Newsletter

Phone: 937 215 -8126

Zimbabwe Phone 011 263 54 221129

E-mail: vision4africa@adtech.co.zw

 

 

 

Text Box: Please continue to pray for Zimbabwe.  The situation continues to improve.  Food and other necessities are readily available these days as well as luxury items and just about anything.  People are not suffering as much, but still find the cost of living very inflated.  Power cuts continue to be very extreme.  We experience cuts nearly every day and other parts of town suffer with it much more than we do.  The Mkoba area is without power much of the day.  Water cuts are serious too.  Businesses continue to find it difficult to maintain production.  Right now the country is also being hit hard with a very bad flu virus that can cause one to be sick for weeks, even months.  Many have died from the virus.  Dan and I have been sick for the past couple of weeks with this flu.  Pray for the Lord to heal us and the country.  We are believing and stretching our faith for health not only for ourselves, but also that we can be watchmen on the wall for the nation.  

 

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Text Box: Praise God for His great faithfulness and awesome might.  God bless you all.  We'd love to hear from you.  Also, check out our newly updated website at: www.vision4afrika.org    

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Text Box: In His Service,

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Text Box: Dan and Theresa McArthur

To contact us:
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Petronella

Farming God's Way Seminar - (Above and below)

Keyford Rimai teaching Farming God's Way in Silobela

Orphan Outreach 2009

Theresa giving devotions

Picture of Hornbill taken at Antelope Park outside of Gweru

Dan watching elephant ride at Antelope Park

Other animals at Antelope Park (above and below)
Vision For Africa

"Where there is no vision, the people perish."  Proverbs 29:18

U.S. Address:

 

Vision For Africa

P.O. Box 33

South Vienna, OH.  45369

 

Zimbabwe Address:

 

Vision For Africa

P.O. Box 6190

Gweru, Zimbabwe  Africa

Our God is so good.  We give Him thanks daily for His great goodness and His wonderful love.  I love knowing Him.  There's no greater thing. 

Vision For Africa

Email Newsletter

September 2009

 

Dear Friends and Family,

 

Greetings in the precious name of Jesus.  How awesome our Lord is.  We spend the first hour of each day worshiping Him and seeking His face.  What a precious gift that we would be allowed to come before Him that way, finding His tangible presence and just adoring Him.  That hour of the day is so sweet and sets our eyes on Him for the remainder of the day.  What a privilege to know Him and walk with Him. 

 

This is Theresa writing.  Today is a beautiful day.  Spring is here and the weather is so nice especially after a long cold winter.  I've been busy in the garden.  We have also acquired some chickens and we've been busy building chicken runs.  This is new for us, so pray for our poor chickens. 

 

August Events

The month of August is a school holiday month in Zimbabwe and for us it was a bit more relaxed.  We had opportunity to preach and teach at a couple different places which were very good and timely.  Andy used the time to make a movie with his friends.  It's entitled "Flesh and Spirit".  They had a blast.  Andy spent most of his holiday break working on the project.  It is probably 15 minutes long, very action packed and makes a statement.  He hopes to put it on YouTube.  If he does we'll let you know. 

 

The one major event in the month of August was an Orphan Outreach held in Mkoba on the 28th of August.  Several of the youth from the Youth Celebration Time where our son Andrew attends helped us with this event.  We invited all the orphans who are part of the Tapuwa Upenyu Orphan Program (TUOP) and who live in the Mkoba area to participate.  We met at the Mkoba Church of Christ where we had a day long event much like a Vacation Bible School.  There were 40 orphans in attendance.  The eight volunteer youth led singing and did Bible skits in the morning.  Mrs. Chinyoka, a TUOP board member, taught a Bible lesson on the Good Samaritan and the participating orphans presented skits portraying the lesson.  We served lunch prepared by volunteer ladies from the board and the church.  The lunch wasn't anything special as we would measure special, but he kids were thrilled getting to eat meat and salad.  Cake for dessert was the crowning point.  In the afternoon we played lots of games.  School supplies and candy were given away as prizes and all the TUOP children went home with plenty.  A couple of the older orphan children had written speeches to close the day.  Let me share one of them with you. 

 

"It's a good day to you all, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.  My name is Glendar Nyone and I'm here to recite to you my speech entitled "Help the Helpless" and it is based on the story of the Good Samaritan that we find on Luke 10:25-37. 

As humans we live in a world full of devastation,

A world full of hatred, wars, abortions, diseases,

And these things take their daily tolls on our lives.

People are being hurt physically, emotionally, and psychologically. 

Our family structures are being threatened with New Life Moralities. 

There are many orphans out there who can't help themselves out of this present dilemma and what is our response to this as Christians, how are we to address this problem around us?

The answer to this is found in the Bible at Luke 10 vs. 25-37 and it talks about the good Samaritan. 

