Visit Every City

13th August 2026

Mike Nyamasoka came in the afternoon later than anticipated. When he arrived we jumped in the pickup and headed toward the northeast corner of Harare. As we drove we saw some very nice homes, most of which are surrounded by brick or concrete fences with metal gates preventing people from easily coming into the compounds or even seeing all the way inside. Some of the houses towered over the fences. Others were set too far back behind trees and yards for us to see clearly. This means there are people with some money in places in Harare. We asked Mike and Mabasa who lives in such places. They told us mostly CEOs of companies.

One definite exception was the huge compound we passed where a certain preacher/prophet-type man lives. His home, at least what we could see of it from the road behind the trees on the hilltop, was a beautiful house that reminded me of something from the Jetsons. The fence and gate matched. I managed to take a short video as we passed by on our way back into the city and the security staff whistled at me, most likely to get me to stop taking videos.

The place where the three of us are staying is a relatively quiet neighborhood in the northwest quadrant of Harare. The houses we passed were along highways leading out the northeast quadrant of the city. There were many neighborhood names I didn’t quite catch but I do recall seeing some of the nicer ones, including that of the preacher, in an area called Helensvale (at least on the map). Somewhere just beyond that neighborhood we left the city (and the province of Harare) and were definitely in places where most people don’t have fences and gates around their homes. We were in the Mashonaland East Province in an area that felt unincorporated but had signs warning that the land wasn’t open to be settled.

Not far down the first stretch of dusty road we came upon a slightly smaller SUV that had stopped in the middle of the road. I could see the driver through the slightly tinted windows looking back and speaking to someone in the backseat. It seemed obvious that they didn’t expect other vehicles to be coming up behind them and they didn’t seem to be paying attention. Mike, who was driving, slowed down, assessed the situation quickly, and drove past the vehicle on the right. I had my window down for fresh air and I could hear the driver apologize in English. I thought nothing more of it except that the vehicle proceeded to follow us somewhat closely.

Was this some kind of road rage? Were they trying to get a second look at the strangers in their neighborhood? Mike sped up slightly but couldn’t do so too much because the roads were getting kind of rough. Then the SUV sped up and passed us, getting another look at me. And then they stopped in front of us, this time obviously on purpose. Thankfully they weren’t good at blocking the road and Mike easily maneuvered past them on the right again. As we passed the man said something like, “I just want to talk with you.” They followed us a little further but then they turned onto a different side road and left us alone. The prevailing theory was that these guys saw white foreigners and assumed they might have money they could take or convince us to let go of. I’m glad we didn’t get the chance to find out what their true intentions were. Everywhere I go I am thankful that God protects me and the people I am with.

Soon enough we were turning into a side road ourselves as Mike tried to remember exactly where the Chimbadzo home is. His instincts were accurate and we arrived without having to turn around and try other paths. We pulled up to the gate where Edward Chimbadzo, his wife Eunice, his granddaughter Matidaishe, and their two beautiful German shepherd dogs were waiting for us. We found out that Matidaishe means “You have loved us God” in Shona. The little girl was very polite and did her best to greet us and sometimes politely repeat what we said to her.

We greeting everyone except the dogs (they are most likely working guard dogs who are not that friendly to strangers) and went inside the house for a chat. I first met Edward a couple years ago at Sabbath services in Harare. I’d seen pictures of his farm before but this was my first time visiting. The Chimbadzos have a daughter and grandchildren who live in the Dallas, TX area. One time his granddaughter there sent me a phone to take to him. He still has that phone and I still have some contact information for some Zimbabweans in the US. I do my best to hold onto people’s contact information because you never know when you will need to reach them.

After chatting for a while we went outside to see some more of the yard, and also the kitchen where Eunice had prepared a beautiful meal for us. We ate some of the best chicken we had on our trip. Compliments to the chef! The feast made up for the fact that we hadn’t eaten any breakfast and we hadn’t walked into the neighborhood earlier to find food to eat.

