My last day - Wednesday 27 July

It is hard to imagine that I have already been here so many days that it is already time for me to come home.  Today has been my last day and so it was time to do some more interviews for the materials that I shall be putting together when I get home.   So, I took the opportunity to interview Bishop Cleophas, his wife Soneni, who is President of the Mother’s Union in Matabeleland and Lazarus Mwanza, the Diocesan Secretary.  That’s six people that I have interviewed now whilst here in Zimbabwe and all of them are clear that the biggest challenge for them all in the work that they do is the lack of resources. 

The interviews took place after the group had assembled at the Mothers’ Union Centre to participate in their weekly Wednesday morning service.   The service was led by Fr Issels Ngweyna, the priest of Holy Family St Clare’s, Nkulumene, whom we had met when we visited St Clare’s where he is also priest.

Bishop Richard delivered the homily on the gospel reading, which was the parable of the Prodigal Son.    He said that this was many people’s favourite parable because it speaks of the fact that God never gives up on us and how important it is for us all to know this.

Following the service we had tea – as Soneni said – it isn’t possible to leave a Mother’s Union event without a cup of tea.   It was accompanied by a piece of chocolate cake.   Now, I love chocolate although I am not a lover of chocolate cake.   Amazingly, I have not eaten a single piece of chocolate in the last two weeks and so I was really looking forward to this.   But, I wasn’t quite expecting the cake experience that Felicity’s cake brings.   Felicity and her husband Clyde are Annie Kurk’s hosts and Felicity makes wedding and birthday cakes to help to supplement their income.   Having eaten a slice of her cake I can understand why people come to her!

Resisting a second slice and interviews completed I joined the others in looking at various things that were for sale in the Centre.   I now have to see how to get a very beautiful, but rather large, round basket for bread; a new table cloth for our dining room table and four mugs commemorating the Diocesan Mother’s Union.  (These are one each for members of my Department - Communications and Resources … sorry folks it won’t be a surprise now but I thought I’d tell you about them just in case they don’t make it home!)

After we had all bought the things that we wanted, but probably can’t carry home, we got back into the minibus and were off to St Aidan’s Farm.  The farm was given to the Diocese of Matabeleland in c 1952.  There was a church and a school on the site which moved closer to the village during the years in which there was fighting for independence.  The farm has not been used to raise crops in over fifty years and we were able to photograph the first crop of maize that was grown last year.  The farm has been re-fenced and the two workers now employed on the farm patrol the perimeter to protect the land from squatters.  Last year they planted 4 hectacres of land to begin with and then a further 4 and this year they hope to plant double this amount.

We were able to see a large water tank now filling with water from a bore hole powered by a national pump which USPG provided.   The tank is on a piece of land which was beginning to be prepared for cultivation.  Once a second bore hole is working the land will be further prepared and irrigated so that it can be used to grow vegetables. 

We saw the fields in which the maize grew and will grow again.  Then it was lunch time and we were treated to some traditional food.  There was maize and beans and goat’s meat and liver with sadza.  This was followed by maize and watermelon boiled together which was really nice. 

After lunch we went to see the bore hole which works with the national pump powered by diesel. This is the pump which sends water into the water barrel.   Then onto another bore hole which the Kingston Area Link has helped to fund.   This is the bore hole which Bishop Richard and the late Bishop Wilson Sitshebo spent a great deal of time searching for in one of Bishop Richard’s earlier visits.    Sadly, it is blocked and so the water cannot be pumped up yet.  The Diocese is working on unblocking the hole and, if that fails, it will drill another bore hole right next to it as they know that there is a great water table full of water there. 

It was amazing to see how they were looking down the bore hole using a mirror to reflect the light in order to peer down to see what was causing the blockage about 12 metres down.  It is a very sensible and logical way to bring extra light to the hole but it was extraordinary to see someone carrying a large framed house mirror across the open land far away from any sort of house!

The drive back to the Cathedral was my last one on the bumpy back seat of the mini bus.  I have enjoyed the company of Les Wells and Annie Kurk on the back seat of the bus but I really won’t missed the constant jolts and bone juddering.   Still it was a better place to sit than the seat in front.   You see there is something to lean against in the corner at the back of the bus unlike the seat I occupied briefly one day.  When I fell asleep there I also fell off the seat and slid gracefully to the floor before waking up and trying to get back onto my chair before anyone noticed.   But, they did of course, and so I returned to the back row the next day – which was better for taking photographs anyway!

Dinner was at the Cattleman restaurant and it was good to spend a last evening with the entire group and our hosts and to be able to thank them for the help and support and fellowship that they had offered in the last few days. 

My trip to the two Dioceses in Zimbabwe has been tiring and informative, fascinating and challenging and I am sad to be leaving.  The people here have been so welcoming and helpful and they have an important story of faith and hope which I hope to be able to tell when I get back home.

I’ll post another blog when I make it home and have had time to reflect a bit on the whole experience.

Another school - Tuesday 26 July

This morning began with a visit to St Columba’s school.  Some pupils and staff from the other two Diocesan schools, St James’ and the Cyrene School had come to St Columba’s to join in the service.  Here was our chance to see the size of church that St Clare, Nkulumane, was proposing to build.  I guess the best way to help you to get a sense of the size is to say that it is almost impossible to see the back of the church when you stand at the front.  It seats around 500 people and Bishop Cleophas’ consecration took place there because it seats so many more people than the Cathedral. 

During the service the members of the Kingston Team were again introduced and they gave gifts to the head teachers of the school and the pupils.   The Head boys and girls from each school were asked to come forward and each were given some ‘Kingston Episcopal Area’ pencils and a tube of tennis balls which had been used at the Wimbledon Tournament.  Once again we were treated to some wonderful singing from each of the schools, who took it in turn to lead part of the singing in the service.

