Andrew and Alexander went to Harare on Thurs 1st July and returned home on Sunday evening 4th July. Their purpose was to have leadership meetings (Thurs night to mid Friday afternoon) and to lead a public conference (Friday night and Saturday), and then to preach the Sunday services in Harare Vineyard (Alexander) and in Chegutu Vineyard (Andrew).

A team of 8 from Willow Hill Vineyard (Andrew’s church in Johannesburg) went directly to Chegutu and spent the whole time there to help an orphanage led by Moses and Refinwe. They took loads of supplies in a large trailer. Andre Kriel met with the local town planner regarding plans to build a new orphanage on the land given for that purpose. They got an extension in terms of building on the land –we needed to break ground by end of June, but to raise funds for this in the current climate in Zim for building is difficult. The team painted the lounge and passages, ministered to the leaders at the orphanage, put on a puppet show for the kids and generally had great fun doing ‘good works’!

General Impression:
There definitely seems to be a positive and encouraging shift in Zimbabwe. The Zim dollar has been abolished and the ‘black market’ trade in US dollars and SA rand is now legal. Consequently things have come into the country and the shops and shelves are full of products. Most things are available, but at a higher price compared with what we pay in SA. However, money is flowing, trade is taking place, and there is a lift in mood. The political situation remains as problematic as ever. The so-called ‘unity government’ never worked from day one. Mugabe and his cronies still run the show and enrich themselves, and until they are gone and there is credible, competent and principled leadership that takes over, there is no hope for any meaningful change in the country.

However, we do notice a change back to racist attitudes (due to Mugabe’s racism and forced farm invasions) where whites only want to be with whites and blacks talk with blacks about whites. On previous trips we saw a natural mixing with attitudes of goodwill, but we notice a change. There are reports in the churches of whites not wanting to go to mixed churches any more because of all the pain they’ve suffered – so there are white churches maintaining their little enclaves – really sad. But good news…

Recently in the Rusape Vineyard a regular member (a Shona woman) stood up in a Sunday meeting and asked all the white people present to forgive the black Zimbabweans for what they had done, and are doing, to them (re the farm invasions and more). All the whites – except for one man who had recently been violently forced off his farm and had lost everything – stood up and came forward to receive her vicarious repentance and give forgiveness to her and the other black members who stood with her. It was a day of healing for many! This is the beautiful work of God’s Kingdom in the midst of great pain!

Many know of the Campbells and the Freeths who were thrown off their Chegutu farm, with all the houses and buildings burnt to the ground. They now live in Harare. Ben Freeth and Michael Campbell took Mugabe (the ZANU PF government) to the SADC high Court in Windhoek to seek justice: for the farm invasions to be declared illegal/unconstitutional. They won the case, but Mugabe said the SADC high court has no jurisdiction in Zimbabwe; he can do what he likes. Ben was overseas during our visit, attending functions in the UK showing the hour-and-a-half BBC documentary on their story called Mugabe and the White African (the DVD is available via www.amazon.com, well worth it)

Leadership meeting:
Alexander introduced the time by speaking on God’s love for us, the basis of all ministry and leadership. To the extent we know we are loved (the actual experience of God’s love for us) we can love others… we can’t give away what we don’t have!

Each church reported how they’re doing (comments below). We also discussed our SA – Zim – PAVLN partnership: everyone affirmed that Sue Marland will continue for another year to represent the Zim churches at this level. We agreed that Andrew be seen as Alexander’s assistant to build relationship with the Zim team. The four churches have been able to tithe to their own Zim AVC account, which has a healthy balance. The Zim AVC fund gave US$600 to the PAVLN fund as their 6% contribution – signs of growth and health.

Chegutu VCF: The church has shrunk with all the farm seizures, and in some ways it’s more difficult now than it was in the crisis times. They are losing people to Harare (easier to make a life there) and there have been a series of untimely deaths (Sue doing funerals). Sue has lost the support of Mike and Angela Campbell, Ben and Laura Freeth, as they have moved to Harare after their homes were burnt down. Mike is ill from a stroke and he’s struggling to talk and eat. His trauma from the farm attack has made it difficult for him to process his feelings and perceptions re racial reconciliation. The same for some other whites who don’t want a mixed church. The challenges for Sue (pastor) are enormous.

Harare VCF: Darren and Edna Salle lead the church, with a good team to support them. The fully racially mixed church is growing back to health after the past couple of years of stress and people leaving the country, etc. They are financially viable (Darrin is bi-vocational) and are able to help others. Ian leads the compassion ministry. The services are vibrant and the practice of spiritual gifts is encouraged. A number of teachers/preachers have emerged. There is a need for more commitment and regular involvement from the members.

