16th August 2025
What can I say about a nice Sabbath morning when we wake up where we will have services. No need for a commute or to check the traffic before leaving for services. The only thing missing was Lena’s company. My hope is that she’ll be able to visit Chemba one day so the brethren might meet her.
I had the chance to enjoy a cup of coffee with Derek, sitting and chatting with some of the ladies as they prepared for the day. Derek and I discussed many things including the baptism ceremony. It’s the one ceremony that necessitates memorization since it’s difficult to read your notes while standing in water, both hands occupied as you gently dip a person into the water. I had to make sure I went over the ceremony at least once before the afternoon.
After a nice brunch that included hot cocoa and some homemade fritters/buns/oliebollen/fat fries/donuts (depending on where you are when you eat them I guess), it was finally time to get ready for Sabbath services. Mabasa would be the song leader, Derek would give the sermonette, Vensen the announcements, and I was scheduled for the sermon. Before services began, even it seemed everyone had arrived, I took photos of all the couples and individuals there. It’s nice to have a photographic record of the people I visit. I also enjoy sharing these moments with brethren so we can remember the same moment together.
Services went on well, starting five minutes early which is essentially unheard of. There was only one lady who was late but I managed to get a photo of her as well. One thing that can’t always be anticipated when having Sabbath services outdoors in a rural setting is the distractions from the environment. Some other church in the distance were beating drums as we began. The ginnyhen squawked her usual squawk. And to top it all off there was a group of goats who kept getting into the cooking equipment. One of the teenage girls had to chase them away several times.
One neat part of the Sabbath, besides all the usual enjoyable elements, was seeing that the older children take the younger children out for special Sabbath lessons. After services I made sure to quiz some of them smut what they learned. I also quizzed them on the 10 Commandments and on the Feasts of God.
The inspiration for my sermon came from a conversation I had with the Moyo grandchildren. One little girl who speaks nearly fluent English, wanted to know more about love. I don’t know what kind of love she was trying to ask about but I took that moment to explain God’s love. I asked Vensen what I should speak about. He suggested a sermon on love, so that’s what I spoke about. I went through the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5 and related that to the people who would be baptized in the afternoon. God’s presence within us through His Holy Spirit is supposed to develop that fruit within us. The first of the fruit listed is love, God’s Agape love. I proceeded to go through 1 John 4 which gives instruction in testing the spirits that are out there in the world but also focuses on the fact that we are to learn to love one another just as our God first loved us. The topic related well with Derek’s sermonette focusing on the peace that comes from keeping God’s law which shows us how to love.
We decided to wait until after lunch to head to the COGWA grounds for the baptisms. That way we would make sure not to disturb their services. We were all ready at about 1:30 and in fact most of the brethren had already walked over. I went in the room to change and there was Derek sitting in a chair. The dry air had caused his nose to start bleeding. I got him some water and some Vaseline and anointed him before loading up into the vehicle. Mrs. Moyo and another lady would be staying back and would be able to keep an eye on Derek as needed.
There were a few of the younger children (six to be exact) that were to also stay behind. Perhaps they weren’t ready to walk over with everyone else and were told to stay back. One little girl was almost in tears wanting to go. Mabasa felt sorry for them and decided to take them so they jumped in the back for the ride. It’s good for children to be involved in such happy occasions so they might begin to understand what is happening and also be excited for their future participation in the Church of God. The children are the future generations who will carry on the work until the day Jesus Christ returns.
Once we were all on the grounds we gathered around the baptismal pool. There were two ladies from the COGWA congregation who joined us. One by one Vensen went through the names of each individual. I did the actual baptizing aided by Paul who held each person’s feet and translated my words through the first three people. Most of the individuals understood what was being said especially by the end. After everyone had been properly dunked, and I Paul and I were out of the water, Mabasa and I took turns praying for each individual to receive God’s Holy Spirit.
It was a very happy occasion. The newly baptized menders of the Church of God were relieved, excited, rejuvenated, joyful. I made sure we got a few photos of them together before we left. We also had to say our goodbyes to one man who had to travel a little further than home that evening.
We loaded up the vehicle and started heading back. Somehow we ended up with ten children in the back this time. We made a pitstop at one of the local tack shops to pick up some snacks and a few celebration drinks. Paul made sure to buy ten snacks for the children for the ride back.
Thankfully when we arrived back at the homestead Derek was doing just fine. In the warm afternoon we all sat around and just talked. We talked about travel, about celebration drinks from a few different places, we talked about the coming Kingdom of God. A few of us managed to have a lengthy conversation about different kinds of snakes and other dangerous wild animals. I think overall Africa has the more deadly snake varieties. In addition to Chibuku, we were treated to a sweet sort of dessert drink (non-alcoholic) made from pumpkin, sugar, and whole maize kernels. It was quite filling which was a problem because we still hadn’t eaten dinner.
We had one more chance to sit around a fire in the village ave enjoy the company of the brethren in Chemba. Derek and I sat with Mrs. Moyo and her daughter-in-law and ask the grandkids for a while. We discussed our hopeful return and also plans for potential Feast of Tabernacles situations in Zimbabwe.
We ended the night sitting around the other fire with the men, sharing a meal and a few last words of thankfulness for their hospitality, and hopefully some wisdom for the future. Before heading off to bed I did my best to share with Derek a little about the brethren and work of the church in Malawi. In just a few days the two of us will be heading there. This will be Derek’s first trip to The Warm Heart of Africa. There are similarities between the two countries but also some differences.
In the morning we leave early. We will be heading to Nyage, Kwekwe, and eventually back to Kadoma. Time permitting we will pay a visit to Battlegrounds where there is a brand new baby who might need a blessing.
-Lewis VanAusdle
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