After the service, members of the Link Team meet with representatives of classes from the school to discuss the link between St Columba’s and St Cecilia’s school in Wandsworth.  The Revd Annie Kurk presented the Headteacher of the school with a book of various photographs of the school and the classrooms and activities.  She also gave the Headteacher a framed photograph of the building to be put on display and then went on to tell the students something of life at St Cecilia’s.  

The students asked questions about the school and how the link might work before we went onto a tour of the school. It is very different from the two other Diocesan schools that we have seen for a number of reasons.   The site upon which it is set is much smaller than that of St James or Cyrene School.   This may be that this is in part due to St Columba’s being the only day school that we have seen and possibly because of this it is also co-educational.  In a sense it would be true to say that St Columba’s is more like schools which we are used to seeing in Southwark Diocese and elsewhere in the UK, but whatever the reason it was more familiar to us as a building and seemed to be in extremely good condition.   Unlike the other schools St Columba’s also has broadband internet connexion (probably because the site is so much smaller and more urban and thus easier to set up with broadband) and that means that the link between St Cecilia’s and St Columba’s will be easier to get going.  

There are about 800 pupils at St Columba’s with approximately 40 pupils in each class.   There are less than 30 teachers. St Cecilia’s has nearly 900 pupils with around 125 teachers!  Whilst we were meeting with the students concerning the link we were fortunate to meet one pupil who had achieved the highest number of a passes at ‘O’ last year – 10.  We saw science labs and technical drawing rooms which were well equipped, even if the equipment was quite old.

We have now seen all three Diocesan schools in the Matabeleland Diocese and have been impressed in all of them by the commitment and enthusiasm of staff and pupils alike and by the results that they achieve.  Education is incredibly important to the young people that we have seen.   Education has to be paid for here in Zimbabwe and families make sacrifices to ensure that their children get the education that will help them to achieve in the future. 

It was a privilege to see the school and to meet the Headteacher there who runs the school with great authority and good humour.   The discipline at the school is obviously very good and the pupils – as in all the schools that we have seen – are polite and respectful.  They are also full of energy and enthusiasm and joy, as far as we have seen. Their singing, as I have said repeatedly, is without parallel in any school that I have heard in schools in the Southwark Diocese or elsewhere.

 After St Columba’s, we went to the Mother’s Union Centre for lunch and from there back to the Cathedral where the Link Committees from Matabeleland and the Kingston Area met together.   These meetings of both Link Committees (such as the one that Croydon also had with the members of the Committee from the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe) are an important part of Link visits as it gives the Committees the only chances that they have to meet together in person.  Unlike the Croydon Link Group, which met first without the two Bishops and then subsequently with them, the Kingston meeting was with the Bishops and (again unlike the Croydon Team visit) included members of the visit team who are not members of the Link Committee. 

The meeting over we went to Said Evensong in the Cathedral after which I interviewed the Diocesan Projects Officer, Ronald Lumbiwa, who has been helping us to show us around the Diocese and then it was off home to our respective hosts.

Tomorrow is my last full day here and I am looking forward to worship at the Mother’s Union Centre (and one last chance to hear some wonderful singing) and St Aidan’s Farm - one of the Diocesan projects which Ronald, who is trained as an agriculturalist, is helping to manage.

And we saw hippos - Monday 25 July

This was billed as a day of rest and in a way it was.   We haven't seen many churches, just the one where we had dinner, but we have seen hippos and a bit of a giraffe and some impala.  Today we have been in the Matopo Hills and have climbed up to the view of the world where Cecil Rhodes’ grave is.   He had apparently loved the spot so much that he put into his will that he wished to be buried there.  

Cecil Rhodes was an English-born businessman and mining magnate who started the diamond company De Beers, and founded the state of Rhodesia, which was named after him. After independence, Rhodesia separated into the nations of Northern and Southern Rhodesia, later renamed Zambia and Zimbabwe, respectively. He set up the provisions of the Rhodes Scholarship, which is funded by his estate. 

On the hillside are also the graves of Leander Starr Jameson (Rhodes’ right-hand man), Southern Rhodesia's first Prime Minister Charles Coghlan and several leading early white settlers. There is also a large memorial to the 34 men who died in the Shangani River massacre of 1893.  The Ndebele tribe crossed the river when the tide was low and the British soldiers who were fighting them tried to cross at another point when the river was high and the Ndebele tribe picked then off one by one.

This high place has a wonderful view over the surrounding countryside and it is easy to understand why Rhodes loved the place as much as he did.   The Matopo Hills is a beautiful spot and although it is not so well organised for tourists as the Gweru Antelope Park had been last week it is another indication of the possibilities for the opening up once aging of the Zimbabwean tourist industry.

From the site of Rhodes grave we went to visit one of the caves with drawings by the San people, dating back between 8 – 12,000 years, and from there following lunch we visited the game park.  We saw five very sleepy hippos by the dammed water and a giraffe and the legs of another.   There were some impala too. The viewing point gave us a splendid view of the park and the possibility of seeing more animals. We didn’t manage to spot any more but that really didn’t matter because the views were awesome once more and we were able to enjoy looking out over the magnificent treetops and across the plains.

Following a brief stop at our hosts for a cup of tea and freshen up we went to St David, Nketa for dinner.  St David’s Church has been complete for a number of years now.   Founded in 1997, the foundation stone for the church was laid in August 1999 by Rt Revd Peter Price when he was Bishop of Kingston.   Consecrated in December 2000 the congregation has been gradually furnishing and have settled on the pews that they now want to have for the church.  These are very nice but very expensive and it will take them a long time to get the fifty that they want but they are making plans for doing this.

At the back of the church was a pile of bags of concrete which are to help to complete the church hall in which we were to have dinner.  It is mostly made but there are things that need to be finished and the church is busily working to achieve this.

