Taking the Music Back

Another privilege during my Volunteers in Mission trip to Zimbabwe was to take back the music of the Ambassadors Quartet that had so touched my life fifty years ago. In fact, it has been exactly that long since four young men from what was then Southern Rhodesia made their tour of the United States of America on behalf of the Methodist Church.

Their tour took them to 29 states and the District of Columbia. It included, perhaps amazingly, the Methodist Church in Arlington, Kansas, where my father was pastor at the time. Their singing made a powerful impact on me, and it helped create my interest in going to Zimbabwe for the first time in January 2007 with the General Commission on Communications.

Upon my return from this trip, I looked among our record albums where I was convinced that a copy of this album could be found. I have no idea what happened to it, but I could not locate it. Nevertheless, there is always e-Bay! I managed eventually to purchase several copies, always looking for a better version of the record and the album cover.

The four young men in the quartet, as I learned, were Dennison Nyamarowa from Zimunya, Josiah Njagu from Mtoko, Daniel Kasimbira from Umtali (now Mutare), and Ben Jambga from Nyadiri. One was a social worker, two were teachers, and one was a ministerial student. None of them is any longer alive. It has been my privilege, however, to be in contact one way or another with the families of three of the four quartet members and let them know what a difference their father made in my life. Perhaps someday God will bring me the the opportunity to be in contact with someone from the family of the fourth member of the quartet.

The album was entitled "From Darkness to Light." The music is divided between traditional songs and Christian songs. Side One includes a War Song, a Work Song, Four Drum Solos, a Lullabye, a Herd Boy Song, a Food Song, a Mourning Song, an adapted War Song, and "God Bless Africa." Side Two includes the quartet's introductory song, several Christian hymns in English and Shona, the Fisherman's Club Song, "Only the Best," and "Plea for Africa." The chorus of the last song is: "Tell the love of Jesus, by her hills and waters. God bless Africa and her sons and daughters."

As I accumulated copies of the "Ambassadors Quartet" album, I eventually discovered that one of the church members where I serve had the equipment and the knowledge to convert the music from a long playing record album to a Compact Disc! He did so graciously, so now I had a "master copy" of the music. Another church member had the ability and willingness to adapt the artwork from album size to CD size! So now, I had the music, the artwork, and the story of the "Ambassadors Quartet" in CD format.

I took with me to Zimbabwe four CD copies of this record. I also took an actual "Ambassadors Quartet" record with me for the Zimbabwe United Methodist archives at Africa University.
I presented CD copies to Bishop Schol and Bishop Nhiwatiwa during my report to the Zimbabwe International United Methodist Partners Summit. I gave a copy of the CD to my hosts, Kennedy and Anna Maria Masunda.

I contributed my last copy of the "Ambassadors Quartet" CD to the "Harvest Thanksgiving" offering at St. Peters United Methodist Church in Mutare on August 2. Such an offering is traditionally a "second mile" gift that reflects your gratitude for what God has done in your life, and this CD seemed an appropriate thing to give.

Of course, I really didn't take the music back--only the recording made half a century ago by the Ambassadors Quartet. The music that really makes a difference resonates in the lives of the people of The United Methodist Church in Zimbabwe.

Fifty years later, the music of this people of faith continues to "Tell the love of Jesus, by her hills and waters. God bless Africa and her sons and daughters."