Meeting My Sister in Africa

I grew up as an only child. I never had any of the blessings or burdens, the benefits or difficulties of having a brother or sister. I never dreamed that someone in Africa--of all places--would greet me as my sister!

She came through the greeting line after Sunday worship on August 2 at St. Peter's United Methodist Church in Mutare, Zimbabwe. As she extended her hand to greet me, she said unexpectedly, "You are my brother." By that time of my trip, I wasn't surprised by much of anything but this was definitely new information!

I had been blessed by the generosity of my hosts, the Kennedy Masunda family, who had welcomed me into their home and treated me like family. But this woman was not part of their family.

I had been blessed by a growing acquaintance with the people of the Streamview United Methodist Church, having worshiped with them the previous Sunday and having been greeted by several of them at different times in the past week. But this woman was not part of the Streamview congregation.

I had been blessed by a growing acquaitance and friendship with pastors and leaders of the Mutare District, but this woman was not a pastor. To the best of my knowledge, I had never seen her before in my life.

I must have looked at least a little quizzical, because she looked up, pointed, and said, "Same God." Then she looked at me again and repeated her affirmation, "You are my brother."

And of course, she was right. She is my sister. I am her brother. We are all part of the same family, since we all belong to Christ. As it says in Galatians 3:28, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."

Thanks be to God for family that we meet in the most unexpected places and the most unexpected times!

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."

At the Midpoint . . .

Wednesday, July 29, was the midpoint of our Volunteers in Mission trip to Zimbabwe. We were at Africa University in the morning and at Fairfield Children's Home in the afternoon.

As we exited the Africa University campus, we stopped to take a team picture at the stone entry way. Across the road was a different kind of stone--carvings and sculptures by a young man who had his wares on display.

I had wondered when I would have the opportunity to look at some stone carvings or sculptures. I had become thoroughly intrigued with this art form during my trip to Zimbabwe in January 2007. I had brought back several items from that visit, including a nativity set and a "Cross and Flame" sculpture. And now here was a stone carver, waiting--so it seemed--just for me!

His items were reasonably priced, at least in my judgment. Among other things, he had a nativity set for sale and several "Good Shepherd" sculptures of different stone. I eventually chose to buy one of polished brown stone. On the bottom of the sculpture was not only the sculptor's name but his e-mail address!

And the sculptor's name? It was Christopher, which means "Christ-bearer," and it was from him that I was blessed with "Good Shepherd." It seemed like a good sign at the midpoint of my trip.

It was a trip that had begun with meeting grace, and now it was blessed by the presence of Christ in an unexpected encounter at the entrance to Africa University.

One of the Best Things We've Ever Done

Our Volunteers in Mission Team had an opportunity on Wednesday morning, July 29, to visit one of the best things we've ever done as United Methodists--Africa University, located just a few kilometers from Mutare.

By this time, our team had been unofficially expanded by another person. Victor Masunda, who was our driver during the week, had become much more than that. He had become an active participant in our work, and we were pleased to include him in our activities--including our visit to Africa University.

Africa University was officially opened in 1992. However, it is understood to be an expression of a dream first given expression nearly a century earlier. In 1898, Bishop Joseph Crane Hartzell, after a time of prayer on Mt. Chiremba, envisioned hundreds of African young people running, with books in hand, into the valley where Africa University is now located. This mountain stands just beyond Old Mutare Mission, and it is readily visible from Africa University.

The center piece of the Africa University campus is the chapel, which was built in 1996 and funded by the Kwang Lim Methodist Church of Seoul, Korea. This is where worship was held on Wednesday morning. One of the blessings of the service was an energetic, faith-filled song by a group of pastors, singing in Shona. The preacher of the morning was the Rev. Robert Slade of the Baltimore-Washington Conference who spoke on the theme of "Press on." Our Volunteers in Mission team was introduced as part of the morning's devotions.

After worship, we were given a tour of the campus. As part of the tour, we learned about some of the challenges experienced there in 2008. Africa University managed to stay open and functional under the most dire circumstances. This was at a time when virtually every other institution of higher education in the country shut down.

One of the things that I particularly appreciated seeing on the tour was the recently completed Alfred L. Norris Health Centre. It was made possible through the generosity of the North Texas Conference. I was also glad that we could see the agricultural portion of the Africa University campus--at least from a distance.

We made our way back to the main portion of the campus, had our noon meal in the AU dining hall, and prepared for our afternoon at Old Mutare Mission. As we left the Africa University campus, it was good to know that we had at least had the chance to visit "one of the best things we've ever done!"

Zimunya at last!

On Tuesday, July 28, we finally made it to the Zimunya Skills Training Centre to do some work. We had gone there Monday afternoon, after a marvelous lunch at St. Peters United Methodist Church in Mutare. We had met the builder and contractor and reviewed the situation before heading back to Mutare.

On Tuesday morning, we arrived ready to work. Work was primarily the relocation of bricks. The skilled labor was being done by those hired for the purpose. The five of us were there to provide unskilled support, supplemented by enthusiasm and good intentions. We were joined by several local residents who turned up to help. Amazingly enough, we had just enough work gloves for each of us to have at least one--and for most of us to have two!

There is a paved road almost all the way to the Skills Training Centre site. It is situated on sixty hectares (about 150 acres) of land donated for development and use by the Mutare District of The United Methodist Church. The Skills Training Centre is just the first step in a long range process. It has been under construction since the year 2000. Steady progress had been made year by year until 2008. There was some concern that the project had stalled, perhaps permanently, but there turned out to be renewed enthusiasm for moving forward.

One of the things that impressed me immediately was the size of the structure. It is much larger than I had imagined. I was pleased to see that work was being completed on the two gables. This was needed before the roof could be put in place. So too was the addition of some rows of brick on the two side walls.

Our principal task at the Skills Training Centre was the moving of bricks. Each of the bricks had been made by hand--three at a time. There was a pile of them at one end of the building that needed to be a variety of other places--some of them inside and others outside the building. Skilled workers were laying the bricks in place. We provided the unskilled labor needed to move the bricks where they were needed.

We tried several different ways of moving the bricks before settling on a solution. We started out--perhaps in a typical American fashion--by carrying the bricks ourselves. I could carry four or five bricks stacked up in one hand and one or two in the other hand. Others used the wheelbarrow that was available. Both of these approaches proved to be rapidly tiring Another segment of our work team tried brick tossing, but that didn't seem like a long-term, viable solution either!

The idea that finally took hold was to work together, and so we did. It was hand-to-hand and brick-by-brick. It wasn't complicated, but it worked. We tried singing, but nobody came up with anything that seemed suitable. "I've been workin' on the railroad" was the closest, but it didn't gain much of a following.

Instead we visited--some in English and others in Shona--and enjoyed one another's company. It didn't matter that we didn't always understand the language others spoke. It didn't matter where we came from or where we were going. What mattered was that we found a way to work together, making the work lighter by sharing it with others.

It was good to be in Zimunya at last!

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

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!