Bishop Cleophas invited Bishop Richard to introduce the group from the Kingston Episcopal Area and then we were given a splendid meal.  After this the people from St David’s were introduced and a special round of applause was given to those had cooked dinner.   Bishop Cleophas’ wife, Soneni, encouraged them to sing and sing they did! Hospitality and singing have characterised this trip and the singing at St David’s was no exception.

St David’s priest asked if either of the churchwardens would like to say anything and one of them rose to thank the members of the Kingston team for their visit and went on to assure Bishop Cleophas of their continued support for him and all that he is trying to do in the Diocese of Matabeleland.  He said that with Bishop Cleophas’ leadership he felt sure that success in all their endeavours was assured.  Bishop Cleophas was obviously moved by this speech and thanked the churchwarden warmly speaking of the special place that St David’s has in his heart as some of his early ministry as a Bishop in Matabeleland had been in St David’s.  Bishop Richard, in closing the evening in prayer, said that he had presided at the Eucharist for the first time in Africa at St David’s Church and so it held special memories for him too.    

The rest of the group visiting from Kingston had not yet had the chance to see the church and so as we were leaving they too went inside to have a look.   Pleased by all they saw we all went off home with our hosts to prepare for another day.

Church buildings – but not as we know them! - Saturday 23 July

During our meal together on Friday night Bishop Cleophas had been joking with us about how long it was going to take to get to Binga where we were due to commission a grinding mill at St John’s Mulindi.  We were to leave from Bishop’s House at 7am and travel for four hours on bumpy roads to get there.   It is probably true to say that most of us were not especially looking forward to the trip which while worthwhile felt as if it was going to be very tiring on top of what had already been a very tiring first day.

But it soon became clear that plans had changed, not least because Bishop Cleophas and Bishop Richard had realised how tiring the trip would be as so we were told on Friday evening that we would in fact be meeting at the Cathedral at 10am and visiting some of the churches that we were to have visited the following Sunday.   The idea of this being that we would be able to have a slightly less busy day the following Sunday and that those who were here from parishes which were to have links with parishes in Matabeleland Diocese would have the chance not only to go to their link churches but to spend some real time with them getting to know them.

So, today we have visited: St Joseph, Emganwini, St Clare, Nkulumane, St Katharine and Kingsdale.  All these churches have building projects and are projects which will be supported by the 2011 Bishop’s Lent Call which was for Zimbabwe.  Other building projects to be supported include St Anne’s, Pumula South and St Paul’s, Cowdray, which will be visited by Link members on Sunday 31 July.  Sadly, I leave this group (having travelled for two weeks through two Dioceses) on Thursday 28 and so won’t see them.  I hope that others will bring me news and pictures!

At St Joseph, Emganwini, the priest and some church members showed us the places in which they are meeting now and walked us around the boundaries of the site of the plot of land which they own for the building of a church (and in due time a Rectory and Church Hall – this latter to be a place to meet but also to provide rental income.)  At the moment the church meets in a shelter created of scaffolding-type poles and a corrugated tin roof.  The Sunday School meets under a slightly smaller version of the same!  The plot of land is literally right next to another church.  But, having heard stories of one church in Central Zimbabwe Diocese which has had to continue to meet at 7am because its Pentecostal neighbours meet at 10am and are so much more noisy than the Anglican congregation that they drown them out, I was pleased to hear that the services at St Joseph’s are finished by the time the services at the other church begin!

We were able to look at plans for the new church and also to see plans for the church toilets.   It is hard to underestimate the importance of building toilets when building a church as many will have had a long or difficult journey and the services are often long.  The plans for the church had been passed and Bishop Cleophas encouraged them to begin building before the permissions ran out.   He told them especially to start on the toilets.

 After our tour of the site and look at the plans and Bishop Richard had prayed for the work of the church and its people, the Mother’s Union (as we had now come to expect) produced refreshments for us offering us cold drinks and cake.  Zimbabwean hospitality is incredible.  People who had been on one of these Link visits before had said it was good but nothing that they had said prepared me for the warmth of personal welcome that we have received from everyone.  It is an extraordinary experience visiting the home of someone whom you don’t know and finding yourself cared for and fed and taxied around in a way which I could not ever have expected - even taking into account what everyone had said.   Wherever we go we seem to be given food and drink…  I hope that I can still fit into my clothes when we get home!

After St Joseph’s we drove on to St Clare, Nkulumane.  Here, there is not only a toilet block already but there is a church too and another block in which the Mother’s Union can cook.   This church too has plans for building as it wants to extend to become bigger.   Once again we looked around the site and saw where the church would be.   The plans for the three churches which we saw were very similar.  They are quite simple structures which vary in size according to the plot of land which has been acquired, what else needs to be built on the site and ultimately, I imagine, on the projected size of the congregation.  Here the Church Council has decided to build a big church and when I say big I really do mean BIG.  They described it to us as the same size as St Columba church which seats 500 – more of that in another blog later when we have visited it! – and so we asked why they wanted to build such a big church and they explained that they had seen that other churches had had to build extensions and so were just going to go big at the beginning.   There is a logic to this of course, but one problem with this way of thinking is that it will make the building very expensive to construct and thus mean that it will take a long time as money has to be raised for each stage of the building. 

The churchwarden told us that having just finished the toilet block (which is awaiting a final connection before it is usable) the church is completely broke.   What money they gather they plan to use to paint the toilet block.  Bishop Cleophas, however, encouraged them to use any money they had to begin work on the church as they have planning permission and it will be important to start the work before this runs out.  They hope to build around the existing church structure so that they will not be without a place of worship whilst the work is being done and will then knock down what they have when some of the new church has been finished.

