Missions
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| Friday May 9, 11:55pm [Nyamutora residence, Gweru, Zimbabwe ] | ||||||
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When we arrived at Fanny and Martha’s place in Gweru closer to 7pm, it was completely dark. The electricity was off in that part of town. When we turned in the gate, our headlights illuminated a half dozen kids/people jumping up and down at the gate. I thought that was pretty neat to have a welcoming party. But as we pulled up to the house, our headlights scanned across a whole crowd of people shouting and dancing. It seemed to be well over a hundred people. We exited the vehicle in utter astonishment and also darkness, but we could hear the crowd. They were singing Shona songs of welcome. None had a flashlight. We fumbled for our cameras and soon the green focusing beams of digital camcorders/cameras began to illuminate some of their faces, both children and adults. Some were a blur of motion – stomping and twirling, clapping and waving. Children were a little dumbfounded with these gadgets thrown in their faces, but soon they picked up the songs again. The people began shaking our hands or hugging us. I brought out a flashlight momentarily, but eventually we all just joined them in song in the blackness until a battery lantern was brought out.
This evening, she began letting out a series of ululations that could have raised the dead. She can make an almost supernatural movement with her tongue that would put the Lord of the Flies boys to shame.
I was overwhelmed with this reception. The Lord was being praised just because we showed up. There is a chorus that still plays through my head that both the children and adults love to sing in English:
I can still hear the children’s voices and remember wondering if some of the taller people would bump their heads into the rafters. There was a time of prayer and several came forward with requests while songs were still being sung. As they came forward, Fanny assigned them to us in front. I remember going to at least two…one trying to get into a school and one trying to be reunited with their mom in the U.K. It was difficult for me to always make out what was being said because of their accent and the singing going on, but I prayed and continued on.
Back in the house after the service, we found that our bags had been taken in and a late supper was available. There were signs hung around the house welcoming us there as well. I believe Mark made them and just added to how special our time of reception was. My initial impression was that the house was big and that impression was not wrong, but it was magnified by the shear length of two halls that we passed through. I was given a room toward the end of the main hall with Justin (Fanny’s older brother). The rest paired up in other rooms. There were two beds per room – I could not believe it. I would not have to use my inflatable mat at all. I heard that the house used to belong to the Whitmers (Steve and Linda) for a time before it was passed on to the African Harvest mission. The Whitmers were instrumental in encouraging Fanny to continue his schooling and pursue the work in Gweru, so this residence is a real blessing in that respect.
We ate and started going through the VBS material that no one had looked at yet. It was decided that I would get the older kids in the afternoon, and they could help with the younger ones in the morning. As for the “Safari” curriculum, Irene helped simplify a lot of things and we came up with and initial plan. But with VBS starting at 8 or 9 the next morning, and it already being about midnight now, we are all feeling a little discouraged with the thought of how we are ever going to be able to pull this off. We just have to trust God to be faithful.
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