Getting Here Safely

One of the challenges of this trip is now accomplished--arriving safely! The airline flights were uneventful, other than some rough air while coming into Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C.

Each flight departed--and subsequently arrived--more or less on time. The flight from Kansas City International (or Kansas City Inconvenient, for those who lived in Kansas City in the 1970s) to Dulles International took about three hours. The flight from there to Johannesburg, South Africa took about sixteen hours, divided into two eight hour segments with an hour and a half on the ground in Dakar, Senegal.

Along with the time of the flight, we moved ahead seven time zones! The last flight from Johannesburg to Harare was about an hour and forty minutes.

Our luggage all arrived on the same plane with us in Harare, which was a blessing. We made our way through the entry process without incident, and there was a welcoming committee from Mutare on hand to greet us--and provide transportation to our hotel in downtown Harare.

We stayed at the Jameson Hotel, and got situated about midnight. It was up for breakfast at 7:30 am.

After a typical English breakfast, we walked to the headquarters of the church in Harare. It was a busy, active, noisy journey. No one that we hoped to see was available. We left what messages were possible and then visited a craft shop operated by (or at least on behalf) of The United Methodist Women in Zimbabwe and the printing press that is still used there.

The next leg of the journey was by van. There were five of us on the VIM Team, the driver, and his wife. There were several police or Army checkpoints along the way, but that is fairly standard these days. The trip from Harare to Mutare took about three and a half hours. We stopped for the noon meal at "Half Way House," logically located half way between Harare and Mutare.

We arrived in Mutare about 3:15 pm, had a brief orientation meeting, and then departed to be with our host families. I am staying with the Masunda family.

Now to get some rest and ready for the real reason for the trip!

Goals for the Trip

"What do you hope to accomplish or experience on this trip?" was the question that I heard over the phone on my way to the airport Wednesday morning. It was a fair question, and it is probably one that I should have answered for myself--and others--before now!

After getting my luggage (and myself) checked in, I gave that some thought while waiting in the airport in Kansas City. Here is the list:

• I want to be a blessing to others in ways that make a real difference.
• I want to experience what God has in mind for me in Zimbabwe.
• I want to learn more about the life and work of the church in Zimbabwe.
• I expect to be challenged and humbled--perhaps simultaneously.
• I plan to eat whatever is set in front of me.
• I hope to be genuinely open to people, places, and possibilities.
• I want a deeper experience with God.

Doing My Possible

Today (Wednesday, July 22) is when I begin my Volunteers in Mission trip to Zimbabwe. Everything is packed that can be packed. Everything is done that can be done. Some things--actually, many things--had to be left behind or remain undone.

I always begin new ventures with a grandiose vision in my mind of what can or should be accomplished. Such visions are typically far grander--or least more complicated--than can ever be implemented. This trip is no exception.

Along my journey, I have learned to remind myself of a phrase I learned in a conversation with a missionary to Korea. All that is required is that we "do our possible," and I believe that I have done so in my preparations for this trip.

I am taking a variety of gifts for people there, but I cannot take something for everyone I meet. I am taking money for different purposes, but I cannot possibly carry enough to make an enduring difference. I am taking the greetings of my congregation, but I cannot convey adequately their good wishes, prayers, and hopes.

And yet I don't have to take everything or do everything or be everything. All that I have to do is "my possible," and--by God's grace--that will be more than sufficient. Thanks be to God!

Learning about "Chabadza"

"Chabadza" is a Shona word that means, at least according to one interpretation, "working together." It is "a clarion call used by families working in the fields when they need help. Chabadza can also be initiated by people who are willing to offer help to a family engaged in any other agricultural work."

I first encountered the reality of "Chadabadza" quite unexpectedly when helping to unload sacks of meal at Mutsago in eastern Zimbabwe in January 2007. This was part of a Volunteer in Mission experience with ZOE Ministry, undertaken while the General Commission on Communications was meeting--and working--in Zimbabwe.

As we arrived at Mutsago, children began flocking to where the truck carrying the sacks of meal stopped. As the adult volunteers began to carry in the sacks of meal, we almost had to compete with the children who were eagerly helping to carry the sacks of meal--usually one sack per child.

The protocol seemed to be for the boys to carry a sack of meal on their shoulders, while the girls would carry it on their heads. They helped as long as there was need of their assistance. They probably unloaded as many sacks by themselves as we did.

I was not surprised by their eagerness to come and see what was going on. The area around Mutsago offered a great deal of scenery but apparently little to do. I could remember the complaints that I uttered in childhood that "There's nothing to do," and I suspected that there was a Shona equivalent for such sentiment.

But the children were not coming to get a look at these peculiar strangers from a far distant land. Instead, they were there to help--without being asked or directed to do so. It was unlike anything that I could imagine back home in the United States.

I shared this experience with someone with more experience in Zimbabwe. He introduced me to the concept of "Chabadza," saying that it simply means that everybody helps until the work is done. Another interpretation is that "Chabadza" means that we are "obligated to help," if only for a short time. My own variation is that "Chabadza" means that we "can't not help!" Perhaps the best biblical example is the story of the Good Samaritan in the New Testament, who stopped to lend the help that he could.

