Tuesday, April 26th, 2022
I had woken up to some of the sounds outside, although our little cabin does well to keep much of the noise out. I tried to get some more sleep but the silent alarm on my watch insisted that I be awake. I prayed about the events of the day knowing there was work to do. If we don’t have God with us then all we do is in vain. But if God is for us, who can be against us?
As has been my recent habit, if I’m not able to finish writing my blog the night before, I finish early in the morning. I stayed in the room and listened to the women cooking and the children playing. I tried my best to capture every detail I had seen the day before, but didn’t want to waste too much time. It isn’t often I get to wake up in this place and see these people. Many of the brethren who had traveled quite far would be leaving at the end of the day.
I finished writing even though I knew I probably wouldn’t have a chance to post anything since the cellphone network didn’t seem to connect to my phone well. I got ready and went outside. I was looking geared to having a nice hot cup of coffee, chatting with the brethren, and preparing for the. I wasn’t sure if Matt and I had missed breakfast or not, but it felt like we had. Most of the ladies and the children were sitting together in one area in front if one of the small round houses. It’s difficult for me to connect with many of them through words, although a few of the ladies are very fluent in several languages including English. The only thing I could think of was the fact that Lena works be better at that than me. And that’s when I had another thought.
“Have I shown you a picture of my wife yet?” I asked knowing that I hadn’t shown them any pictures from home. So I proceeded to show them a series of photos of my wife, Lena, Lola (our dog), and a few of Brooklyn and Manhattan. I threw in a couple of pictures of Alaska since I’m sure they’ve never experienced snow before. It was a hit! The ladies were excited to hear about my wife and get to know her a little better.
While still going through a few photos of the ladies brought Matt and I bowls of hot porridge made from millet and with some peanut butter. They had also brought us chairs to sit in, so we obliged and sat while eating the delicious porridge. We still hadn’t had any coffee yet but at least our stomachs were full.
9am came and it was time for one of the major pastoral tasks of the day. Mabasa has delegated baptism counseling in the area of Chemba to Vensen Moyo. As a deacon he has many responsibilities and cares for the brethren in this part of the country very well. Vensen has a motorcycle which he used to visit brethren in areas that are too far to walk. This includes the places where brethren had come from to see us during this visit. Gawa is about 35-40km away. Tshebetshebe is about 10km away. Mbungu is about 30km away. These aren’t simple distances if you don’t have a vehicle. Even if you do, much of the terrain is rough. Having a motorcycle built for trails is a very efficient way to go.
Vensen has been thorough with his baptism counseling. It helps that many of the brethren have been studying for a long time and waiting for the moment they could be baptized. Some came to UCG from other COGs where there aren’t any local pastors and visitors are very rare. Our doctrines are the same and there’s no reason for us to be separated anyway. The baptism counseling done this day was more of a formality. A chance for their pastor to ask them a few questions and for them to ask questions as well.
There were seven individuals who desired to be baptized. Vensen had recommended them all, some having actually completed counseling years before but for one reason or another weren’t yet baptized. Today was the day. Mabasa and Vensen invited Matt and I to sit in on the counseling sessions. Everything was mostly done in either Shona or Sindebele, but with translation for our sakes. It is always very interesting to hear the way people explain their faith. You could tell that each of these individuals had taken this very seriously. They had come prepared mentally. Only God can see their hearts so it isn’t a pastor’s job to try and judge someone’s inner most thoughts. It is merely to aid in the process and watch for fruits of repentance.
The sessions were complete and all seven people were approved to be baptized. They had all expressed understanding of sin and repentance as well as the fact that it was Jesus Christ who died for their sins. They also were able to express the plan that God has for salvation for mankind. The next task was to make sure there would be water. There is a hand crank well on Vensen’s land but no tub or pool large enough to baptize anyone. Vincent had talked to a man in a neighboring area who might have had a tub, but that idea didn’t go through. There is actually another COG which has a building in Chemba. Their building is very close by and everyone knows one another. But, that we know of, they don’t have local facilities for baptism either. Thankfully one man, Peter, knew where we could find some water. He said it was only about two or three km away by car (not that you can access those roads in any kind of sedan of course) and then a short half km walk to the actual pool of water. It was a solution to our problem so we made plans and got ready for the journey.
