As we head into a new year, it is good to look back and remember the years past.  Check out this old newsletter from Hippo Valley's John C. Pemberton in January of 1970.  Now 45 years ago!!

This year, Hippo Valley Christian Mission will be launching a new initiative known as the Living Proof Campaign.  The inspiration for this comes from none other than our own managing director, Zebedee Togarepi. Think about it, Zebedee IS the product of this great mission! He is the Living Proof of the impact this great mission has had and still has in Zimbabwe. He is what John and Marge Pemberton dreamed of as early as 1956! His role as head of our mission in Zimbabwe is what John Mark and Bob worked so hard to cultivate! Zebedee attended our mission schools as a small boy and his parents were led to Christ through the ministry of John and Marge Pemberton. He was recruited to the ministry by John Pemberton and became the first graduate of Zimbabwe Christian College. He was sponsored by the Pembertons to receive his higher education in the United States, earning his bachelor’s degree from KCU and his MRE from Cincinnati Christian Seminary. Upon his return to Zimbabwe he was brought on board as a full partner in the mission work with John Mark and Bob Pemberton, a move that was almost unheard of at that time.   

Zebedee is Living Proof of HVCM but he is only one of, literally, thousands who have passed through the doors of our schools and gone on to lead productive lives and become leaders in our churches and the community! This is what we hope to focus on as we develop this exciting sponsorship program. The product: Living Proof! Not to be confused with our regular orphan sponsorship program, here is what the new school-children sponsorship program will look like:

• We will be seeking sponsors for the school children probably beginning with 4th-6th graders.
• The $20 sponsorship monies will go directly to the mission for ministry and evangelism efforts within our 27 schools. This may include salaries, expenses for revivals and evangelistic programs within our schools, and school related administrative costs.
• The sponsoring persons or families will be given an actual child, picture, personal information and mailing address and will begin corresponding with the child to encourage him or her to do their best in school, to always attend church, and to be an active participant in Sunday school. We sincerely want our sponsors to partner with HVCM to develop friendships with these precious children, to pray regularly for your child and help lead them to the Savior.
• $5 per month from the $20 sponsor gift will be set aside in an account to be used for the sponsored child when they graduate from high school for further education. We also hope to make additional scholarship opportunities available for sponsored children who desire to attend Zimbabwe Christian College.
• Every sponsored child will be presented with a Bible given to them on behalf of their sponsor.
• Although the children will not be given their sponsor’s personal address (only the mission offices will have that information) they will send personal letters back to their sponsors through the mission office in Zimbabwe.
• Sponsors will not be permitted to send money directly to their child (the children and their families will be informed that money requests are not permitted). However, sponsors will be given the opportunity to purchase pre-selected $10 gifts from a catalog. These gifts will be given to your child at Christmas, wrapped and in your name.

In addition to this exciting opportunity, our own Zebedee Togarepi has been asked to be one of the keynote speakers at the International Convention on Missions, which will probably see around 10,000 people in attendance. What an opportunity to launch this exciting program! 

Our goal is to have five-hundred $20/month child sponsors by the end of the year.  This is a lofty goal, but thankfully we have the King of Kings on our side!  If this is something you are interested in learning more about, please submit a new contact form by clicking here, or by emailing us at hvcm@hippovalley.com.  We would love to have you on board with us during this exciting time.  

Greetings from Hippo Valley Christian Mission!
We hope this summer season finds you well and blessed in our Lord, Jesus Christ. We would  like to take a moment and make you aware of some exciting news here with HVCM.

 We are pleased to announce that Al Serhal has been named the new Executive Director for the Hippo Valley Christian Mission! Al was one ofthe original HVCM board members when it was
first established under John Mark Pemberton and has now returned to work as our stateside director. His great love for this mission has shown over the years and we are thrilled that he will be taking a key role in the future. He has been involved in church planting and building projects with Zebedee since 1995 and worked closely with John Mark on fundraising for the Chiredzi Christian Children’s Home and Village when they were first established. After thirteen trips to Zimbabwe, he truly has a heart for this work and we know that he will be a major asset going forward. 

