Friday, April 22nd, 2022
Today was a Holy Day, the Seventh Day of Unleavened Bread. I got up early to continue my preparations for the coming day. I had picked out a list of sermons from the ones I have already given over the past few years. It’s unlikely that many, if any of the brethren in Harare have heard the recordings of my messages on YouTube or on UCG.org so I had plenty to choose from. The congregations do receive my weekly Sabbath letters. I always hope they are a benefit to them, an aid for their own personal Bible study. Sometimes in that sort of situation God makes it obvious to me which message to bring even if I might have something else in mind. As a minister of Jesus Christ I must allow myself to be led by Him. He is the head of the Church of God and I serve under His direction.
Just the night before, possibly somewhere between Johannesburg and the guesthouse in Harare, I had mentioned to Matt that he should have a sermonette prepared just in case he is asked. Again I had assumed correctly that I would be giving the sermon on this day and the next. If I am ever stuck without written material I always have the Bible. If I can’t rely on the word of God for the words I speak in front of His own people then I must be doing it the wrong way.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalms 119:105).
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
My coffee cup was empty and I had decided which message I should deliver. As far as I could tell, Matt was still asleep. For a while I prepared for some future pastoral writing assignments, going over some notes, meditating on the topic, and praying that God would guide me. Still the house was silent except for a member of the staff. I decided not to wake Lena by sending her a lot of messages. Moments later I received a message from her. It was early for me but late for her and she was just getting to bed. When people ask me how Lena is doing, lately I often tell them she is doing well but very busy. She works for UCG and currently has multiple responsibilities which include several volunteer responsibilities. Thankfully on the Sabbath and Holy Days she is forced, by her personal commitment to God, to cease from her work. However, as a pastor’s wife she is often busy preparing for gathering with brethren, fielding questions and concerns, counseling people, guiding others in their pursuit of the truth, and so much more.
Once Lena was sleep, and I knew breakfast would soon be served, I decided to lay out my clothes and prepare for services. I only have one suit and one tie with me so the only wardrobe choice I had to make was deciding between two different blue shirts. Matt must have had the same idea at the same time because he was ready at the same time I was. Perhaps we’ve been spending too much time together recently. After all we sit next to one another on almost all our flights, we eat together, we take walks together, we drink coffee together, and we even collaborate on our social media posts and blogs. It hasn’t gotten old yet and I’m still glad to have him with me every step of the way on this adventure. It’s a good thing because there was no one else around this morning to share breakfast conversation with.
Moments after finishing breakfast and finishing our preparation for services, Mabasa and the entire Chichaya family pulled up to the gate and honked. Our host ran out and opened the gate. Matt and I grabbed our things and headed out the door. It was nice to see Chisomo and their two little girls, Christal and Layla. We didn’t mind squeezing into the pickup for the short drive to services nearby. The congregation meets at The Russell Hotel here in the city. It took us about 20 minutes to get there. The grounds were very beautiful and the modest meeting room was peaceful. The staff at the hotel enjoy having the brethren there on the Sabbath because they are a responsible and courteous group, not disrupting the guests at the hotel.
We arrived a bit late because the Chichayas had run into a bit of traffic coming from Kadoma to the city. Once we were there we briefly greeted everyone, got settled, and began services. Unbeknownst to me, Mike, who writes the speaking schedule in Harare, had asked Matt at the very last moment to give the sermonette. I was both surprised and delighted when I heard Mabasa announce his name for the opening message. Just like he did in Lilongwe for the previous Holy Day, Matt did a fine job. The rest of services went smoothly as Mabasa led hymns and I gave the sermon.
After services we had a chance to visit with the brethren. It was nice to see the familiar faces such as Mike’s daughter Elizabeth who I had baptized a week and a half before. His wife Mavis was there as well. Mavis had bravely taught me to cook sadza at the Feast of Tabernacles in 2019. It was also great to catch up with Douglas and Tatenda, two young men who serve in the congregation. I had first met Tatenda in Blantyre in 2017. He was taking some courses there and had moved back to Harare afterwards. Our time together went by too quickly, but thankfully we’ll be able to pick right back up where we left off in the morning.