Mabasa’s foot had been bothering him quite a bit that morning. He knew the journey to where the water was could be a tough one for him if he would have to walk very far. The plan was to put the people being baptized into the truck. There would also be a few others coming along as witnesses and to help navigate the terrain. Peter needed to be there since he was the only one who knew the way. Vensen and Paul would go along, and so would Misheck Zulu (still in a suit and dress shoes). Matt would be needed to document everything. I was going to be conducting the baptisms. Mabasa had suggested that I drive and he stay back. I’ve driven in the bush before, although it was in a minibus mostly. I hadn’t driven through the bush with a truckload of passengers in the back of the pickup. I told Mabasa that I would feel better if he drove. I would do everything else. He agreed, initially reluctant. Having me there eased his mind. Having him there eased mine.
It was about 11am and Matt and I finally had a chance to sit and drink some coffee. Vincent’s wife brought us some hot water and we supplied the instant coffee crystals. One lady looked at the coffee I had in my hand and asked, “Black coffee?” I assured her that I don’t mind drinking black coffee. It’s delicious! She seemed very skeptical but perhaps figured it was just an American thing. I ask, “Do you drink coffee?” She said yes. I gave her my packet and waited for the hot water. I didn’t have enough for everyone, but I could spare a few anyhow. Matt grabbed me another packet of coffee and we returned to our chairs where we had eaten porridge.
Vensen’s wife brought over a bowl of what appeared to be boiled peanuts, but only the ones with single nuts inside. She showed us how to open them and eat them. They weren’t exactly peanuts but they were very delicious. The nuts inside the softened shells looked like black eyed peas and tasted like some kind of bean. We ate a whole bunch of them with our coffee. A few of the ladies were taking pictures of Matt and I sitting in the hot sunshine (they were all in the shade) drinking hot coffee and eating hot boiled legumes (at that point we didn’t know they were called round nuts in Zimbabwe). In between sips I took the opportunity to take a few photos of the women and children, showing them the end results and watching them smile.
After we finished our coffee we walked over to the table where Mabasa and Vensen were sitting, under the meeting tent where the men usually sit and talk. I took a few photos of the men while they chatted, and then sat down to find a kettle of hot tea with fresh cow’s milk in it. I drank several cups of tea while enjoying more of the boiled round nuts and enjoying Mabasa’s and Matt’s company. Mabasa went over the plan for the rest of the day and then I went and got ready. I grabbed my little black notebook so I could go over the baptism ceremony one more time. A small crowd climbed into the back of the pickup including a few small children and a girl with a plate of food. Sadza in a pickup?
We headed off down the path, passing the two small baobab trees in the village, and getting back on an actual gravel road. Then, of course, as expected, we were off the road again. We drove through what appeared to be dry riverbeds, then through villages and farms, past cows and turkeys, waving at a few people we saw watching us drive by their homes. We reached a member’s house and a few people jumped out including the children. We said quick goodbyes to them and then headed off again.
We drove through bushes and past fields of millet, sweet potatoes, and cotton. I only got hit in the face by a branch once thankfully. Mabasa drove the truck with ease, navigating spillways, washout roadways, small boulders, and everything else in the path. We reached what appeared to be a dry sandy river. We were told it wasn’t actually a river but some kind of spillway where water flows during the rainy season. Mabasa headed down the rather sharp hill, crossed the bed of the river, and started up the sandy bank on the other side. The truck wheels slipped in the sand and just spun. A few of the men jumped out of the back of the truck and started to push. Still the wheels just spun. We all got out, except for one older lady still in the back of the pickup, and pushed. At first the truck began to slowly move forward. And then all at once it began climbing the hill. Mabasa drove until the ground was level again. We all climbed in once more, only to find out we were only a few meters away from our destination.