In this story we find out that this man who was lying by the streets was firstly noticed by the Priest and the Levite and these men were from very well recognized institutions and were respected by their communities just because of their knowledge in the laws of Moses. 

But the poor man had no place in their hearts. 

But the Samaritan was a man full of compassion that he even took the poor man to the hospital and even paid his bills. 

I salute you people who started this project of Tapuwa Upenyu Orphan Program. 

You have given us life and we thank you."

 

Upcoming Plans

Plans are being made to run a school, one day a week over a nine week period beginning the first Tuesday in October.  The Lord laid this on our heart to be used to teach principles on hearing the voice of God and how to use that gift.  We would appreciate your prayers concerning this school.  We are starting small but we are anticipating that this will grow.

 

Thanks for all your prayers and support.  We appreciate you all very much.  God bless you.

 

Love in Christ,

 

Dan and Theresa McArthur

Missionaries

August 2009

Dear Friends and Family,

Life has been very full since I last wrote.  This is Theresa writing.  The last week of June we took a trip to Madinare, Botswana.  Keyford Rimia traveled with us.  We spent a week there doing revival meetings each evening and then we taught "Hearing the voice of God" on Saturday.  We ministered again on Sunday morning then headed for home.  The week was very successful and we saw God move mightily.  We were home only for a few days and then left Wednesday the first of July to go to Lusaka, Zambia.  We were there to be a part of the launching of a networking of Pastors and Churches in the Southern Africa region.  Dan and I were the guest speakers.  We had a great time and the Lord knit our hearts together with some new friends and we believe God will build on those relationships.  We were asked to be "Mom and Dad" type advisors for this network and after praying about it we accepted that invitation.  We returned to Zimbabwe on the sixth of July.  The rest of the month of July was full as well.  Dan and Keyford spent four days in the Silobela area teaching "Farming God's Way" again.  As the last time, they also used it as a platform for evangelism in the community, preaching and praying for the sick.  Once again, they saw God move awesomely, the lost being saved and the sick being healed.  The seminar was very successful too and people are starting to implement the priciples taught.  On Saturday the 25th of July Dan and I taught a marriage seminar in Harare.  There were about 40 people in attendance, most of them either Pastors or church leaders.  The teaching was very well received and most of those present are interested in doing more of these types of seminars. 

I want to share about one miracle we saw happen recently.  On the 7th of June Dan and I were invited to minister at an Alliance Church that meets at the show (fair) grounds here in Gweru.  The church is not a very large church but we saw the Lord move mightily that morning.  We ended up praying for nearly everyone there.  One young lady who asked for prayer is named Petronella.  She is 18 years old.  Petronella was crippled from an apparent stroke.  The left side of her face drooped, her left hand was curled and she walked dragging her left foot.  We prayed for her that morning believing that God would heal her.  Medically speaking she had no hope other than the Lord's touch.  A few weeks later she came to see us.  I didn't recognize her at first till she reminded me of who she was.  She is totally and amazingly healed.  No more droopy face, curled hand or dragging foot.  Her countenance was transformed with the love of God.  She told us that on the Sunday night after we prayed for her she had a dream.  In her dream the Lord came and spoke to her.  He told her how much He loved her and that he wanted her to read John 15:1-5 because that was His heart for her.  He also told her to come to see us and thank us for praying for her.  She came the next day but we were not home so she returned a couple of weeks later.  We were amazed.  We have been seeing God move in healing these days, especially amongst the poor who can't afford a doctor.  But this miracle was so amazing.  God is so good and we love serving Him. 

This year has been an interesting year for the Tapuwa Upenyu Orphan Program, a ministry extension of VFA.  Through this program we help care for kids who are orphaned because their parents have died from AIDS.  Most of these kids live with other extended family members.  We help support around 100 orphans by paying for school fees thereby enabling them to receive an education.  The first term of this year was very difficult and we ended up not being able to pay for any school fees.  It was around that time that the country began "dollarization", converting from using the useless Zim. dollar to using either US dollars or South African Rand as currency.  With that change came an extreme inflation of the US dollar in the beginning.  So school fees rocketed over night from around $5US to over $100 US, making it impossible for us to afford to carry on with the program the first term.  Just before the second term rolled around the board met, most of us thinking that TUOP was going to have to disband all together.  But we committed ourselves to fasting and prayer to see what God would do.  By the beginning of the term the Government had ruled that the school fees could not exceed certain limits which ranged from $5US to around $15US, a much more affordable amount.  So TUOP was up and running again in the second term which ended the beginning of August.  We are hopeful that we will continue with the program for the last term of the year and into 2010.  Praise God for His perfect faithfulness. 

Dan and Theresa McArthur

In His Service,

Mrs. Chinyoka teaching lesson

Preparing lunch

Fun and Games

It's nice to see them smile!

Glendar Nyone

Andy and friends lead songs

Kids think Dan is cool.