13th August 2025
I managed to get some more sleep but that mean I had to rush a little bit more feeding things packed up. Derek and I decided to take all of our things with us to Chemba since we knew we’d need most of them anyway, although at the last minute I removed a few sets of clothes from my bags. Next came breakfast. Chisomo had essentially prepared a full English breakfast but of course with a few modifications. The meal was rounded out with a double espresso for me, a nice latte for Mabasa, and a regular cup of joe for Derek. We ate well, although instant coffee is never quite as good as the real thing.
We got packed up and on the road by 7:07am, just a few minutes later than planned. Chisomo waved goodbye as she helped the gate for us and we headed out of Kadoma and towards Kwekwe where we picked up Paul Pombi. Paul probably knows the roads and towns in all of Zimbabwe. He also seems to know everyone and has a good memory for faces, names, dates, etc. He even recalls the sermon topics that Derek covered at the Feast of Tabernacles at Victoria Falls a decade ago.
We picked Paul up sometime around 8am and headed for Gokwe Town where we had planned to top up on fuel and buy some groceries for our time in Chemba. We hoped there would be some local delicacies prepared for us but we didn’t want to show up empty handed. Unfortunately the filling stations in Gokwe were either out of fuel or were being restocked even we arrived. Thankfully our rental vehicle seems to do quite well on fuel and also seems to have a large enough capacity to get us there and back again. It was about 9:30am when we drove off the tarmac and into the main shopping center.
I decided to join Mabasa and Paul in the small local grocery store, packing the cart with rice, drinks, bread, eggs, and a few other basics. Gokwe was very busy but the music from the shop next door that filled the street with the sounds of Zimbabwe kept people moving through the aisles, some even dancing with their shopping carts while they handed the cashier their money. While the official currency of the country is still the ZiG, there were none in sight and all the prices were listed in USD.
With our Toyota Fortuner now fully stocked, we headed on down the highway again. We left the bustling town of Gokwe at about 10:15am and headed into the more rural parts of the Gokwe South district of Zimbabwe. This might have been our last chance for decent roads, although there was one stretch of highway between Kwekwe and Gokwe that had been completely freshly paved and painted that Mabasa and I hadn’t seen before so we figured there could be other surprises ahead. Before we left town Mabasa pulled out a small mobile WiFi device. He had topped it up with unlimited data. WiFi in rural Gokwe? Unheard of!
As we journeyed onward along dusty roads, we passed ox carts and goats, pedestrians and bicycles. I kept an eye out for donkeys but initially only saw a handful of monkeys among the road. Although we didn’t see another piece of tarmac for quite a while, some of the roads had been recently graded to make way for some special event that had happened in the area. Imagine if the roads in rural Zim would be maintained on a regular basis for the sake of the progress of the country rather than for the sake of individuals and occasional events. Imagine being able to access a place like Chemba even during the rainy season.
Throughout the morning we were stopped randomly by police at certain checkpoints. It’s interesting to see a similar routine each time. The officer asks where we are headed and proceeds to inspect the front of the vehicle looking for some small issue to bring up in hopes of presenting a reason for a fine. There is often a few officers accompanied by an intelligence agent looking for a good reason to inspect the inside of a vehicle. Thankfully Mabasa and Paul know the system well, and also know enough important bosses around to be left alone. God is also with us wherever we go and so far has blessed us with easy travel.
After just over an hour of driving down some rather rough roads, I began to get a little carsick. I usually forget about such things until I’m in the middle of nowhere on a dusty road in the Gokwe South region on Zimbabwe, or until I’m the passenger in the backseat of my own car as Lena navigates the mean streets of NYC, or until I’m on a large ferry boat in the middle of the Irish Sea on a windy morning in need of fresh air. Thankfully we had planned to stop in Gawa at the home of some of our brethren there.
It was so refreshing and uplifting to be greeted by familiar faces. I had baptized the couple whose kitchen we sat in, the wife in 2022 in Chemba and the husband in 2023 in Kadoma. Although we couldn’t stay forever, our hosts insisted that we couldn’t leave without at least touching some food. I told Derek that I never go hungry in Zimbabwe.
On a side note: Our brethren in Zimbabwe and in Malawi are very hospitable and generous with what they have. So many times in recent decades they have themselves struggled against crop failure due to extreme periods of drought. This, compounded by global pandemic restrictions and poor economic planning and handling by governments, has left many still struggling even during times of relative plenty. It’s been a pleasure to have been able to facilitate drought relief in conjunction with Good Works (coordinated by my lovely wife Lena) and LifeNets which receive donations from generous brethren around the world. It’s also been a humbling pleasure to be on the receiving end of the hospitality of those same brethren.
As the food was being prepared by a few of the ladies, we had the chance to chat with our brethren. Derek shared some stories of his life growing up in Bulawayo in what was then Rhodesia. Mabasa and one of the ladies in Gawa also grew up there. They had all missed meeting each other by a few years, but did recall many of the same places from their youth. Soon enough our feast of rice, sadza, and chicken was ready. It was a very delicious feast. In the moment I was very full, but had completely forgotten any feeling of carsickness from before (and thankfully the feeling never returned as our journey continued).