During our meal Edward told us some of the details of his life and work that gave us a glimpse into the history and making of the friendly, mild mannered, happy farmer/grandfather we saw before us. He was in the armed forces in Zimbabwe, training people in tactical weaponry and having also trained to jump out of helicopters. That’s where he had previously injured his knee. Edward also told us about the time God miraculously healed him from intense back and leg pain when doctors wanted to perform surgery on him. After our meal, filled with stories and laughter, we went outside to see the extent of the farm.

Edward showed us his turkeys and chickens, as well as his cattle and his fields. There is a stream at the bottom edge of the farm that always flows from the hills beyond even during the dry season. he has constructed a small dam allows the water to flow freely but also allows him to pump water up to the house and to irrigate his crops. It was so pleasant walking around, seeing the foliage, the animals, the stream, the tree covered hills.

As we walked across the fields and towards the cattle pen, Edward finished a story he had started while we were still sharing a meal. Sometime in the early 2000’s in the area where the Chimbadzo family lives there was an AIDS epidemic spreading. Too many of the young people were dying too soon. Rather than looking at the disease and its cause several of the neighboring villagers began suspecting that there was a witch among them who had brought a curse upon them. There are witch hunters for hire in places like the bush of Zimbabwe so many of the villagers (even those who professed Christianity and attended Catholic and Protestant churches in the area) suggested they pool their money and hire such a hunter. Certain leaders went from house to house collecting money for the cause. Of course the Chimbadzos refused to pay and explained they don’t go for witch hunters. The neighbors went away disappointed but probably questioning their integrity.

There was a similar situation near the village of Chemba a couple of years ago. A witch hunter-type would, after collecting his fee, go around and perform a cleansing ritual over the entire village. The brethren there had to find a way to refuse the ritual, avoid the fee, and still remain on good terms with their neighbors and the village leadership. Even though the right decision is clear in these instances the way to go about it can be tricky. Thankfully God kept His people in Chemba safe from harm and still on good terms with their neighbors.

As he continued the story, Edward pointed to the hill across the valley from his farm. When the day came for the cleansing ritual to begin thousands of villagers followed the witch hunter from house to house ensuring that everyone would benefit from the man’s powers. Edward and his children went into the house as the hoard began walking down the hillside and across the valley directly towards them. They prayed, asking God to protect them from their own neighbors and from this hunter who claimed he could ward off evil spirits. They also asked for protection from any evil spirits that might be influencing otherwise neighborly neighbors.

A few of the people jumped their fence and walked into their property. They heard a knock on the door and hesitantly answered it. The neighbors asked if their household had paid the witch hunter fee. They told them they hadn’t. I think it must have been surprising to the neighbors who would have expected that no one would want to refuse to get rid of a witch. You wonder if they had suspected that one of them was the witch since they didn’t want the cleansing. Thankfully the few who walked into their property left, sort of baffled, and the witch hunter himself never stepped foot onto their property. God spared His people from harm that day. No witch was ever identified and eventually the epidemic no longer seemed to be affecting as many people.

Before we left we had the chance to briefly meet two more of Edward and Eunice’s grandchildren. We took a couple of family photos and then climbed back into the pickup so we could get back to the city before dark. Thankfully we didn’t see even a hint of the guys in the SUV who had tried to trip us up on the way in. Mike skillfully maneuvered the Harare traffic and even stopped at a roadside fruit stand so we could buy some fruit to help feed the remnants of our colds. We made some plans for the next day and Mike dropped us off at Manshu. He took the pickup since he would be meeting up with us the next day as well. That would save him some time, some money, and some headache not having to ride public transit home and back again in the morning.

In the evening we feasted on fresh fruit and might have had some evening coffee. Josh and I stayed up late talking but eventually we headed to bed so we could be ready for another adventurous day.

-Lewis VanAusdle