Backpacks to Nyamphande Orphanage, Lusaka, Zambia.  Following a trip to Zambia with Gary, Cindy shared her experiences with the congregation of Catherdral Chritstian Center in Phoenix.  The people responded with nearly $2000 that Sunday morning. ECHO completed the final collection and shipping of 750 backpacks filled with school supplies and hygene products for the school children of Nyamphande Orphanage. Cindy had peeked into the tattered pack of a little girl sent form the bush to the orphanage school and asked "Honey, what did your mother send with you in your pack this morning?" only to discover that the pack was empty, not so much as a pencil.

The CCC women's group caught a vision and began collecting backpacks and supplies for the children.  Once the ladies started, it was a whirlwind of shopping activity and deal finding and deal making with local stores and businesses.  When the dust settled there were more than 765 backpacks filled with goodies, weighing in at more than a ton and stored on 9 or 10 pallets in Gary's warehouse.  Shipping became Gary's challenge. 

Practically speaking, sending funds to associates in Africa to buy and distribute the backpacks would have been the cost-effective plan.  But nearly 150 packs had already been filled before Gary knew what was happening.  Thank God for Ron xxxx, a local FedEx employee who came forward saying he thought he could help.  Thinking Ron was an executive at FedEx Gary met with him about shipping and discovered that Ron was a driver for a local route.  Not real encouraging at first glance.  But know this, God doesn't need to start at the top to get His work done.  In the end, FedEx picked up the entire load at our warehouse and flew it to Lusaka.  FedEx even delivered it by truck to Nyamphande some 60 kilometers out of town. All for no cost!  A gift to the children and no small relief to Gary's mind. That gift from FedEx was a $32,000 value.  So, thank God for Ron.

Abe and Lillian de Fin our friends and ministry partners from Johannesburg met the shipment in Lusaka and presented the gift to the orphanage in a ceremony attended by the wife of the President of Zambia.