Newsletter February 2025

What an amazing trip this was! Huge thanks to all of you who prayed for me and those who gave so generously to help fund the HHTN launch. I think I can say with certainty we’ve seen something powerful started; a new reconciliation ministry in a nation that has waited a very long time, and still waits for its healing.

Arriving in Zimbabwe in January 2025 – the first week.

I arrived on January 16th a bit exhausted after my plane got diverted to Lagos owing to a medical emergency on board! Joseph and I were staying together in a suburban Harare house for the first few days; there was a ton of news to catch up on so we didn’t mind the rain that fell almost incessantly for the first few days! It was so wonderful to be re-united with our pastor friends and their wives again.

Time was in short supply, as we only had one day to meet, pray and prepare for the first pastors prayer event on Saturday 19th. Around 25 pastors and prayer intercessors attended, in a building located in downtown Harare, and used by Pastor Chikomba’s church; a senior church leader and very supportive of what we are trying to do. After Joseph’s presentation on the purpose and impact of HHTN, many asked questions and wanted to know more. It would be fair to say that all acknowledged the need for healing in the nation, not only in an ethnic conflict sense but also within families and across church denominations.

Some simply asked, ‘When can we start?’ After the questions, the team stood at the front and were prayed for and commissioned by the whole group. It was a good beginning.

Monday’s HHTN planning meeting…

On Monday afternoon, we all met at the house – perhaps the longest meeting I can recall ever being in – it ran for 6 hours! But there was much to discuss; how to register a new national organization, what name to call it, and above all whether to work with the latest government initiative in Matabeleland, a programme to address historic wrongs against the Ndebele peoples that were committed in the early 80’s – the infamous ‘Gukurahundi’ killings. A programme of community justice hearings is due to start this Spring, but many don’t trust the process, as those at the very top are themselves implicated in this genocide back in the day. I decided to try to write an agenda for this meeting and chair it as my contribution. It went well, but I felt completely exhausted at the end trying to keep everyone’s focus on the topic in question! There was an extraordinary moment right at the end, when a prophetic word came during a time of prayer about the new government initiative. We felt God was re-assuring us that it was right to work with the government, and that He would lead us straight to key government officials who would open doors for us and make a way for healing to happen. We caught a sense that we, as God’s church, need to do what the church should be doing, so that the government can do what it is supposed to do, which has to do with issues of justice, settling family issues such as providing birth certificates, dna testing and settling paternity claims, etc. It won’t be easy, but we need to trust God to make a way.

Travelling to Bulawayo…

Bulawayo lies to the west of Harare, right in the heart of Matabeleland which is the home of the Ndebele; a tribe closely related to the zulus of South Africa. It is approximately 6 hours drive from Harare, and the land seems extraordinarily empty for huge stretches of it. Just a few rural dwellers, and mile upon mile of overgrown, untilled farmland. It must have looked so different years ago in colonial times, and even after that, when Zimbabwe was the breadbasket of southern Africa. Finally our overloaded minibus arrived at Impala Guest Lodge, Bulawayo. A pleasant enough place, and a hot shower in the morning; a first! The next day our host was Bishop Dawson Masuku, a senior church leader who welcomed us very warmly and proved highly knowledgable on local historic events. First we went to his church to meet and pray together; later on that day he took us to visit a couple of key historic sites for prayer and intercession. We visited fields in a location where there used to be army internment camps (Entumbane) and a football stadium where in 1980 a government official delivered a powerful; hate-filled speech; this sparked two days of rioting and began the bitterness that ended so tragically. I think we all felt moved by the sense of God’s presence as we prayed, and also it helped us understand the feeling in people’s hearts; insulted, abandoned and then ignored for so long.

Bulawayo pastors prayer breakfast

After the breakfast (very nice full english!) the prayer event began next day with testimonies of healing from some of our team. For the worship, I had planned one song but sadly the keyboard wouldn’t co-operate and I ended up joining the singing and kind of conducting everybody. Joseph was in excellent form and the HHTN presentation was very well received. Then we listened to ‘Peace to you’ on my Bluetooth speaker, as an act of reflective worship, followed by a time of prayer. Almost all who were invited came, and we ended with a group photo outside. It was a very promising beginning. At the end, the team were in joyous mood, and met to de-brief a bit at a local coffee shop before heading home to Harare!

‘Arise, Shine Zimbabwe!’ – fond memories and future hopes?

As I write, future HHTN related ministry events are being discussed and prayed over; with the possibility of a School of Reconciliation being organised in Bulawayo early next year. All good; but what I didn’t quite expect was to meet so many young people who remembered ASZ so fondly. Almost everywhere I went I met teens and young people in their 20’s who told me their stories and what it meant for them. Certainly at least a dozen people. Two at the Harare prayer breakfast, plus one older man who told me his daughter became a Christian at an early ASZ and now she’s a worship leader. At least 5 at ‘River of Life’ church; more at another meeting I had with Tawana’s group. They were trying to encourage me to come back in 2026, run ASZ again (please!), give them some training and use them as young leaders for the next generation of kids. I promised I would give that some serious thought! Only 5 came but they said many more wanted to come (Tawana set up a WhatsApp group) but couldn’t because it was a weekday afternoon and most have jobs or college courses. One lady called Fadzai came with her two year old son and told me ASZ was a life changing experience for her. Some told me they still remember the memory verses we taught them. And obviously the songs! At various times I had bits of ‘Healer of hearts’ and ‘Be a doer’ sung to me. Even as I was leaving Zim to fly down to SA, we bumped into a family I knew from OWMI at the departure gate and the daughter sang a bit of ‘Heal Africa’ to me! Here are photos of some of them…

Staying with Greg & Soph; and Pholoso and Kelcy in Joburg

It was so lovely to spend time with Greg & Sophie during my second week. In between meeting people, I taught marimba class to a year 6 group(!) led an assembly (yes I did the ABC gospel!) and just chatted and got caught up with their news. The time with Pholoso & Kelcy in Joburg was also very precious. Pholoso is now teaching OT Hebrew and Greek at his old Bible college so he showed me around one morning. Lovely to chat to Kelcy as well, as we have shared friendships from WAPE in Nakuru, Kenya. On my final Sunday, we went to Roodeport Baptist church and met up with Caiphus and his wife afterwards for lunch. The flight home was uneventful but I travelled with a great deal of thankfulness in my heart. ‘But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us spreads the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him’ [2 Cor 2:14]

Love from Dave & Jean

Diary Dates – Winter / Spring 2025

• • Feb 25th: ‘Sanctuary’ (Malmesbury Abbey)
  • March 16th: Abbey 6pm – Hope church band + me(!)
  • March 18th: ‘Sanctuary’ (Malmesbury Abbey)
  • March 22nd: Vocals recording day with Yvette & Inga
  • March 23rd: Abbey 6pm – leading worship
  • April 12th – 19th: Family skiing holiday!