Pastor Philip is one of 10 local instructors working with Global Action to equip church leaders in Zimbabwe, and he is instilling in his students the same compassion for the vulnerable that characterises his own life and ministry. His humility and love are contagious, and this is part of what makes the Foundations programme such a life-changing experience for our students.

Click the video below to see Pastor Philip's inspiring story of serving special needs children in the community—starting in his own home.

As you saw in the video, Pastor Philip’s son Blessing is severely disabled. He suffers from epilepsy as a result of meningitis he contracted when he was one year old. Today at the age of 18, Blessing is partially blind, non-verbal, and physically dependent on his family. Earlier this year Blessing became bed-ridden and is experiencing kidney failure due to the medications he has been on much of his life.

In spite of the difficulties and pain, Philip is full of joy. “I am so grateful for the family that God has given me," he says, "a family that is bonded by the challenges and the struggles that we go through.”

When Blessing was six, his family tried to enrol him in school, but he was turned down due to his disabilities. When they realised he wouldn’t be allowed in school, the family took it upon themselves to educate him. “This also opened our eyes because we later discovered we are not alone going through this challenge,” Philip said.

This led Philip and his wife to begin reaching out to other families with special needs children to provide assistance and encouragement.

“Our prayer as a family is that we have a transformation center where we reach out to these people, and they are not ashamed to bring their kids.” Philip says the transformation center will offer resources and counseling, and, thanks to his work with Global Action, a place he can share the word of God with other families in similar situations.

“We can show them how Christ loves them even in these conditions,” Philip says.