Soon after the truck made it up the hill across the sandy spillway, we reached a spot across from a nondescript field of grasses and bushes like many we had seen before. Across from the field as was an area filled with scattered trees and bushes. We all got out of the truck at this point and began to walk between the trees along the sandy soil. Mabasa was relieved to be out of the driver’s seat and on foot, although his right foot still hurt. As we walked we commented that this area wasn’t a road but merely a path. Possibly a path for horses. To the left Mabasa suddenly spotted a very large canyon. It reminded him of the cliffs near Victoria Falls. This canyon was magnificent, but nothing compared to the Grand Canyon. Across the expanse we spotted a small herd of cattle making their way down a path to the riverbed below. The river, if it really was a river, was mostly dry, but it was easy to spot some water there. As we walked further we noticed another canyon in the other side. Mabasa and I walked over to the second canyon on the right so we could get a better look. This one had sheerer drop offs than the first one. It had cliffs cut into rock rather than sandy hills. The two tandem canyons met and opened up into one. We turned and saw no one else. Mabasa tried calling for Paul or Vensen. I shouted for Matt. Thankfully he heard us and came back for us.
There were cattle, donkeys, and goats being led up the rocky and sandy paths as we began heading downward towards the valley below. We climbed through sandstone walkways, steadying our hands on the rocks as not to slip on the sand. We passed through some trees and felt the shade. The air became cool and we could tell there was water nearby.
Near the point where the two canyons meet there is an undercut cove where water trickles down through the rocks even after the rains have gone. There is a small pool of water where cattle come to drink. This is the spot where Peter has led us to. It was a green shaded oasis in the wilderness. Truly an idyllic spot for a baptism. We approached the calm pool, a trickle of constant water on the far edge below the cliffs. Paul grabbed a branch and handed it to me. I took off my shoes and wades in to see if it would be deep enough. The sandy bottom of the pool was slick until my feet sunk deeper into the bottom. The water was plenty deep for a baptism. The hard part could be not getting stuck in the sand. Thankfully the ground felt solid enough beneath the sandy bottom. I walked back out and, after everyone took a few more photos, we quieted down for a prayer.
I waded back out to a spot I thought might work the best. The water felt nice after hiking through this wilderness on a warm day. Paul stood closer to the shore with his feet in the water and the large stick in hand. Vincent, reading from his list of people, called out the first name. If the person understood English well enough I gave the ceremony without translation. As needed, Paul translated. I baptized all seven of the individuals, only having to dunk one lady twice since one of her hands didn’t quite make it under the water. After the last person was baptized I decided that I couldn’t leave without dunking myself under the water and going for a very quick swim. I climbed out and everyone gathered closer together. One by one, in the same order they were counseled and in the same order they were baptized in, Mabasa and I laid our hands on their heads and prayed, asking God to give them His Holy Spirit. It was a beautiful moment in a beautiful place. I couldn’t wait to tell Lena about it all.
Mabasa drove back to Vensen’s village with ease. When we arrived everyone came out to greet the newly baptized brethren and welcome them to the spiritual family with dancing and singing and hugging and rejoicing. Another beautiful moment to witness.
I changed my clothes and relaxed for a while with some of the men. Vensen had bought a local celebration drink on the ride back. This was a moment to celebrate. The Chibuku has a sour taste, slightly alcoholic, and has bits of grain in it. Not exactly something Matt and I are used to. Matt headed out to find the perfect spot to call his wife. Lunch came and went and he was still out there standing very precisely in one spot. Mabasa and Vensen took me out to see Vensen’s family land that included the graves of his mother and some of his siblings, as well as a garden with a hand crank well. This is the area where Mabasa believes would work best for the borehole well. Brethren and their neighbors could access the water, and Vincent has plans to expand his garden and allow brethren to have their own garden plots to grow food for their families. Matt came walking up just after Vensen dropped a bucket down the well. The cranks spun rapidly until the bucket hit water, about 30m down. Matt started cranking on one side and I other the other. Matt moved to adjust his grip and the handle skimmed across his chest. Thankfully it was just a superficial scrape. We bandaged him up back at the house and then he carried on.
I managed to stand in the same spot Matt had and was able to get some signal after restarting my phone. I sent photos and videos. I uploaded a blog. It was great while it lasted. Then the signal faded and I headed back. Evening was coming and there was supposed to be a Bible study planned. Instead the men and women, with their separate fires, sat and talked and enjoyed the evening. The ladies served the men dinner, as is their custom and culture. We had delicious goat meat and sadza by the fire. When some of the younger men went to bed a few of the older men sang a few songs until it was time to put out the fire. Mr. Zulu, still in his full suit and a cap, turned each light over and splashed water on the embers until he was satisfied it would go out on its own. Matt and I enjoyed the stars as long as we could and then headed to bed.
– Lewis VanAusdle
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