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By Charlie Moore

I recently had the privilege of leading a Volunteer In Mission team of seven people from Community UMC in Crofton on a trip to Zimbabwe.

During our eight days there, we participated in the dedication of the Juru Community UMC and the dedication of a new solar power project at the Dindi Community United Methodist Medical Clinic.

In addition, the team distributed medical supplies, food supplies, sewing materials, shawls and lap robes, "Care Bears," choir robes and school supplies to a number of different locations.

More than 500 people attended the four-hour dedication of the Juru Church. The total funding for the church of about $75,000 has been provided by Community UMC. In March 2007, a VIM team from our church had spent two weeks working on the installation of the roof trusses and the building of pews.

More than 1,200 people attended the dedication of the solar power project at the Dindi Medical Clinic. This project was the capstone of the building of the Medical Clinic and staff house that Community UMC began and funded in October 2006, at a cost exceeding $100,000. The community team also presented medical supplies, food, lap robes and Care Bears during the dedication.

While we were participating at the dedication, a baby boy was born at the clinic. The baby was wrapped with one of the lap ropes Community's Shawl Ministry provided, given to the mother only 15 minutes before the baby was born.

We found that the economy in Zimbabwe is in a total tailspin. With an annual inflation rate exceeding 20 million percent, there is a severe shortage of food and medical supplies. Many businesses have shut down and the few stores that remain open have mostly bare shelves.

The team also spent time visiting the Revs. Mary and Remember Masamba, both pastors of Methodist churches in the outskirts of Harare and the parents of Fortune Masamba who was sponsored by Community to come to the United States and receive a college education.

We presented medical supplies for an orphan's pre-school program at Remember's church and provided funding to Mary's church for the completion of their sanctuary expansion.

The team visited seven or eight other potential sites for future projects. The church has made the decision to build a primary school building in the Hanwa Mission and provided initial funding so that the area residents can begin work immediately. They've already made the bricks.

A VIM team from Community will travel to Hanwa in mid-April next year to participate in the completion of this first of many school blocks at the Hanwa Mission.

As you can imagine, this was a trip that was incredibly emotional and uplifting.

In spite of the dire economic, political and medical crises facing the Zimbabwean people, they remain grounded in their faith in God and hope for a better future.

All of us who participated in this effort have been deeply changed by this experience.

We truly appreciate the prayers and generosity that made our work possible.