It is amazing to see the commitment of people to making sure that there are places of worship for those in their communities.  After lunch, once again provided by the Mother’s Union, the members of the MU sang for us before we left to visit our next and final church site.

St Katharine, Kingsdale is a beautiful but very small church which has existed since veterans who returned from the Second World War were given land upon which to build and live and they built the church as they were building. It feels like a place in which prayer has been offered and answered, it is peaceful and well kept and loved.  But it is too small.  So, the parish council has decided to build a new bigger church alongside it.  We were all delighted to hear that they will leave the existing church building as a small chapel which will have a roofed passageway joining it to the new bigger church when it is built.

Once again Bishop Cleophas encouraged them to begin the work on the building before the planning permission runs out.  He urged them to begin to dig as they saved for the cost of the foundations of the church. 

Wherever we went Bishop Cleophas encouraged his congregations and thanked them for all the work that they were doing in raising money to build new churches.  He assured them of help and support from the Diocese and via the Diocese from the Kingston Link but most especially he encouraged them to own the projects for themselves to raise the money necessary for the building work and to begin to move ahead to bring their plans to fruition.

The churches will all be of a similar design and will differ in size and finish according to the way in which the different parishes wish.  But, they will all grow out of the real conviction that the work of the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe can help to change lives and build the Zimbabwe of the future.  It has been a privilege to see the plans and to hear of the work of the priests and people under difficult and harsh circumstances and as we have prayed with them as we left it was with the sure hope that God will bless the endeavours of Bishop Cleophas, his priests and people.

Visiting Diocesan projects - Friday 22 July

Using the mini bus, which will be our mode of transport for most of our visit, we set off to visit various places where the Diocese of Matabeleland has projects, some of them with help from the Kingston Episcopal Area Link.  First of all we visited the Church of the Good Shepherd, Rangemore where we were able to see a bore hole working which will help to transform the work of the church in that area.   There is now a submersible pump which leads to a 500 litre tank which provides water for the church and for the farm which they are beginning to make on the land around the church. 

The new tank now means that the church no longer has to use the old petrol tanks to store the water that the pump draws from the bore hole.  They now have someone living on the land and have employed a farmer who was watering prior to planting seedlings.   The pleasure of those whom we met at these developments was palpable and it is extraordinary to see how much change a bore hole and pump can make to the peoples lives.

From there we went to Cyrene Mission to visit the school.    We met the Principal and Acting Headteacher and some of the senior teaching staff.  We were able to look around the school buildings and visit the dormitories.  The school could provide schooling for 500 boys but at present there are only 385 students.   The Principal and Acting Head are both hoping to increase the number in the near future.  The school was founded by Fr Paterson in 1939 but it burned down in 1965 and had to be restarted afresh.  It began as a school for ‘naughty Anglican boys’ to teach them how to live but gradually expanded to become a school based on helping the boys to be spiritually and socially strong.   Paterson believed that teaching them about art, religion studies and agriculture would give them all they needed for life.       

We were able to see the building which was the original heart of the school. The Acting Principal explained that they hope to be able to regenerate the original building as an administrative block. 

We were also able to see the Clinic which is in the grounds of Cyrene.   It has a catchment of c1500 people from 42 local villages from a radius of 4 kilometres.   The Clinic offers family planning advice, an immunisation programme and help in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS from mother to child and other educational and basic first level medical care.  In addition, the Clinic looks after the basic medical needs of the boys at the school. 

But, the Chapel at the school is the most surprising building on the site to those, like me, who had not been forewarned.  It is full of artwork depicting Biblical stories which was made by earlier students as the school was an art college.   It is an extraordinary building which is peaceful and full of wonderful evocative paintings including an icon of Bernard Mizeki, the first Zimbabwean Christian martyr.

It is hardly surprising then that the artworks painted onto the walls of the art block are also quite remarkable and evocative depicting the students’ hopes for the future.

Following lunch Bishop Richard, Alison Warner and Annie Kurk spoke to some of the students about the link between Cyrene School and Archbishop Tenison’s School in the Kingston Episcopal Area.     

As soon as the Cyrene School has its Internet connection up and running then the details of how the link between the schools will be finally worked out and the link can start to work properly and students can begin to share their hopes, struggles and learnings.

From the school we went to Cyrene Farm.   The Farm has 292 cows (four of them new this week) and five working bulls.  It also has broiler chickens which are grown for food.  We were shown one bore hole which had been drilled and which had been found to not have enough water beneath it to be viable and another which is working well with its new pump.  In order for the farm to expand it will be necessary to drill more successful bore holes.

The farm is vast and so there is lots of game on it and people come in to shoot leopards and other game for which they pay a trophy fee which helps to also fund the work of the farm.

After the farm it was back to our hosts to freshen up, prior to a service of welcome for the visitors from the Kingston Episcopal Area.  The service was a choral evensong and during it Bishop Cleophas and Bishop Richard discussed together the nature of partnership and the journey upon which the Kingston Episcopal Area and Matabeleland Diocese are embarked.   Both spoke of the importance of learning from and praying for each other and of the joy in seeing the link grow from strength to strength.  Bishop Richard then introduced the team from the Kingston Episcopal Area.

After a cup of tea in the Church Hall, surrounded by the portraits of previous Bishops of Matabeleland, the group left for dinner at a local hotel and then home to bed - ready for another busy day.

All change - Thursday 21 July

It was strange going to Bulawayo Airport with my friends from the Croydon Link group - as they were going off back to Heathrow via Johannesburg and planning what they were going to do to use the six hours that they had to wait between planes at the airport.

As I waved them through check in I was pleased to see Bishop Cleophas arrive with Bishop Christopher.   They had spent the morning together and now Bishop Christopher had come to go home, to spend a busy weekend in Southwark Diocese before joining the Diocesan Group who are going to Taize.  Bishop Cleophas had come to meet the group from the Kingston Episcopal Area Link who were about to arrive.

