Great Need In Zimbabwe
I got an email from Mennonite Central Committee this morning with news about the needs and the danger in Zimbabwe. I will copy excerpts of that here, because it seems important. The email was written by Joy Kauffman and was sent out through a menno.org.peace news service.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Friends,
I wanted to let you all know that messages are being
sent back and forth between the Mennonite Church in
the US and the Brethren in Christ church in Zimbabwe
through Forgotten Voices. As we learn of their
courage and suffering and join with them in prayer,
they are encouraged by our prayers.
I received an e-mail a few days ago from the folks at
Forgotten Voices. They wrote saying, "Thanks so much
for your e-mail! It's nice to see a picture and great
to read the prayers being read and prayed by so many
for Zimbabwe. We're doing our best to pass these
prayers and words of encouragement on to our friends
in Zimbabwe, without using any "hot button" words like
the names of candidates, political parties etc. We try
to protect our partners from any potential dangers.
But they know we are praying and many have written to
say how encouraged they are, and to ask for our
continued prayers."
Not everyone is encouraged though. I got this note
from a Zimbabwean friend here in the states. He said,
"the bottom line is Mugabe is bent on mischief! Mugabe
wants to keep the Zim-population in limbo. He wants to
continue tormenting the poorest of the poor! He is not
satisfied with the horrendous damage he's done in the
past 28 yrs & is not even repentant. I'm depressed
about the developments in my country some have even
emailed me expressing utter dismay & anguish!"
n the last few days, things in Zimbabwe have taken,
what seem to be, a turn for the worse. The election
results still have not been released and there have
been reports that the small armies of police, former
war veterans and youth militias have been out
terrorizing people. Reports of raids on opposition
offices, opposition areas of the country, and
remaining white farmers are rampant. Other reports
indicate more people are giving up and just trying to
leave the country. I've been reading that the only
thing keeping people alive there at all is the money
that is sent back from family members who are in
exile. Almost 1/3 of the country is in exile already,
approximately 4 million people.
So the question is remains, if that is what families
do for each other, does this "family of faith" idea
mean anything to us? Do we have a financial
obligation to support our family in this time of total
crisis (the crisis being not only the elections but
the last disastrous 5-28 years)?
One gentleman who attended the Illinois Mennonite
Conference here in Tiskilwa this weekend, and came to
the Zimbabwe Table Talk I lead, put it this way in a
report he is preparing for his church:
"When we had World Conference [in Zimabwe] in 2003
they bent over backwards to be good hosts for us. Now
with all the political unrest, hunger, violence and
death are running rampant. The Anabaptist related
Brethren in Christ people there number around 70,000
including families of members. They need our prayers
and our financial assistance just as our Russian
sisters and brothers did in the 1920s when MCC was
created."
I hate to ask the question because I know it might
offend but, do we have the will to mobilize again, or
are the African members of our Family of Faith less
important to us? Are we numb to pain and suffering
because rather than getting deeply involved in one
place, we are fed a mission project every month and
therefore care about the whole world but don't deeply care about any one
place?
If you are compelled for remember Zimbabwe in your
prayers, even if it is only during this crisis, there
is one more thing that is important for us to know.
One of the primary reasons that Mugabe was predicted
to NEVER leave power peacefully is because he is
afraid of prosecution for crimes against humanity that
should have him wind up at the International Criminal
Court in the Hague. The largest scale crimes against
humanity that would warrant conviction were committed
in the early 80s and were in the exact region and to
the exact people group that make up the majority of
the Brethren in Christ members. This is when
approximately 20,000 people, of the ethnic group
Ndebele and in the area Matebeleland were killed. For more information see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gukurahundi
This is something that the folks at MWC couldn't speak
of because I have no doubt that some people attending
MWC were secret police. They have valid fear of
retribution. Even a week or so prior to the
elections, Mugabe threatened that if their area,
Matebeleland, went for the opposition, that "fire"
would rain on their houses!
We have good reason therefore to believe that our
brothers and sisters there will be specifically
targeted with political violence during this time.
Please pray. The thing that has had the biggest
influence on me to really pray has been reading the
Zimbabwe related Mennonite World Conference press
releases at: http://www.mwc-cmm.org/News/index.htm I
really think that if anyone would take just one hour
to read them from over the last few years they would
be absolutely compelled to action.