For the past three years Al has been preaching at the Northside Christian Church in Columbus, GA. Before that he was Campus minister and director of Church relations at Kentucky Christian University. He also served 16 years as the senior minister of the Fairfield Christian Church in Kokomo, IN. He and his wife Patty will be moving to Huntington, WV in September where he will be splitting time as minister of the Westmoreland Church of Christ and HVCM. This move has opened up a great opportunity for us to move the HVCM office into the Westmoreland Church building (About 30 minutes from our original home base of Grayson, KY). Al can be reached through the church/mission office or by email at al@hippovalley.com

Dear Family, Friends and Supporters

I am so happy to report that we have finished another house,‘The Golden Valley House’, and have only one more house to go to complete the vision John Mark had for the Children’s Village 10 years ago.  The last house, ‘The Chapel Hill House’, has the roof completed and we will be starting on the inside electrical work soon.  
 
To see the faces of the children in the Golden Valley House was wonderful.  They were the last 10 children at the Children’s Home about 3 miles from the village. The Home was our first orphanage and opened 12 years ago. It is a dorm setting. The children would often ask when they too would get a house and move to the Village.  Now they are in a brand new house and love being with all the other children.  The 10 children living in the Golden Valley House range in age from preschool to the last year in High School.  

My question was, "What are we going to do with the Home?" The laws are changing in Zimbabwe and dorm rooms are no longer acceptable for housing orphans under the age of 18.  We are required by law to give them houses. The Home in Chiredzi has two large dorm rooms, one for boys and one for girls.  The expense of changing this to houses was more than we can cope with at the moment as we still are completing the Village.  

The leaders in Chiredzi, Zebedee, Alone, and Kufa, came up with a brilliant plan to use the Home. We
are still helping orphans but staying within the laws laid down by the government.  
 
About 5 years ago we opened our Halfway House for our older kids.  We opened with 6 young people 18 years old or older who have completed their High School education but needed a place to stay until their skills training or university education wascomplete.  Since our opening, we have out grown the Halfway House's limited space. After the 10 children moved to "The Golden Valley House", the Home was opened to our Halfway House boys.  They love living there.  They have so much room in the dorms and have a large garden to work in when they are not at school.  They are good young men who want to gain skills so they can make their own living. 

Dear Co-Workers & Friends,

We hope we find all of you well.  We recently celebrated Easter
Holidays and the gathering seems to exceed the former gathering we have had in times past and the preaching was good. 
The speakers were prepared for the occasion.  Food stuffs were adequate to feed the large group of delegates who came.  Our region is composed of more than twenty churches and of those 18 attended the Easter conference.  I am sure we are moving ahead very well. Also most of our preachers attended the conference together with the leadership of their congregations.  One of our new preachers, Stanley Zimuto, stationed at Damarakanaka Clinic and Church fell sick with smallpox.  Alone and I visited him and his wife and found him on the recovery side and we hope this week will bring him full
recovery.

Stanley Zimuto started ministry with us first of January by way of replacing Amos Marimwa, who
transferred to Tokwane Ngundu (Village 8) to replace Alphonse Chinyange who resigned from ministry for the purpose of taking a second wife.  Amos and wife started their ministry on the 10th of March 2013.  It looks like both churches are enjoying good times with their new preachers.

SCHOOLS MINISTRY

The schools’ system presented us with more work during the January to March term because of the
promotions which took place.  Most of our Christian schools both primary and secondary schools received newly promoted substantive deputy head masters.  It is good to have these men and women posted to our schools as we, the church, recommended them for promotions to lead in our schools.  This is the advantage private schools owners have: that of placing heads and deputies in their schools.  This is the way we keep Christian influence in all our schools. It also needs to be said that the provincial office of education is very agreeable to this arrangement. Many Responsible Authorities (R/As) are very appreciative of the good rapport we have with the current Provincial Education Director (P.E.D).  
 