I gather that the members of the two Link groups met on the tarmac but were unable to do more than wave at each other as the airside security man wouldn’t let them actually get near to each other.  But briefly the two Link Groups were together in Zimbabwe!

The members of the Kingston Group who accompanied Bishop Richard are: Revd Alison Warner (Chair of the Kingston Area Link Group and from St John’s Waterloo), Revd Annie Kurk (Chaplain, St Cecilia School), Deirdre Munro (Mortlake and East Sheen), Jenny Tomlinson (Christ Church,  West Wimbledon)  and Revd Les Wells (Morden Team Ministry).

We were taken by mini bus to the Cathedral where the Diocesan Office is also situated.   Following a brief tour we were each greeted by our hosts for our stay and were taken to our respective homes to rest.

Bishop Cleophas hosted a welcome meal for us at his home.   Archbishop Alex Thomas Kaliyanil, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo was there, as was Bishop Cleophas Sibanda from the Methodist Church and his wife. Bishop Cleophas’ house was in darkness when we arrived, although the generator kicked in just as our hosts arrived with Deirdre and me.  There was a power cut.  I realise that power cuts are not something that I have spoken about a great deal but they are an ever present reality for people in Zimbabwe.   Most people that we have spoken to know when to expect the power cut in their homes and are surprised and pleased when the power cut doesn’t happen or is shorter than expected.

Despite the semi darkness there was a vibrant and excited atmosphere as people were looking forward to the coming few days.  More and more chairs arrived in the room to make sure that we all had a seat and members of the group began to learn about the Diocese.

Just as food was about to be served the electricity returned to great acclaim and an enjoyable meal was had by all.  After we had eaten the guests were introduced to each other and began to talk together.

Then, the visit to Matabeleland having really begun, it was home to bed - ready for the first day of visits.

Is it a giraffe, an antelope or a wildebeest? - Wednesday 20 July

The school bus which was to take us back to Gweru had to take a group of boys off to a football tournament before it could come back to St Patrick’s to be our transport.

All that we had seen in the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe so far had been about the churches and the work that they were doing in the area to help to transform people’s lives.  This is incredibly important but it is also good to see some of the countryside and recognise the natural beauty of all there is.    Our visit to the Antelope Park just outside Gweru was a complete change to everything else we had seen.  For one thing this was a place which catered for tourists.  There was a shop of souvenirs (ask Bishop Christopher and I about our hats!) and places for people to camp and to stay,  a lake for boating (where we saw elephants) and places to sit in the quiet.  It was beautiful.

After an enjoyable lunch we were taken in a truck on a safari through the park looking for antelopes, wildebeest and giraffes. We were told that the safari would take between an hour and an hour and a half depending upon what we saw and when.   It quickly became clear that it would be an hour and a half - as we didn’t seem to be finding a great many animals to watch.   But, eventually, we did see antelopes, zebras and wildebeest, but not the long promised and anticipated giraffes.

Finally we did see one and, having seen one, ended up seeing quite a few more.  We were all terribly excited about this and Hilary said during the farewell meal that one of the abiding memories of the trip for her would be Bishop Christopher’s excitement as we spotted the giraffes.  We were thrilled to get very close to the giraffes which are extraordinary, graceful beasts who stood calmly in front of us eating away at the top of the trees.  It was a wonderful end to our trip and helped us all to see the possibilities for Zimbabwe and the basis for hope for the future.

But we had not quite finished seeing all that we had come to see and went off to T.S. Timbers to see the building trusses that have been purchased for the roof of the hospital at St Patrick’s.   Sadly we were too late and the builders’ yard was closed,  so we went off to Harben Park Plots to visit the horticultural project which it is hoped will provide employment and income in the near future but to be able to do this it will be necessary for there to be more water, and a bore hole will need to be established.

The Group returned for the last time to St Cuthbert’s Cathedral for a final meal.  All of those who had been involved in the visit were present.   The hosts, the department heads from St Patrick’s Clinic and Schools and the Sisters of the Holy Fire were all there to wish us well.  It was Andy’s birthday and a huge birthday cake had been baked for him complete with candles and balloons. Having eaten, we sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him and he blew out his candles.   Bishop Ishmael then thanked the team for coming and spoke of the importance of visits to increase the effectiveness of the link because building relationships is always the best.  He then presented Bishop Christopher with a card and present to mark the occasion of his Enthronement as the Bishop of Southwark.  The gift, a beautiful bronze carving of the Last Supper, was from Bishop Ishmael and the clergy of the Diocese with their prayers for his ministry as Diocesan Bishop. 

In thanking Bishop Ishmael for the gift he also spoke about the value of the visit and of the Link and of his hope that as Diocesan Bishop he would be able to strengthen the Link that Southwark has with four of Zimbabwe’s Dioceses right across the Diocese.

Bishop Christopher asked Hilary to speak about the Link and the visit.  She recalled her visits to Zimbabwe before and how she had seen the changes in the Area and the progress which was being made.  Then each of us were asked to speak of the moment that we would most remember of the visit.  Each person spoke movingly of what they would take home with them from their trip to the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe, sharing impressions, stories and learnings.

Then group was sent off with prayer to their final nights with their hosts after a memorable and enjoyable visit full of fun, learning and fellowship which cannot but have helped to strengthen the link between the Croydon Episcopal Area and the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe.  For such links are grow because of the friendships made between individuals who can then share their enthusiasms with others.

Meetings, meetings, meetings - Tuesday 19 July

The Eucharist today was at 06.30 so that we would be ready in time for the Secondary School Assembly at 07.30.  Paul took his guitar down to the school and played a song for them and such was their delight that the noise seemed as if it might lift the roof when Paul started to play!