Marondera VCF: Vengai and Arina Masungu lead the church. It is doing relatively well despite the stress everyone has been under – mostly black church filled with young people. Vengai spoke of the challenge to disciple them and make them more committed. A bus full of young people came from Marondera for the conference in Harare – their band led worship… we were inspired by their passion for Jesus! Vengai is bi-vocational. Arina is expecting their third child. As a mixed-race couple they face serious racism stirred up by the government’s preaching of hatred. Paul and Annetjie Grobler joined the church in April. He works as the administrator of the local hospital, and reports some wonderful healings and miracles of God’s provision. Vengai and Paul share in leading the church. Arina told the story of a young girl who walks for over an hour to come to (children’s) church. She says it is her (real) family after her mother died and her father is frequently drunk. The children’s church leaders loves her as her own… this is the Kingdom!!

Rusapi VCF: Dan and Babs Izzet lead the racially mixed church. It’s doing well despite recent financial strain due to some farmers (congregation members) being thrown off their farms with the loss of most things, including their tithes/offerings. Paul and Melinda Grobler worked with Dan for 7 months – Dan was hoping they would take the leadership of the church, but they felt led to take an offer to manage/run a farm in the area. Dan and Babs are praying for a younger couple to come and lead the church as they plan to retire with a focus on working for Leprosy Mission. Wellington and Regina are on staff – she did the confession/reconciliation act referred to above, which needs to be taken further. Dan says: “we meet at the cross on Sunday mornings, but not on the football field during the week”. However, there’s lots of mercy/charity ministry going on in Rusape, feeding the prisons, hospitals, the poor… Dan says he’s having fun!

The Public Conference – the theme was: “Healing and Reconciliation”

We met in the hall that the Harare VCF uses for their Sunday meetings. People came from Chegutu, Marondera and Rusape. On the Saturday the hall was packed with extra chairs needing to be brought in – the hall seats about 180 people (my estimate!) There was an excitement and vibrancy that I had not experienced in my trips to Zimbabwe for the past couple of years. The worship was wonderful – a good mix of celebration and adoration.

Andrew gave two inputs on attitudes of cynicism and/or trust, and the need for openness to proclaim the good news of Jesus, and to do his healing works, ‘out there’ in the market place. I taught two sessions: healing from psycho-emotional damage in terms of past hurts, bad memories, abuse, etc; and deliverance/healing from spiritual powers as in darknesses, compulsions, addictions, demonizations, etc. The people listened intently with such desire for God’s truth… their hunger drew God’s word from us like a flowing river from our innermost being (so I felt). What an honour to teach people like this!

The times of ministry after each teaching was like ‘the old days’… between a quarter and a half of the congregation came up for laying-on-of-hands! People were crying, some falling, others shaking, some screamed as pain was drawn out of their bodies, as demons were expulsed. People had various kinds of power encounter and manifestations of the Spirit. We didn’t have feedback in the meetings as to what they experienced (we should have, but we ran out of time!!), so we don’t know all the stories of what God did. But this I do know – and have become convinced of as the years of doing such meetings accumulate – that much, much more happens than we would ever realize! Never underestimate what God does in the beautiful mystery of an environment of ministry where people are touched by the Spirit, most unobservable to the human eye, others are visibly touched, and some are demonstratively and loudly affected! Only when we stand before God one day the raps will be removed and we’ll all see and know what really happened in such meetings, what God did in the deepest recesses of the human psyche, in our bodies, in our relationships.

To end: two stories I was a part of. A middle-aged woman came up for deliverance ministry (with almost half the congregation wanting ministry!) I didn’t ask what the issue was. I laid hands on her and spoke what came to mind. She fell forward like a plank and I laid her to the ground. Then she began to perspire and cry and shake. Then she coughed and coughed, exhaling whatever was coming up. I saw and felt things as I watched, and I spoke whatever came to me. Eventually she subsided into peace, her body relaxed and she quietly cried and cried… out of relief and gratitude I assumed. I asked her what happened, what it was all about. With her eyes all red, but soft and clear with light, she said that deep fear and anxiety tormented her all her life, and that it had come out of her, she was free!

A young girl (about 11 years old, thin and poorly dressed) came up for ministry, saying to me in broken English that her grandmother tried to kill her when she was born – because her grandmother hated what her daughter had done! That’s all I heard in the midst of the noisy ministry going on around me! Immediately I felt some of her pain because my mother tried to abort me when I was in her womb. Tearful compassion flowed as I laid hands on her narrow shoulders. She began to shake and cry. I spoke healing to her, rebuking the spirit of death. The next meeting (on deliverance) she came up again and this time fell to the floor when ministry began. I laid hands on her back and her body gently moved or writhed from side to side as if to release something from deep within. Then she began a series of spontaneous audible belches as ‘stuff’ was released. This went on for some time till she came to rest. Again she ended up crying soft tears of gratitude. HALLELUJAH!!!