Zambia Partnership

Moved by the HIV/AIDS pandemic (over 40 million currently living with HIV or AIDS, 25 million dead, 15 million children who have lost at least one parent), LGPC has answered God's call to partner with World Vision and Christians in southern Zambia—where the disease is exacerbated by extreme poverty compounded by 10 years of famine up to 2003—to share the love of Christ by coming alongside community leaders, church leaders, educators and medical caregivers to prevent the disease, support holistic development, and minister to orphans, weakened families, and the victims themselves. Ongoing prayer, a yearly “journey of hope” to encourage our partners, and sponsorship opportunities highlight the work of this team.

Under the leadership of the Zambia subcommittee, LGPC has provided financial resources in establishing a partnership with Siabaswi village, a village with over 4000 people, in supporting some of their most urgent needs for schools, health care, agriculture, clean water, evangelism, and HIV/AIDS prevention and education. About $25,000 in ministry funds had been earmarked for Zambia by the end of 2004. As the partnership develops, our involvement is moving beyond Siabaswi village, into the entire Sinazongwe Area Development Program, which serves about 60,000 people. Our response emphasizes concern for children orphaned by AIDS. The Pentecost offering provided Bibles (in both English and Tonga) as well as Christian literature for children, and resources were provided for twenty pastors, strategically located in Siabaswi and the Sinazongwe region: Bibles and reference works to help their teaching and preaching. Finally, as was the case in the early days of our involvement with mission in Senegal, opportunities continue to exist for individual donors to become involved, particularly through funding schools and boreholes to provide clean water in Siabaswi and surrounding villages.

In order to foster this partnership and to deepen our understanding of what it means to live and survive in Zambia, our church again sent a team to Zambia in June/July 2004, and this team reported back to the congregation after their return. Another team visited Zambia in July of 2006. A new dimension for the partnership arrived in the person of Mr. Grephan Chindongo, World Vision manager for the Sinazongwe area, who visited LGPC in November, preaching in worship and visiting a number of smaller groups in the life of our church. In response to Grephan's visit, 100 new child sponsorship relationships were started, especially in Zambia, but also in Senegal. The partnership was strengthened, and our church was blessed by Grephan's visit. And hundreds, if not thousands, of lives will never be the same. Another visit to Zambia is planned for the summer of 2007.

MAKONKOTO SCHOOL PROJECT SUCCESSFULLY FUNDED!

School in Sinazongwe crowded with students

Makonkoto School Prior to Refurbishment New Bricks for Beginning of New Construction

(Press the photo above for update about

the Makonkoto School)

With YOUR help, we did get it done in 2006! After fundraising and spreading the word about this great need, we are blessed to be able to report that the school project is fully funded. All gifts given, large and small, combined to help make the difference for hundreds of school-aged boys and girls giving them a "future with hope" (Jeremiah 29:11).

The Makonkoto School, located across from the Simupande Village (in the district of Sinazongwe), is an old facility built in the early 1960's and deeply in need of renovation and upgrades. The project was launched in November of 2004 and had achieved the $145,000 of its funding as of January 2006. The total cost of the project is $250,000.

Lutangu Lubasi, World Vision Sinazongwe ADP Manager, was excited to hear that the school funding was complete. He reports that the villagers are deeply committed to doing their part in the construction, and indeed have already don a lot of the brick-making and transporting of gravel (from the nearby riverbed) to prepare for the next stage of construction. By the time the Go-Team visits the site in July, all latrines should be finished and the borehole well complete. It is estimated that the new construcion and refurbishing of older buildings will take about a year.

Praise God for touching the hearts of many to make this step in transformational development for Sinzaongwe a reality.