Jessy hurried to catch the earliest combi to Norton where she was staying. Being a Sunday, transport was not much of a hassle. She quickly got one. Jessy was a talkative person but she also was very good at meditation. Throughout the whole journey, she started thinking deeply about the events of that Sunday. She remembered vividly the last messages they had exchanged with Tatenda. Tatenda had written early in the morning to say: “Today is the big day my love.” “I just can’t wait to live my dreams sweety”, Jessy had responded. “i’ll be the happiest person in the universe””, Tatenda wrote back. In her last message, Jessy had said something very ironic. “My dear, you will have to bear with me. If I become overwhelmed by joy, I may cry. If that happens, I hope you will contain me babe!” Of course, Jessy had cried but alas not for joy. She had been shocked out of her wits. A lot of things started feeling up her head. Sunday was a day for church. Jessy was an ardent Pentecostal believer who used to fellowship in a church in Harare city centre. This Sunday however, she had decided not to go to church. “I am going to meet the husband you gave me dear Lord. The man who understands me in a way that you have directed.” Jessy had said as part of her prayer. She began to wonder what had gone wrong. Could this be a punishment for not attending church? Jessy thought to herself. The more she thought about it the more confusing it became. The religious dimension was further complicated by what immediately came to her mind. During the previous Sunday, Pastor Mvuto, one of the powerful preachers at her church had touched on a very serious subject. His sermon had been entitled “life with direction and purporse”. He told his congreagation that “a nation without a vision perishes”. The holy man had gone on to clearly articulate that it’s only when the vision is clear that one can get proper direction.”This issue”, argued the man of God, “Did not just end with nations but cascaded down to the church and individuals. As the man of cloth further developed his teaching, he sort to drive home his point by using a specific example of a group of people who according to him should remind the church of how a directionless people can be. The words of the pastor came back to Jessy as clearly as they had been presented. “May the church of the living God pay attention”, pastor Mvuto said. “we must not be so directionless and purposeless like the blind people. Listen! Our Lord Jesus tells us very clearly that the blind can not lead each other or else they will fall into a pit. That’s why you see a big blind father being guided by a young child. Hey! Oh church please get me. The church must not behave like the blind person. To the blind night and day are just alike, darkness and light are just the same. Okay! You have seen them in busses begging haven’t you? Please answer!”, The pastor paused for a moment and everyone in the church said, “amen pastor!” “Someone who was seating at the back bench shouted “Glory! Tell them brother!” Pastor Mvuto continued, “Well, when they beg, what do they sing? Don’t they sing church songs? But have you ever seen them here in church? They are so blind that they have lost the sense of praising God using his music. Instead they use the music to look for money and then buy beer. That is why you see that if you become blind, if you were a pastor, your ministry is gone. If you were a politician, your carreer is finished.” The pastor paused to drink a glass of water amid loud cheers and ululation. Then he said something which Jessy thought of and as she recounted her memories, her blood became cold. “Saints of the living God, In this church, I wouldn’t suffer even the ugliest of my congregants to mary a blind. What does the church say?”, The man of cloth asked to a loud “amen! From the church. Jessy remembered how she and her two friends had after the service agreed that the word had been powerful. Jessy’s mind quickly flashed back to her childhood. She remembered that as she grew up in the village, she had a blind cousin, Nhamo who was three years older than her. Nhamo had not been afforded an opportunity to go to school like other children. Jessy’s uncle and aunt used to keep him in his room and lock him there. They had deviced what they believed where special facilities for him in that room. There was a bucket which worked as his toilet which was situated at the corner of the room. To the other extreme corner, they would put his food. They had taught him to follow the walls to those two essential services and they would leave him even when they went to the fields, church or any other function. Jessy remembered that when Nhamo was seventeen, he had been freed by a roman catholic father together with the department of social welfare who had taken him to school. Jessy remembered that Nhamo’s case almost landed his aunt and uncle in trouble with law enforcement agents. The whole village had been shocked at the news of a school for Nhamo. When he was twenty-four, Nhamo had written his grade seven which he did not pass well and had been sent to a vocational training centre where he had been taught craft work. He had been one of the fortunate ones to get employment at a certain company which dealt with manufacturing craft for tourists. However, during the economic crisis that rocked Zimbabwe in 2007-2008, the company was closed forcing Nhamo to migrate to South Africa where odds where against him till he resorted to begging. Nevertheless, during the whole of 2008, taking advantage of the weakness of the Zimbabwe dollar to the rand, from what he got through begging, Nhamo sent home some money which was used to look after his parents. He was also able to send money for the purchase of a housing stand and the construction of a house in Chegutu. His siblings who were however, entrusted with the carrying out of the project bought a stand, built only two rooms and diverted the remainder of the money to their on use. When things became tough in South Africa, Nhamo returned home where he could not find any job and continued with begging for a living. All these were facts that Jessy new clearly. The combination of Nhamo and the pastor’s sermon occupied Jessy’s mind that she was shocked to here the conductor announce. “Ambuya chiburukai. We have reached our destination”.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 18:35:11 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015