There is a need for hiring an Education Secretary, as I am functioning as an education secretary, the post which requires a lot of movement to the schools and also interacting with all the seven (7) Districts Education Officers which make up Masvingo Provincial Education Directorate.  In order to achieve this, we need an office, salary and allowances, housing and fuel for the secretary to be mobile and visible in the schools. 
Right now I am sure that all of our 27 schools, both primary and secondary, have church activities going on every week let alone the teaching of Bible as a subject recognized by Ministry of Education.

This past October, 2012 I returned as a board member of Hippo Valley Christian Mission after being off of the board since 2007.  In addition, I had previously made a total of 12 trips to Zimbabwe to do short term mission work and lead teams there for building projects, VBS outreach weeks, and to help conduct the Zimbabwe Preaching Summit.  I had been away too long and it was good to finally return to Zimbabwe this past February and to see my dear friend, Zebedee Togarepi.  

I was able to take with me three men from my church (Northside Christian Church, Columbus, GA) and it was fun to see it all again through their eyes.  Although we spoke at length about the mission before the trip and during, I found it especially interesting what these men had to say when we came back and reported to our own church family about our adventure.  Each man seemed to be quite amazed by the far reaching scope of this mission.  I listened with great interest as they reported to the congregation how they had “no idea” that this mission had over 17,000 kids in their mission schools; that this mission ran hospitals and health clinics; that we were responsible for dozens of churches and the preachers who serve in them; and, that this great mission provided loving care for so many AIDS orphans through both the Children’s Home and Village.  To a man, they were all incredibly impressed with the person and the breadth of work Zebedee Togaripi does serving HVCM as Managing Director.

It was good for me to see things fresh and new through the eyes of these first time visitors who previously had no knowledge of HVCM.  It was good for me because it just confirmed in me the importance of this work.  A work that must continue!

The last time I was in Zimbabwe and served on the board was shortly after John Mark Pemberton’s death.  It was a time of uncertainty for the mission.  We had lost the founder and patriarch, John Pemberton, not long before that, and then John Mark’s unexpected death left a real void.  Five years later we would lose Bob Pemberton.  Those are some great men and left big shoes to fill.  

After being back on the board for the past six months, and now returning from my 13th trip to Zimbabwe, I have come to two important conclusions:

1) This mission is in good hands.  Zebedee Togarepi is doing a tremendous job managing and overseeing the schools, churches, health care facilities, preaching conference and children’s work.  In addition he has recently been named chairman of the board of Zimbabwe Christian College.  His influence and leadership touch every aspect of ministry in this country.  Therefore, the influence of this mission reaches every aspect of life and ministry in Zimbabwe.

When you think about it, seeing Zebedee so skillfully run this great mission is what John and Marge Pemberton originally dreamed.  It is what John Mark and Bob Pemberton worked so hard to cultivate.  Zebedee is a product of HVCM!  He went to our mission schools as a small boy.  His parents were led to Christ through the ministry of John and Marge Pemberton.  He was recruited to the ministry by John Pemberton.  He was the first graduate of Zimbabwe Christian College.  After his higher education in the States at KCU and later earning his MRE from Cincinnati, he was brought on board as a full partner in the mission with John Mark and Bob Pemberton, a move that was almost unheard of at the time by other missionaries. 

This mission is in good hands.

2) This mission must continue!  Although I suppose I have always known this, revisiting the mission after a seven year absence and seeing it fresh through the eyes of my friends, just reminded me that HVCM is truly one of the great missions of all time in the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ.  This mission truly reaches every aspect of the human existence; the body (health care and orphan work), the mind (17,000 students in our mission schools) and the soul (planting and growing churches).  This is a great mission and it must continue!

I want to personally thank all of you for your faithful support of this important work.  It is good to be back on board and I honestly believe that the greatest days of this mission are yet to come.  Your prayers and continued support are vital at this point.  Please contact our mission office to schedule a visit from one of our directors.  We would love to come and talk with your church and mission team about HVCM!