Bishop Christopher spoke movingly to them about the hopes and opportunities open to them as they prepared for their part in Zimbabwean life. He noted that, unlike the Bible reading that we had heard in our service, the people of Zimbabwe did not grumble as the Israelites did but rather looked for the positive in life with strong hope and faith.  He told the story of a young man whom his twin brother had introduced to him.  The young man was disabled and could not walk yet, Bishop Christopher said, when he asked him what he was looking forward to he said seeing the Olympics next year so that although he could not run or jump he could revel in watching those who could and excelled at it.  Bishop Christopher said that it was important to be like that young man and to find the things that engendered hope in our lives and he know that the people of Zimbabwe had a strong faith that would enable them to do this and help Zimbabwe to flourish.

When we returned to the Diocesan centre we had breakfast and following that the group members all did different things.   Those on the Croydon Link Committee, chaired by Hilary Brand, met with those on the Link Committee from the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe, chaired by Dean Auston July.  Sarah and Paul joined the group for the beginning of their meeting in order to share with the combined Link Committee their impressions of and thoughts about the Clinic and the future development of the hospital.   Both have experience of working in hospitals and were able to share their professional expertise with the Committee.  After their input they went off to visit the Clinic again and spend some time talking with the nurse in charge. 

Will and David and Bishop Christopher went off with Paul, one of  the priests at St Patrick’s, for a walk around the area and saw some traditional homes and was able to speak with some of those who live near St Patrick’s.  Ann Wright went off to see the Mothers’ Union offices and to meet with some of the MU members.

Save for popping in to take a couple of photographs I really don’t know what was discussed at the Link Committee Meeting but when the combined Committee met with the two Bishops in the afternoon they reported that it had been a very good meeting and that the members found themselves to be more than ever in accord with each other and agreeing on plans and the way ahead.

Whilst the Link Committees met with the Bishops, Will and Paul went to spend some time with the boys at the High School. Paul played an energetic game of football, though he was much slower than the boys and was ultimately on the team which lost 1-0.   Sadly he took a football in the face which didn’t help his nose - which is apparently prone to breaking - at all!  Whilst Paul was running around on the football pitch Will played a game of duck, duck, goose with a group of boys and was to be seen running around the circle of laughing boys on a number of occasions.

Fortunately the High School playing grounds are near to the Convent Branch House of the Sisters of the Community of the Gifts of the Holy Fire and so, although they were rather late and hot and sticky, they didn’t miss out on the wonderful food prepared for us by the sisters.

Food is something of a theme on our visit for everywhere we go we are offered food and drink.  The tradition of the bowl of water being offered to a guest to enable them to wash their hands before eating and drinking is a warm and welcoming one which is extended to us wherever we go.   That and the copious amounts of food and drink which we have been given will ensure that we go home (well, I will at least) completely full and probably weighing more than I did when I arrived!

The nuns house is beautifully kept and welcoming and their rondava, newly built and used, with its place for a fire in the middle and ledge to sit on around the side is a peaceful haven in which to sit and think and talk and be.  It was really special to see where the sisters who had been looking after us so well during our stay at St Patrick’s lived and to share ore of their hospitality at their home. 

Following tea Bishop Ishmael presided at our final Eucharist at St Patrick’s to which many of the St Patrick’s community, including the sisters came.  Paul’s guitar was in evidence again and we sang worship songs and hymns with gusto and the youngest from the High School would have been ecstatic to see Paul in action again.

After dinner we sat around the fire and considered our stay at St Patrick’s and all that we had learned and enjoyed.  It had been a full and enjoyable time and  we had seen much remarkable work from a group of dedicated and committed people whose work for and trust in God was obvious for anyone to see. 

We were not late to bed because we had heard at the Eucharist that Wednesday morning's service which would normally have taken place in the church on the site was to be held at the Diocesan Centre’s chapel as Bishop Christopher was to preside.   It was to be at 6am.   We were all remarkably pleased, in view of this,  to be leaving the next day as we worked out that Thursday’s morning service would have been at 05.30 and so on through the days until we hadn’t been to bed at all.

Monday 18 July

The day begins with Morning Prayer at 7am

Assembly takes place for the Primary School children outdoors at 8 o'clock each morning.   Hundreds of children gather together in the assembly area with amazing speed and quietness.  We were introduced to them and we were pleased to listen to their singing and for Bishop Christopher to be able to say a few words to them.   Some of these children will have walked a very long way to be at the school and will need to retrace their steps that evening.    Some of them are very little!

Following the Assembly the visiting group were able to spend a few minutes talking with the teachers from the Primary School introducing ourselves and learning about the school.

After breakfast we were able to visit St Patrick’s clinic and learn of the work that is being done there under what are very difficult circumstances.    We had been able to take some medical supplies to the clinic and gave them to the sister in charge of the work there.   Sadly some of the medications that we had taken were confiscated going through customs and will need an import license to retrieve.  

Bishop Christopher was able to pray with the one in patient of the clinic and we saw a little boy whom we had seen earlier in the headmaster’s office at the school.  He had cut himself on a piece of metal and his badly swollen finger was in need of attention which the clinic was right on hand to give.

The Clinic used to have a doctor on site and thus be able to deal with more complex conditions but there is no doctor at present and so many will be sent to Gweru for treatment.  It is hoped that when the Hospital Construction Project reaches fruition it will be possible to have a doctor again.

Following the Clinic we visited the Mortuary which had been opened in the last couple of years. Fortunately the Clinic does not experience many fatalities but these new facilities mean that they can deal with the situation properly when it arises.  The clean cut lines of the stainless steel mortuary equipment was a sharp contrast to the baby weighing scales hanging from the tree.

