THE WISE MEN AND WOMEN FROM THE EAST
Twenty, third and fourth year students and three staff from Ricatla Theological College in Maputo heard that there was good news in Zimbabwe and decided to catch the early worm. Like the proverbial wise men from the east they did not waste time by debating weather they come to Zimbabwe or not to celebrate with us our joy after several years of suffering under a very oppressive system. What they did was to ask friends in Zimbabwe to host them on their way across Zimbabwe. Coming during Easter was ideal because Zimbabweans were celebrating freedom at last. Zimbabwe has just established a Government of National Unity GNU. The former rivalry parties have joined to form the GNU. President Robert Mugabe is now working with the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as the Prime Minister. This was unthinkable a few months ago.
Prof. Hette Domburg was the leader of the delegation. Their first stop of call in Zimbabwe was Africa University in Mutare near the Mozambican border. There, the Dean was keen to have some of these students enroll at her university for continuing theological studies. Their second stop was at a sister theological college in Harare, United Theological College. There also they were encouraged to come and further their theological studies.
Their last port of call was on Good Friday in Norton, 45 kilometers from Harare along the Bulawayo road. In Norton they were hosted by our family. Only six were hosted in houses and seventeen of them put up in Katanga Methodist Church building. Members of Katanga Methodist church were away at an Easter Camp 40 kilometers from Norton. The group paid a courtesy visit to their absent hosts at the camp the following day on Saturday.
On Good Friday the group listened to my personal experiences. I shared with them the difficult times I went through in trying to live the Gospel message in troubled times. Because of the misunderstandings and the misrepresentations about my prophetic role I had to come to a mutual agreement with my Church to leave the full time work and was seconded to the Institute of Theological Reflection Today which I founded. The then government was not happy about the position I took to speak on behalf of the suffering masses. My Church on the other hand did not feel comfortable because it alleged government agents were visiting the church leadership asking them to stop me from doing the work I felt called to do. For the sake of peace in the church I left full time ministry two years ago. I continue to work part time in the church and have been blessed indeed.
The session on my experiences generated such a heated debate that we went late into the night students asking very practical and pertinent questions. Some students suggested that such experiences should be shared within the region because we have similar problems in our nations. Theological Reflection sessions are very vital because they bring out real issues which pastors/ministers of religion confront in their daily work.
I also shared with them the traditional Seven Sayings on the Cross. The full text is posted on the Blog. Another heated debate ensued. Sunday morning we traveled to Sandringham Methodist Church (27km) where we partook in the communion service. The Mozambican visitors gave greetings and wished Zimbabweans a prosperous future after suffering for so long.
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