Friday, 12 April: Wanezi and TCZ

Today was another early morning. I woke up at 6:00 am and we had breakfast at 6:30 am. Jake and I were getting an early start because we were going to Wanezi mission, which was 45 km further than Mtshabezi mission. We took the same road as we did to get to Mtshabezi, but made a left towards Masvingo at Mbalabala before the turnoff for Mtshabezi.

When we arrived at Wanezi, we drove past the primary school and went to the mission farm. This farm manager was one of the better managers. He understood the basic business concepts. Jake explained setting a price for a 10 kg bag of mealie meal that would cover transportation costs (including both fuel and maintenance costs) while still being able to keep it low enough to benefit those in the community. The manager seemed to grasp this idea fairly easily, which is a hard concept for many in rural Zimbabwe.

We toured the rest of the vegetables in the gardens. The cauliflower was doing well and ready to be sold. The tomatoes (pron. "toe-mot-ohs". You say "toe-mate-oh", I say "toe-mot-oh".) had been a complete disaster. Red spiders (a common pest) had gotten to them and the crop was now a total loss. We also checked on the chickens and pigs.

At 9:30 am, we sat down for tea. This was my first "official" tea where I fully participated in more than just the biscuits (essentially cookies). We were served hot cocoa with 3 slices of bread and a hard-boiled egg. Drinking the cocoa was more like drinking hot water with a splash of chocolate, but I somehow got it down. The bread and egg made it more bearable, but I didn't ration them very well and was forced to drink the last third of hot cocoa on its own.

After tea, we went to look at the cattle walking through the pasture trying to avoid the cow pies. Then we walked through the fields where there was a nice crop of green maize. We brought some home with us.

Nancy was leaving for a women's retreat at Matopo so we didn't stay much longer. We headed back to Bulawayo so Jake could check that the van was okay for Nancy to drive.

When we got back, we had lunch on the veranda. Afterwards, Nancy left for Matopo. She had a full van full of other Zimbabwean ladies who wanted to go.

Jake took me to the Theological College of Zimbabwe (TCZ) so I could get a tour. Jake had some business to attend to regarding the recent board meeting so he dropped me off with Dr. Bob Heaton. Bob is the academic dean of the college. While I was in his office, I also got to meet the school's president, Ray Motesi.

The school is actually an old motel. With the Zimbabwean dollar devaluating, the school was able to purchase the land, motel, and everything in the motel for only $100,000. They had raised $200,000 so they were able to put $100,000 into renovations.

There are currently around 40 students at TCZ including 17 women who are in a certificate program. The school offers a 2-year diploma program, a 3-year B.A. degree program, and a 4-year honors program. They are looking to expand to a master's degree program in the near future. I learned that there are no educational opportunities available in Zimbabwe for those wanting to obtain a master's degree or higher in Zimbabwe. For this reason, all students wishing to do so must study aboard, and many who do so do not return to Zimbabwe.

At the end of the tour, we found Jake waiting in the lobby. Bob and Jake had a good conversion about reaching the men in Zimbabwe. Some people say that reaching the men is hard, but Jake disagrees. He has helped the BIC churches to reach the men in large numbers. He contextualized one of their traditions biggest celebrations, the Beer Drink.

By seeing that the real point of the beer drinks was the socializing and not drinking beer, he was able to help the church organize monthly meetings for the men of a similar nature but without the beer. During these meetings, he focused on finding out the interests of the men and using that to build a relationship with them.

Jake also told a story (I had already heard the story, but I'll tell it for your sake.) about going into a village where the witch doctors were trained to talk to them. While Jake was talking and preaching to them, the witch doctors started making deep, guttural noises and some of the women began falling over and writhing on the ground. The people of the village attributed this to evil spirits. Surprisingly, Jake was invited back on other occasions to preach.

Jake's boldness in Christ allowed him to reach a people whom others dared not try to reach because they were afraid of being possessed. Jake doesn't see this as a valid excuse since if Christ lives in you, then how can an evil spirit also live in that house?

After Jake was done with his stories, we headed back to the house. I was ready for a bath, but the water had been off since the previous evening. It was supposed to come back on tomorrow morning around 8:30 am or 9:30 am. I hoped that it would since I hadn't taken a bath in a day and would possibly be without one for two more days when I met Christina. She would definitely appreciate it if I could get a bath before leaving Zimbabwe.

I spent the afternoon reading The Fellowship of the Ring. The night before, I had found a quote by my favorite character, Samwise Gamgee, which really captured how this trip was making me feel:

Yes sir. I don't know how to say it, but after last night I feel different. I seem to see ahead, in a kind of way. I know we are going to take a very long road, into darkness; but I know I can’t turn back. It isn't to see Elves now, nor dragons, nor mountains, that I want—I don't rightly know what I want: but I have something to do before the end, and it lies ahead, not in the Shire. I must see it through, sir, if you understand me.

For supper we had a casserole that Nancy had left for us and a salad of lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Afterwards, Jake told me more of his hunting stories. I went to bed a little before 10:00 pm very excited for the next day, but also praying that the water would be back on in the morning.