Summer at Peniel

Jennifer and Gideon lead the wonderful efforts at Peniel Orphanage in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.  Prayers for their safety during this time of political change in the government.

PENIEL CENTRE NOVEMBER  2017 UPDATE 

Thank you very much for partnering with us in touching and brightening the lives of orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe. It is summertime here in Zimbabwe and the weather is very hot and some of the green plants in our garden are being affected by the summer heat. We are however grateful to God that our maize field at Peniel Centre is doing very well despite the soaring temperatures. It has already reached the tussling stage and we believe that it would be ready to be eaten mid to end of December this year. 
We would like to hereby ask you to join us in praying for some of our children who do not have identity documents. We are focusing on acquiring birth certificates for some of our children before the end of the year. It is difficult though to apply for identity documents in Zimbabwe for children who don’t have parents because we have to trace first their maternal relatives for us to have full authority to apply. We also need a hospital birth confirmation card for each of the children which again is a mountain to climb since these children do not have these cards. Please pray for the following children as well as us as we take steps to apply for their documents. 

Wellington –His exact date of birth is not known, so Peniel Centre gave him a birth date which is the 1st of May. We celebrate his birthday on the first of May every year. He was born out of wedlock and both his mother and father dumped him because of shame. He thanks God for Peniel Centre which has been a blessing to this young man.  
 
Nqobizitha- Both his parents died when he was very small and relatives are not known hence it is very difficult to get a birth certificate for him. He is currently in his second year of high school. Most of the students at his school have their identity documents, so this takes away dignity from him. We desire to ensure that he acquired the document before the end of the year  
 
Mitchell-This girl loves education very much and is very much convinced that education is one of the ways that can give her wings to fly out of poverty. The challenge she faces is not having an identity document hence we are fighting out together with her to get a birth certificate for her. We just have been told that her grandmother is still alive somewhere in the rural areas of Zimbabwe. We are working on sending someone to ask the old lady to help us in applying for the identity document for this girl and her younger sister.   
 
Nicole- She always cries at school when other children laugh at her saying that she does not exist in the records of the living people of Zimbabwe. She wishes her mother was alive to help them acquire the document. We hope and pray that the grandmother whom we have just been told about is going to help this girl and her sister above.   

Liz- was born at one of the good hospitals in Zimbabwe but his mother lost all his hospital cards before she died. The surviving aunt is an alcoholic who literally cannot help in any way. The challenge with this boy is that he has just finished his primary education and will be going to high school in  January 2018 and some schools do not take children who do not have birth certificates. We desire to take him to a better school next year but how can we do that if he does not have the right documents. Please pray for us to be able to acquire the documents for this boy. 
Pray with us please that we can find the relatives and pray that they will agree to help us. 
Thank you so much for all the support 
Blessings 
Gideon & Jennifer Chishamba