If you are moved to give, please visit
www.forgottenvoices.net or check out MCC's Global
Family Program for Zimbabwe
http://www.mcc.org/globalfamily/projects/africa/zimbabwe/
God bless,
Joy
* * * * * * * * * * *
Friends,
I wanted to let you all know that messages are being
sent back and forth between the Mennonite Church in
the US and the Brethren in Christ church in Zimbabwe
through Forgotten Voices. As we learn of their
courage and suffering and join with them in prayer,
they are encouraged by our prayers.
I received an e-mail a few days ago from the folks at
Forgotten Voices. They wrote saying, "Thanks so much
for your e-mail! It's nice to see a picture and great
to read the prayers being read and prayed by so many
for Zimbabwe. We're doing our best to pass these
prayers and words of encouragement on to our friends
in Zimbabwe, without using any "hot button" words like
the names of candidates, political parties etc. We try
to protect our partners from any potential dangers.
But they know we are praying and many have written to
say how encouraged they are, and to ask for our
continued prayers."
Not everyone is encouraged though. I got this note
from a Zimbabwean friend here in the states. He said,
"the bottom line is Mugabe is bent on mischief! Mugabe
wants to keep the Zim-population in limbo. He wants to
continue tormenting the poorest of the poor! He is not
satisfied with the horrendous damage he's done in the
past 28 yrs & is not even repentant. I'm depressed
about the developments in my country some have even
emailed me expressing utter dismay & anguish!"
n the last few days, things in Zimbabwe have taken,
what seem to be, a turn for the worse. The election
results still have not been released and there have
been reports that the small armies of police, former
war veterans and youth militias have been out
terrorizing people. Reports of raids on opposition
offices, opposition areas of the country, and
remaining white farmers are rampant. Other reports
indicate more people are giving up and just trying to
leave the country. I've been reading that the only
thing keeping people alive there at all is the money
that is sent back from family members who are in
exile. Almost 1/3 of the country is in exile already,
approximately 4 million people.
So the question is remains, if that is what families
do for each other, does this "family of faith" idea
mean anything to us? Do we have a financial
obligation to support our family in this time of total
crisis (the crisis being not only the elections but
the last disastrous 5-28 years)?
One gentleman who attended the Illinois Mennonite
Conference here in Tiskilwa this weekend, and came to
the Zimbabwe Table Talk I lead, put it this way in a
report he is preparing for his church:
"When we had World Conference [in Zimabwe] in 2003
they bent over backwards to be good hosts for us. Now
with all the political unrest, hunger, violence and
death are running rampant. The Anabaptist related
Brethren in Christ people there number around 70,000
including families of members. They need our prayers
and our financial assistance just as our Russian
sisters and brothers did in the 1920s when MCC was
created."
I hate to ask the question because I know it might
offend but, do we have the will to mobilize again, or
are the African members of our Family of Faith less
important to us? Are we numb to pain and suffering
because rather than getting deeply involved in one
place, we are fed a mission project every month and
therefore care about the whole world but don't deeply care about any one
place?
If you are compelled for remember Zimbabwe in your
prayers, even if it is only during this crisis, there
is one more thing that is important for us to know.
One of the primary reasons that Mugabe was predicted
to NEVER leave power peacefully is because he is
afraid of prosecution for crimes against humanity that
should have him wind up at the International Criminal
Court in the Hague. The largest scale crimes against
humanity that would warrant conviction were committed
in the early 80s and were in the exact region and to
the exact people group that make up the majority of
the Brethren in Christ members. This is when
approximately 20,000 people, of the ethnic group
Ndebele and in the area Matebeleland were killed. For more information see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
This is something that the folks at MWC couldn't speak
of because I have no doubt that some people attending
MWC were secret police. They have valid fear of
retribution. Even a week or so prior to the
elections, Mugabe threatened that if their area,
Matebeleland, went for the opposition, that "fire"
would rain on their houses!
We have good reason therefore to believe that our
brothers and sisters there will be specifically
targeted with political violence during this time.
Please pray. The thing that has had the biggest
influence on me to really pray has been reading the
Zimbabwe related Mennonite World Conference press
releases at: http://www.mwc-cmm.org/News
really think that if anyone would take just one hour
to read them from over the last few years they would
be absolutely compelled to action.
If you are moved to give, please visit
www.forgottenvoices.net or check out MCC's Global
Family Program for Zimbabwe
http://www.mcc.org/globalfamil
God bless,
Joy
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