Originally posted: March 27th, 2008
Simon is another one of our Zimbabwean friends. He, too, was in Mark’s discipleship class and spent many Sunday afternoons in our home. He is the quietest of all the guys. He never speaks unless you ask him something, and then he always answers with diffidence. He did tell us recently that he heard through the grapevine that Moses made it safely home. He knew that we were very concerned about Moses. We told him that we were concerned about him, too, and he assured us that if anything ever happened to him, he would try to get word to us.
On Sunday morning, Simon got up at 4:30 and walked ten kilometres through the dark to catch a ride to our church’s Easter sunrise service. The next morning he was arrested. Yesterday he was deported. He was allowed to make a call from the back of the police truck before they left town. He called Mark and asked for money so that he could get from the border to his home, more than a thousand kilometres away. Unfortunately, by the time Mark made it to the police station, the truck had already left.
We are hopeful that Simon will make it home safely. Apparently Moses made it home all right, and my friend Marty sent word that she did, too. “Home safely” would be the end of the story for us. For our Zimbabweans friends, however, it’s the start of another harrowing chapter, and this next chapter could be the climax of the whole book.
Mark and I haven’t had Internet service for the past ten days, so I haven’t been able to keep up with news from Zimbabwe. The last time I looked, however, President Mugabe and the top army and police officials had said that they would not recognize any victor in this presidential election except for Mugabe Furthermore, they had ordered their subordinates to vote for Mugabe. Worst of all, Mugabe has authorized the use of guns if there are any election irregularities (election irregularities would presumably mean outcomes not favorable to him). Our friends have told us that there is a great spirit of fear in Zimbabwe. People are afraid to even say the wrong thing much less vote the wrong thing.
The whole situation looks hopeless and bleak. But, it’s not. I don’t know whether God will work through this election or whether He will choose another time and another means. But I know that he is close to the brokenhearted, I know that he has compassion on the oppressed, and I know that righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
As far as the elections go, I’m praying specifically against the spirit of fear and that every voter will vote with courage and hope. I’m also praying specifically that violence will not be turned loose on these people who have already suffered so much.
Please pray for Zimbabwe and the elections on the 29th of March.
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