Day 9 – 22nd January 2023
I didn’t take very many photos this morning. Just a photo or two of my roommate who I only discovered was with me a few days ago. He likes to hide behind the baseboards or under the crown molding. Sometimes behind the small rubbish bin in the corner. He’s not so much bothersome as he is startling. I can tell he is more afraid of me than I am of him. He looks like he’s seen some trauma in his day. He only has six of his eight legs left. I like to think he’s the reason I haven’t seen any mosquitoes in my bedroom the entire time. In fact I’ve only seen two mosquitoes on this trip and I managed to smash them both before they saw me coming.
My final hours in Kadoma were spent with the girls just like normal. I finished writing another blog as they began waking up. I finished my first cup of coffee as they turned on the cartoons. Chisomo, who is a very attentive hostess, managed to make sure I didn’t starve on my way to the airport. In my last few moments, after I had unplugged my phone from the charger and zipped up my bags, Mabasa called me outside to the front yard. Chisomo and the girls came too. It was my task to choose the locations for the four new citrus trees that the deacon from Bomba had given to Mabasa, as well as two hedge plants. It’s not that I’m any kind of tree expert or that I have a particularly good track record of keeping plants alive. It was more about the memory. When they see those plants they can think of Mohammad Magova as well as remember the time I’ve spent in their home. In a few years the trees will start producing fruit. Some oranges and some a different citrus fruit that I can’t remember the local name of.
I said my goodbyes to the ladies and climbed back into the pickup. The two hour drive went by rather quickly as Mabasa and I were talking most of the time. We were doing our best to tie up loose ends and reminding each other to send information about future plans. As usual my mind was on the projects we discussed, the brethren back home in NYC, and making future plans for my next trip to visit Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Before we got to the Harare airport I should have taken a few last photos of the greenery. Back in the city I’ll be arriving to the typical cold January weather. There are a few trees in our neighborhood and even some grassy areas, but the landscape of Brooklyn is completely different than the green fields and rocky hills, the tree lined streets, and the warm and humid air. I’m always sad to be going, but I always try to remember that if I don’t leave then I can’t come back. Plus I need to make it home to see my wife. It will be nice to see her face.
As I make the trek back home I’ll be analyzing this trip. What did I originally intend to accomplish? Did I actually accomplish what I set out to do? Were there any additional accomplishments which helped justify my coming to Zimbabwe? Can I justify the expenses of such a trip? Were there any problems that can be avoided next time? What other details need to be buttoned up or followed up when I get home?
There’s are a few items of importance that will of course remain between pastors. There are other situations which can be written and talked about. Especially those necessitating prayers. As pastor of the country Mabasa will need strength, wisdom, guidance, encouragement, and all the things that God gives His people through His Spirit. The same goes for the deacons and deaconesses who faithfully serve in all sorts of situations, often behind the scenes. This year is an election year and from what I hear election years can potentially make life more complicated for the brethren in Zimbabwe, as well as for all of the country’s citizens. Speaking of politics, I forgot to mention that when we were nearing Harare this morning, we had to pull off to the side of the road as the president’s motorcade came barreling down the highway. I think I know why the roads in that area are well paved and typically maintained. More things to pray about include the safety, health, and general wellbeing of the brethren. As it is all over the world, health issues come up and most of the brethren don’t have any kind of health insurance or social safety net to fall back on. What might seem like a relatively routine procedure for some could be an impossibility or financially devastating for others. Thankfully our Heavenly Father knows our needs and’s our trials even before we realize what they are.
“Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you” (Luke 12:22-31).
For the next 7 plus hours, as I make my way onto the plane from Harare to Addis Ababa via Lusaka, I’ll try and get some rest, but I know all these things will be on my mind. Of course then I’ll have to navigate the situation in Ethiopia and the 12 hour layover there before beginning the 16 plus hour journey back to NYC via Lomé. We’ll see how tired I am once my feet are back on the pavement again.
⁃ Lewis VanAusdle
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