As I anticipate my Volunteers in Mission trip to Zimbabwe, I trust that it will be an experience of "Chabadza," with the opportunity to worship with the people of the Streamview United Methodist Church, to work at the Zimunya Skills Training Centre, to visit children at the Fairfield Children's Home, and to talk, pray, and plan with others interested in and committed to work in Zimbabwe.

I cannot stay and work until all the problems or difficulties are solved, but I can do what I can at least for a little while. And the journey will continue, with a new blessing of friendship, partnership, and help--with "Chabadza."

A Prayer for Zimbabwe

A year ago, I took the opportunity to find--or write--a prayer specifically for Zimbabwe. In looking through The United Methodist Book of Worship, I came across one of the prayers "For Those Who Suffer." As I pondered its words, I decided to tailor it for the situation in Zimbabwe.

What was particularly striking in the prayer--at least for me--was the reference to the "rock of God's faithfulness." The name Zimbabwe itself means "house of stone," and rock formations characterize this remarkable country.

The Rev. Tazvionepi Nyarota, District Superintendent of the Mutare District, is translating this prayer into Shona to share with the pastors and people of her district.

Feel free to use this prayer in whatever ways seem good to you.

A Prayer for Zimbabwe*

O Healer of Galilee, you are afflicted in the sufferings of your people and are full of compassion and tender mercy.

Hear us as we pray for those who suffer, especially our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe.

Give them the peace and power that flow from you.

Set free the souls of your servants from all restlessness and anxiety.

Keep them in all perplexities and distresses, in all griefs and grievances, from any fear or faithlessness; that, being upheld by your strength and stayed on the rock of your faithfulness, through storm and stress they may abide in you. Amen.

*Adapted by Mark Conard from the Prayer “For Those Who Suffer," in The United Methodist Book of Worship # 546

Streamview United Methodist Church

The Streamview United Methodist Church is located near Mutare in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. This congregation is the one with which First United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, Kansas is seeking to build a relationship. This is part of the "Mutare Connection," which links the pastors, people, organizations, and ministries in The Hutchinson District of the Kansas West Conference with our counterparts in the Mutare District of the Zimbabwe East Conference.

The Streamview United Methodist Church is officially known as the Chikanga East circuit, being located in the township of that name. There is actually a stream near the church site, but it only has water in it during the rainy season. The current pastor is the Rev. Tafadzwa Benny--"T B"--Murauro. He is completing his second year of service.

The Streamview congregation currently numbers about 1,000 people in worship each Sunday. Worship typically lasts around two hours, but no one really keeps track of the time.

The Streamview Church does not yet have a building. They use a temporary slat-sided structure. They have backless benches, but there are typically so many people that some have to sit on the ground while others stand outside the shelter. A major emphasis at the present time is to build a permanent structure. They have a "Building Fund" offering every fourth Sunday of the month.

Rev. Murauro describes his congregation as "one of the most vibrant churches in this district of Mutare. If a person comes to this congregation he will not love to miss the rest of the Sunday services."

This is the congregation where I will be privileged to worship (and preach!) on Sunday, July 26.

Ways to Help

There are several ways in which people can support my upcoming Volunteers in Mission trip to Zimbabwe (July 22 - August 4). There are five of us who will be going from the United States for this purpose. Our primary purpose will be to work on the Skills Training Center in Zimunya, which is sponsored by the Compassionate Consultative Initiative Project-Zimbabwe. I would invite you to:

• Pray for this project, including the VIM team, local workers, and the Mutare District building committee,
• Contribute one or more new pairs of work gloves that can be taken and given to the local workers on site.
• Contribute a full-sized soccer ball to be given to one of the schools near the Skills Training Centre.
  

Along with the VIM project, our team will have the privilege of visiting Africa University and the Fairfield Children's Home, which is located on the grounds of the Old Mutare Mission Centre. I would invite you to:

• Pray for the continued effectiveness of Africa University and for the work being done at the Fairfield Childrens Home (which provides care for up to eighty children and youth) and the Old Mutare Mission Centre, including the mission hospital there.
• Donate one or more new (wrapped) bars of soap, that will be given to the Fairfield Children's Home.
• Donate new "over the counter" medications that can be given to the Old Mutare Mission Hospital. (You can e-mail me for a suggested list).
  

In addition, I have the particular privilege of attending worship at the Streamview United Methodist Church near Mutare. This is the congregation with which First United Methodist Church in Hutchinson is building a relationship. It turns out that I will be there on Sunday, July 26, which is their annual "Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday." I have been invited to preach on that occasion! I would invite you to:

• Pray for me (and the congregation) on that Sunday (perhaps doing so the night before, since we will be eight hours ahead of Central Standard Time in the United States!)
• Contribute to the "Harvest Thank Offering" to be received at First United Methodist Church this Sunday, July 12, and the following Sunday, July 19, that I will present to the Streamview congregation on July 26.
  
• Sign the "Future with Hope" card at First United Methodist Church on Sunday, July 12 or July 19. I plan to take the signed card with me and present it Streamview congregation on July 26.