Then it was back to the Primary School for a proper tour of the classrooms.  We were able to see the children enthusiastically participating in lessons and particularly enjoyed the two Early Child Development classes in which the children sang and danced for us.

This lively, focused and happy school educates 800+ children aged from 5-6 up to secondary school age.   It is a huge undertaking and one which will help to ensure the future development of the peoples of the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe but indirectly the whole of the country.  For education is such an important platform upon which to change fortunes and lives.

The visit later in the day to the Secondary School could not help but reinforce the importance of the work which St Patrick’s mission is doing.   The accommodation available means that the school is 65% girls.  There are about 640 boarders in total, with another 160 or so day students.   Of these about 100 are in the Sixth form and in these year group there are an equal number of students of each gender.

Competition for places in the school is tough has it has a good reputation and 85% of its students go onto university.   Each prospective pupil has to write an essay in order to help the school to access who should get in and who not. Many are unsuccessful in their application.

Whilst we were there the children were sitting public exams –‘O’ and ‘A’ levels but we were able to see the science labs (which reminded me of those old type labs which most of us will remember from our school days with Bunsen burners and fume cupboards).   About twenty take each science at ‘A’ level and they all do well.   We also saw the computer room where ten desktop computers were in use.  Some of which had been donated by the government.  The Teacher spoke to us of the need for textbooks aimed at their syllabus are needed in order to be able to help the children to learn the skills for the future which they need and in order for the school to be able to offer ‘A’ level intent access etc is necessary. 

We were shocked by the number of books that they had.  There was one small room full for all 800+ students and this with the lack of Internet access must hamper the ability of the teachers to teach and the students to learn.

We were also able to see the plans for the new hospital and were really excited to see the new bricks being made to help towards its completion.  The Diocesan Mother’s Union is going to build the maternity wing and we saw the great pile of bricks which they had had made and were ready for the burning which would finish them.    We saw other bricks being made too from the soil of a termite mound which is very pure.  Two men ran up and down enthusiastically with the new bricks whist another dug the soil fro them to use.   We were fascinated to watch them as they worked and felt that such enthusiasm must surely help to bring the hospital building project to fruition.  Stage one of the building project is well underway with the walls of the wards built.  They hope to be ready to roof them in five weeks time and then to move onto the next stages, but it is hard to maintain momentum and to ensure that all that needs to be done is done when you also have a Diocese, a Cathedral or a Parish to run.

The final visit of the day was to the piggery which has group from 3 pigs about five or six years ago to over a hundred now, but the piggery is not self sustaining at the moment in order to be profit making the size of the piggery will need to double.

Bishop Christopher presided at the Eucharist before dinner for the Croydon visitors and the community of St Patrick’s offering all the sights and experiences of the day to God.

Supper and so to bed....

Sunday 17 July

The visitors went to the services in which their hosts were to be involved and in most cases preached on the reading of the wheat and the tares, which was appointed for the day. It is hardly necessary to say that everyone’s experience was different;  there was a service which began in a freezing cold (partly built – no roof) Church at 7.30 to the confirmation of 43 at the remote church of Holy Trinity, Silobela West. The Revd Mthobeli Malisa, who is the priest there, has been ordained for two years and priested for one and has 11 outposts to which he also ministers.

Far into the rural area of the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe along unmade and very bumpy roads this journey gave a very real sense of the size of the Diocese and the perils which face Bishop Ishmael as he travels around his Diocese to confirm and minister to his parishes.  On the way to the church Bishop Christopher and Bishop Ishmael passed the spot at which Bishop Ishmael had had  a near fatal accident earlier in the year and were able to give thanks to God for his safety.

At Siobela there were two baptisms before the 43 confirmations and the service was conducted mostly in Ndbele with Shona bits!  Bishop Ishmael presided and Bishop Christopher preached and confirmed. His preaching was ably interpreted by Mthoblie, the priest, causing us to wonder yet again at the facility of those in Zimbabwe to switch between traditional Zimbabwean languages and English.  Bishop Christopher noted that 43 was the number of candidates that he confirmed when he first became a Bishop in the Woolwich Area of Southwark Diocese, just a few weeks after he had been consecrated and so it was a special privilege to be able to confirm so many young people in one of Southwark’s link Dioceses.

The Confirmation was a further example of the joy and strength of the faith of those in the Anglican church in Zimbabwe. The half built church, in a remote village, formed the backdrop for the Mother’s Union to lead the singing again and to help the whole assembled congregation to praise God and to thank God for the many blessings which they had received. 

It is hard not to reflect that we who live in the more materially wealthy north have much to learn about joyful faith and giving thanks to God from our brothers and sisters in the church in Zimbabwe.

Many had walked many miles and set out very early to be at this service, some will have carried their food with them.   They came from homes that may not have access to electricity or running water and the things that we take for granted.  Even those who live in housing which does have electricity and a water supply will find themselves subject to frequent power cuts in order to ‘power save’ because Zimbabwe, like other countries, is running out of the natural resources which provide the electricity.

Following lunch the Bishops and I returned to Gweru via Kwe Kwe with a squawking chicken in the back of the Bishop’s car – a gift from the church.   More food followed for those who had the room for it before we all set off for St Patrick’s mission.

St Patrick’s is about 19 kilometres into the countryside between Gweru and Kwa Kwa but it is 19 kilometres of unmade road with huge potholes and the convoy of cars were not able to keep up with the Bishop whose car travelled these types of roads more frequently and was more able to cope.

St Patrick’s Mission has been running for well over 50 years.  It has a clinic, a school, a pig farm and is the home to the Sisters of the Holy Fire. There is also the new Diocesan Centre there.

