picked up the challenge to play their part in meeting this need – with inspiring and heart touching outcomes! Take Taps Mugadza for example, a well-known musician who grew up in children’s homes. (see page 28) You will read of other encouraging testimonies of orphans and those who have cared for them that illustrate something of what has been done to help. This magazine aims to inspire and encourageevery church in Zimbabwe to respond to His call to, “Take care of the orphans” and for every one in our churches to do something towards what their church is doing. Together we can make a significant difference! You will be inspired, challenged, informed, and equipped as you read through this issue. My prayer is that you will hear what God our Father Editorial Team is calling YOU to do. God is at work. It’s exciting. Ian & Adie Wilsher Tamryn Davy Happy reading, Ian Margi Grobbelaar Tava Gwanzura Bobbie Rapson Graphic Design Kirsty Venter Please send all correspondence to Address: No. 8 Coltman Road Mt. Pleasant, Harare About The Christian Counselling Centre Email: [email protected] We are a Registered Trust. Our team of counsellors, drawn from many Tel: +263 4 744 580 denominations, are all trained to an Advanced Level in Biblical Counselling. Web: www.christiancounsellingcentre.net Counselling is open to anyone (whatever their religion) who would like to : The Centre Magazine talk confidentially to a counsellor. The counselling costs $20 a session, payable in advance. To see a counsellor, please phone the numbers below. If you would like to attend any of our seminars, courses, etc. please register and make payment at the Centre. Our Contact Details: 8 Coltman Rd, Mount Pleasant, Harare (off The Chase) The views expressed in this publication P O Box MP 1129, Mt Pleasant. don’t necessarily reflect those of the Christian Counselling Centre. Tel: 744580 / 744212 / 0773 547544 / 0712 719626 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.christiancounsellingcentre.net THE CENTRE • CHRISTIAN COUNSELLING CENTRE 4 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets.” Matthew 6:2 GOSPEL By Ian Wilsher My father died when I was five years old and I guess that means I However, equally clear from the Scriptures, is the fact that not fell into the UNICEF definition of ‘orphan’ – a child who had lost everyone is automatically a child of God, as is often claimed. one or both parents. Thankfully, I had a mother who dedicated The Bible says, “All who received Him, to those who believed in His herself to caring and providing for us and the impact of not Name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12) having a father was minimised. Inevitably however, there has The truth is, while we are created and loved by Him, we are at the been some fallout. For me, it was not having a father who would same time alienated from Him, outside of His family. Our selfish challenge and affirm me. One of the things I have had to work on nature separates us from Him. (Isaiah 59:1,2) (which I think is a result of not having a father) is that I am overly sensitive to those incidents when I have been shown disrespect in Thankfully however, He does not leave us like that. He calls each some way. No doubt there are other consequences of not having one of us to respond to His call to, “repent and believe.” If we do a father of which I am not aware. this, He adopts us as His child. The apostle Paul says, “He chose us in Him before the creation of the world … to be adopted as His Happily, I became a Christian in my first year of university and sons and daughters through Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:4,5) We have experienced what it means to be re-parented by God my become, “members of God’s household” (Ephesians 2:19) and He Father. What I didn’t get from my earthly father, my heavenly becomes our loving Father. As John says in his first letter, “How Father has given me and more. I’ve learned and I’m still learning to great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be look to Him for affirmation – to see my value in His eyes. Also, I’ve called children of God.” (1 John 3:1) come to know His calling and challenge on my life. And while my earthly father couldn’t be there for me, I know God my Father is All of us start out orphaned, outside of His family, alienated from always with me and never leaves me. Him. But the moment we respond to His call to repent and believe, when we turn from going our own selfish way and trust ourselves All of us can be re-parented, fathered by Him. But how? to Him and hand our life over to Him, He adopts us. He makes us His own and takes us into His family. He becomes our Father. It is often assumed we are all children of God simply by virtue of the fact that He created us. And of course, Scripture makes it plain Have you believed? Have you been adopted? that He not only created us but that He loves every one of us – as if there was only one of us, even if we don’t acknowledge His existence. Ian Wilsher is a Director of The Christian Counselling Centre. THE CENTRETHE • CENTRE CHRISTIAN • CHRISTIAN COUNSELLING COUNSELLING CENTRE CENTRE “When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” Matthew 6:3 5 ORPHAN CARE Why Should the Church Be Involved in Orphan Care? By Scott Marques The good can often be the greatest enemy of the best. “He has shown you, O man, what is good: and what does the Lord require of you but to act justly and to love mercy and to walk In busy church life and with the immediacy of our daily routines humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) and crises, it is easy for some fundamental priorities to fall by the wayside. A Biblical perspective on the church’s mandate to care “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: for orphans will help us keep this as a primary focus amidst the to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep other good work being undertaken.