Many of these ways to help, of course, are limited to persons in or near Hutchinson, KS. However, prayer knows no limits or boundaries, and I invite you to share especially in this means of support!

The Mutare Connection

One of my hopes in my upcoming Volunteers-in-Mission trip to Zimbabwe is to help build a connection between the Hutchinson District of the Kansas West Conference and the Mutare District of the Zimbabwe East Conference.

Mutare--which is the far eastern part of the country--happens to be the location I visited with the General Commission on Communications in January 2007. We stayed in Mutare, using it as a base from which to visit Africa University, Old Mutare Mission Centre, the Fairfield Childrens Home, and mission centres in the Mutare District and the Marange District.

Since returning from Zimbabwe in January 2007, it has been my privilege to develop a working relationship with several of the leaders in Zimbabwe--including the Rev. Tazvi Nyarota, the Mutare District Superintendent, and the Rev. Lloyd Nyarota, the Director of Communications and Projects for the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area. I have also had the privilege of getting acquainted with the Bishop of Zimbabwe, Eben Nhiwatiwa, with whom I am privileged to serve on the General Commission on Communications this quadrennium.

And there are others in this country from whom I have learned and who have been helpful in guiding this effort. They include Greg Jenks, Executive Director of ZOE Ministry; Drew Harvey, who works with the Nyadire Connection; and Jim Gourley, who is currently in Zimbabwe on behalf of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. In our own Annual Conference, Kennedy Mukwindidza and Aaron Madondo have shared in helpfulful and meaningful ways. Tafadzwa Mudambanuki with the General Commission on Communications has also provided important guidance.

The Hutchinson District program team has approved a covenant called "The Mutare Connection." It states:

"The pastors and people of of the Hutchinson District of The United Methodist Church in the Kansas West Conference--and other Interested Parties--commite themselves to:

• Work together in a supportive and mutual relationship with the pastors, people, congregations, and ministries of the Mutare District of The United Methodist Church in the Zimbabwe East Conference.
• Uplift one another in prayer on a regular basis.
• Support the Mutare District—its pastors, people, congregations, and ministries—with resources (financial and otherwise) in a responsible and helpful manner.
• Engage in Volunteer In Mission activities that build and strengthen healthy relationships and mutual understanding of each other’s blessings and challenges.
• Encourage church-to-church and pastor-to-pastor relationships for mutual learning, support, and growth.
• Advocate for the plight of the voiceless and the poor.
• Cooperate and coordinate with other agencies, programs, or projects that share these or similar goals.

This is one way that we might more fully realize the meaning of Paul's words to the Galatians:

"Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. So that, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the household of faith"(Galatians 6:2, 10).

VIM Mission Trip to Zimbabwe

Three weeks from today (Wednesday, July 22), I am scheduled to leave for a Volunteers in Mission trip to Zimbabwe.

It is with Compassionate Consultation Initiative-Zimbabwe, which is committed "to share the love of Jesus Christ in ways that make a Christian difference through participating in a mission opportunity." It will be led by the Rev. Dr. Kennedy Mukwindidza, a pastor from Zimbabwe who is the Executive Director of CCIP-Zimbabwe and serves as a pastor in the Kansas West Conference.

I am excited about this opportunity. I have had an interest in this part of the world ever since a group called "Ambassadors Quartet" toured the United States in 1959-60. They were from what was then called Southern Rhodesia, and their appearance at the Arlington Methodist Church was a significant moment in my life.

I had the privilege of visiting Zimbabwe in January 2007 with the General Commission on Communications. Ever since I returned, I have been working to find ways of building relationships between our two parts of the world, especially between the Hutchinson District of the Kansas West Conference and the Mutare District of the Zimbabwe East Conference. A highlight thus far has been our district clergy Christmas offering in December 2008 forthe pastors of the Mutare District.

During our time in Zimbabwe, we will work on the Skills Training Center that has been under construction for some years. It is located near Mutare. We are also scheduled to visit Africa University and the Fairfield Childrens Home.

The trip begins with a flight out of Kansas City on Wednesday, July 22. Our route takes us from there to Washington, DC, and then to Johannesburg, South Africa--via Dakar, Senegal. The final leg of the journey is from Johanesburg to Harare. We rest and recover there for a day or so. Then, it is on to Mutare.

I expect to worship with the Streamview United Methodist Church near Mutare on Sunday, July 26. It will be their "Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday." Our work project begins on Monday, July 27. Our visit to Africa University and the Fairchildrens Home is set for Wednesday, July 29.

On Friday, July 31, and Saturday, August 1, I will take part in a Zimbabwe United Methodist Summit at Africa University. This meeting will bring together Annual Conferences, agencies, and organizations working in Zimbabwe. The goal is to develop a coordinated effort to be as effective as possible.

Sunday, August 2, will be a celebration of the life and work of Bishop Ralph Dodge, whose leadership made a profound difference in the life of the church and nation that is now Zimbabwe. The journey home begins Monday, August 3, and concludes Tuesday, August 4.

There is much to be done! I deeply appreciate any and all prayers of support and encouragement in this venture!