Instead of heading all the way home and coming back in the morning the Chichayas made plans to stay with Mabasa’s sister just a short ways from where Matt and I are staying. They’ll do the same the following night as well. This is much more practical in so many ways. And they’ll be refreshed for the Sabbath, ready to continue fellowshipping with the brethren. They dropped Matt and I at our gate before heading off. Thankfully we had managed to get ahead of the rush hour traffic.
After changing we went into the sitting room. Matt looked at me and asked, “What are we going to do about food?” Both of us were pretty hungry and most definitely thirsty. We’ve been trying to avoid drinking tap water even though it might be safe. It’s always a gamble to drink water in places that you aren’t used to. So we asked the staff guy for some more bottled water and then started to plan out where we might go to get some food. We don’t have our own wheels or a personal chauffeur to take us around. I’m sure if he wasn’t busy that our host, Tapiwe, wouldn’t mind so much. He would even cook for us if we asked him to.
We decided that we would walk to a local restaurant and take our chances there. Before heading out we looked to Tapiwe for guidance. After all, not far from the guesthouse was the area that Mike had said some people like to use the “smash and grab” method of acquiring things. Tapiwe assured us that we would be fine, that nobody was going to touch us. So we headed off on foot wearing our rain jackets. The weather report called for rain at about the time we would be heading back after our meal.
Chicken Village in the Mabelreign Shopping Centre was a pleasant half mile walk down a beautifully tree-lined avenue called Stansted Road. The shopping centre was buzzing with stores, restaurants, people selling things on the sidewalks, and people going to buy things or heading home after work. There was a DJ playing extremely loud music in front of a nearby bottle shop. We went into the restaurant which shares a common dining area with Village Pizza. Pizza sounded good and so did fried chicken. But, still more than an hour before sunset and the end of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we opted for roasted chicken and chips instead. We enjoyed our meal to the tune of some familiar 90’s hip hop.
The walk back after dinner was again pleasant even though there was a slight drizzle. We’d been told that it had been raining across the entire country before we returned from Malawi. Hopefully the roads to the villages in Gokwe will be dry enough for us to get there successfully.
It was nearly dark when we arrived back at the house. While there are currently no other guests staying here, there were a few potential and future guests in and out, booking stays and events. The Manshu is a family owned business. Tapiwe studied hospitality at university, including his final stint completed in China. He’s turning a long owned family house into a prestigious guesthouse. We’ve gotten to be among some of his earlier guests since Mabasa knows his mother. While Tapiwe and his staff hurried around, Matt and I relaxed while chatting with family online and getting a few things ready for the next day. As I usually do, especially on Friday nights, I answered a few questions that come in through Facebook from random people who may or may not actually be interested in learning about the truth of the word of God. Many of them in recent years come from Kenya. I suspect this is in part because of current and ongoing difficulties there. I usually answer them since I don’t know who God might be calling into His family. As predicted, Matt was given the assignment of presenting a sermonette at services the next day so he began looking over his notes, adjusting a few things to fit the audience.
At one point the power cut off. It took the staff a while to get the generator started so Matt and I sat in the dark with no connection to the outside world. Apparently load shedding is also part of living in Harare. I’m just glad that there were no mosquitos to bother us in the dark, and that we were safe and warm inside while the drizzling rain continues. Well before bed the power came back on and the generator was shut off. I’m thankful I had a chance to talk to Lena for a few moments as she was saying goodbye to a few of the NYC brethren after services while Aaron Dean was preparing for a Q&A session after services. I’m also thankful that the Eddingtons and the Deans were able to spend parts of this Feast with the brethren there in my absence.
– Lewis VanAusdle
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