We said Evening Prayer in the beautiful chapel which is finished except for the lighting and so we struggled with our torches to read the words.  Bishop Ishmael welcomed us all to our base fro the next three days speaking of the value and work of the mission and how good it would be for us all to be able to see the progress that they were making on the various projects.  He said too that they had been encouraged to do a lot of work ion the Diocesan Centre, kitting out the rooms ready for our visit.  After dinner we sat around the log fire in the seating areas before an early bed ahead of another busy day.

Settling in - Saturday 16 July

Our programmes were slightly different on our first full day in Zimbabwe.   The men folk i.e. those hosts whose guest was otherwise occupied, the men from the Croydon group, Bishop Christopher and Bishop Ishmael went off to White Water for a time of fellowship and a braai (a kind of barbecue).  Apparently they took a boat which Bishop Christopher says they would have tried using on the dam if there had been enough time.

Paul and I went with Archdeacon Gordon and Rev Simba Basvi, their hosts, to the unveiling of the tombstone of the daughter of a former Mayor of Kwe Kwe who had died in 2008 leaving a husband and four children.

The Mother’s Union sang as everyone waited for the service to begin and then during the service.  Their love of music and ability to weave one song on another and harmonise seemingly effortlessly seems to be setting the tone for much of the rest of the visit.

Hilary, Sue and Ann went to the Mother’s Union meeting at Gweru Cathedral and I joined them following the unveiling of the memorial.  (Paul and Archdeacon Gordon went back to the meal at the family’s home which followed the unveiling.) The Mother’s Union meeting was a lively day full of singing and dancing and spontaneous expositions of the story of the Prodigal Son, followed after lunch by a fashion parade of many different Mothers’ Union uniforms.  A young Mothers’ Union Choir sang for all those there before the Diocesan President sent everyone off with prayers and good wishes.

It was interesting then for Will and I to go to St Luke’s Kwa Kwa to talk to a group of parishioners from that church about their experiences and reasons for making the trip to Zimbabwe.  Will spoke of training to be a youth worker and his work with the young people at St Margaret’s Chipstead and I was quizzed about being a woman priest.  Questions focused around what happens when a woman priest gets pregnant and what women priests are called!  (Were they referred to as Mother in much the same way as male priests are known as Father.....)

Then it was back to our hosts houses once again and I experienced my first power cut.  Simba and his wife explained that they usually have power cuts from around 5pm until 10pm on a Saturday evening as the national grid tried to power save.   Going back through the potholed small streets to Simba’s house was a nerve wracking experience because although it was extremely dark there were still a great many people wandering around the streets and needing to be avoided.

This week we were fortunate and the light came on at 9pm, but it had been another long day and not long after that it was again time to sleep!

The journey begins - Thursday 14 July & Friday 15 July

Croydon Link Visit July 14-21 2011, group members:

The Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, group leader; Hilary Brand, Chair of the Croydon Central Zimbabwe Link Committee (Christ Church, South Nutfield), Andy Morton (St Peter and Bishop Andrewes, St Helier) Revd Sarah Mullally (Sutton Team Ministry) Wendy Robins (Diocesan Director of Communications and Bishop’s Press Officer), Will Saunders (St Margaret’s, Chipstead), David Stranack (St Peter's, South Croydon), Paul Waddell (Emmanuel, Croydon), Revd Sue Weakley (Merstham and Gatton), Ann Wright (St Mary's, Horne and Mother’s Union)

Well we’re off. Meeting at the airport was demanding as we all had different interpretations of what 4pm meant but we all made it safely onto the plane which was absolutely full. There were at least three school parties going off to play sports in various parts of the continent and so members of the Croydon Link group got varying amounts of sleep depending upon where they were sitting in relation to the school parties.

In Johannesburg airport those of us who had found each other (sadly all expect for me) said Morning Prayer in the transit lounge and then there was time for a wander around the huge shopping areas.

Then it was onto a much smaller plane for the hour long trip to Bulawayo. We were grateful to get a sandwich on board as breakfast seemed many hours ago and we weren’t quite sure when the next meal would be!

The terminal at Bulawayo airport is still being built and so we came into Zimbabwe via an aricraft hangar which is serving as the terminal building. I don't think that any of us had expected to have our bags as throughly searched at Bulawayo airport as they were and so getting through Customs proved to be was an interesting and testing experience, which cost some of the pary quite a lot in taxes on the gifts for those whom we would meet.

The journey from Bulawayo airport to Gweru where the Cathedral and Diocesan Office for the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe is situated is pretty much one long straight road. Gweru is roughly half way between Bulawayo and Harare and we arrived there after about an hour. The Cathedral is a beautiful cool building with good grounds which contain a hall and it was there that we were served a meal and greeted by our hosts.

Each visitor from Southwark Diocese is staying with a priest and his family from the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe in the Gweru area.

Following our meal and welcome from Bishop Ignatius we each went off for some much anticipated sleep certain that if the warm welcome we had received was anything to go by we were embarking on a memorable visit.

Departure

Southwark Diocese and Southwark Cathedral are linked in friendship and prayer with four of the Anglican Dioceses in Zimbabwe.  The link enables church members to share their faith and their needs and to learn from each other.  

On Thursday 14 July a group of nine church members from the Croydon Episcopal Area of Southwark Diocese will leave Heathrow bound for Central Zimbabwe.   They will spend a week visiting churches, schools and hospitals there and finding out about church life.  Then as this group return home a group of seven will go from the Kingston Episcopal Area to Matabeleland.

Wendy Robins, the Diocesan Director of Communications and Bishop's Press Officer is travelling out with the Croydon Area Link Group and, when they return home on 21 July, she is joining the Kingston Area Link Group. Whenever she has the time and access to the internet and a power supply she is going to blog about their journeys.

We hope to post when we can on this blog to give those back home a sense of what we are seeing and learning as we go in order to inform your prayer too.