After lunch and before we departed from the peaceful village setting atop a scenic plateau, there were three babies who needed to be blessed. This is part of the job that never gets old. What a blessing it is to pray for the children of the people of God, seeking His protection and guidance, having in mind His great plans for these little ones who are the future of the Church of God.
It was about 1:30pm when we said our goodbyes to our brethren in Gawa. Hopefully one day soon we’ll have the chance to return. There were a handful of people there who desired to be baptized, including one young teenager, but none of them had yet begun formal baptism counseling. Hopefully that will happen soon, and perhaps most of them will be ready by the upcoming Feast and will be among the first to be baptized on the soon-to-be completed site in Kadoma.
The distance we had yet to travel grew shorter, but the roads were no less unpaved. We had traversed the roads that are impassable by vehicle during the rainy season. But thankfully the gullies were empty this time around and at first I didn’t recognize them. In 2022, accompanied by my nephew Matt, Paul, Mabasa, and I had counted the water filled potholes up to more than 50. Some were so large that they took up the whole width of the road. But this time everything was dry. Any crocodiles that may have possibly inhabited those gullies were no doubt long gone.
Past the gullies were the hills and valleys. Dry riverbeds lay at the bottom of each valley. We drove across what some might consider bridges, but in reality they can easily be overtaken by heavy rains. The sandy walls along the edges of the rivers also sometimes wash away when the rains come. I’d like to see it someday in that condition but only if I knew I wouldn’t have to cross those bridges.
We arrived at Vensen Moyo’s plot in the village of Chemba at about 3:45pm. Mrs. Moyo greeted us first. I had a chance to see inside her kitchen which was lined with beautiful plates and mugs similar to the kitchen in Gawa. I wonder who came up with that design first, or if it’s a common kitchen design here in Zim. It was a quiet reception compared to the first time I came to this place, but this time it felt familiar, like coming home. The Moyo’s haven’t aged at all, but their grandchildren have definitely grown.
Vensen made sure to show us around. He’d made some upgrades to some of the buildings, including an expansion of the small cabin that I stayed in before. Derek and I would be in one room just past the room where Mabasa and Paul would be staying. What a cozy little cabin for a quiet stay in the wilderness. Thankfully the door keeps out the chickens, pigeons, turkeys, and ginnyfowel. The dogs, goats, and cows might be a different story. Smaller critters are definitely present but generally stay to themselves. The cabin is cozy but so is the toilet. I’ll get used to it by the time we leave.
It was really great catching up with Vensen and his family, and meeting his son Pilani for the first time. It was also great to see Ocean again. We had briefly met at the Feast in 2019 on my first to Zimbabwe. Both of these young men were living in South Africa the last few years for better work opportunities but have since returned home.
In the morning I had planned ahead, knowing myself and my enjoyment of afternoon coffee. But I had in the back of my mind that Mabasa, our proficient wilderness driver, might need it later on and that’s exactly what happened. Thankfully I brought enough to share with people on this trip. The men gathered around a table to enjoy some afternoon coffee after seeing the grounds. After coffee and a walk around the place some more, we saw Ocean and Pilani slaughtering a goat. It can be difficult to see where our meat comes from, but also helps give an appreciation for those who do such work.
Ocean joined Mabasa, Derek, and me as we went down to find that certain tree where people can usually find a network connection on their cellphones. The network wasn’t reaching any of us no matter which angle we tried or how far into the air we reached. It seemed as though we’d be out of reach with the outside world on this trip.
As the sun set, a second fire was built on the backside of the small cabin. The women and children sat around the main fire preparing dinner. I think we were honestly still full from our lunch in Gawa, but food was being prepared regardless. The men sat around the secondary fire as everything got darker. Pilani pulled out a small grill and began preparing some meat for us. Before long we were eating some of the most delicious goat meat I’ve had. We sat under the multitude of stars eating more than our fill. When the communal plates of goat were finished Pilani already had more to fill them. And then as if that wasn’t enough, we were brought water to wash our hands again so we might eat piles of rice and chicken similar to what we had for lunch. Those of us who had eaten in Gawa didn’t have enough space to finish what we had.
After our triple supper meal, we sat under the stars around the fire hearing stories in Shona and in English. Paul told about the time someone or no one had followed him home in the middle of the night. Ocean told about the time he met a hyena on a path in the dark as he walked home alone. Both sites reminded us that God is our protector and if it’s His will that nothing can stand against us then nothing will stand against us. He is in charge.
Bed came soon after the stories. I slept until one of those little critters landed on me. Whatever it was, I grabbed it, threw it to the ground, and proceeded to be awake long enough to write the majority of this blog before sunrise.
-Lewis VanAusdle
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