A Sisterhood story in Harare
~ Posted by Michelle (Photos by Lourens)
I have a friend in Harare, a Zimbabwean lady named Sifelani, who I met in church, in Cape Town, when she was going through a tough time, looking for a job, and missing her family back home. She eventually returned to Zimbabwe, but we stayed in touch and, in the run-up to the Worship Tour, started looking forward to hooking up in her hometown. On the eve of our three events in the city, she sent me the following text message: ‘I can’t wait Mich … 2morrow is a blessing 2 all of us . . . The joy I have now only God knows … Sleep well, pass my regards to your husband, see u 2morrow. GOD BLESS U.’ Honestly, who wouldn’t feel welcome?
Actually, Harare has been one highlight after another. Our first stop in the city, following a marathon overland trek from Bulawayo on Thursday, was a coffee-shop called Vanilla Moon, where we indulged in gargantuan slices of chocolate, and carrot cake, and our first cappuccinos in a week. Then it was onto The Brontë, our lovely hotel, which has Jacaranda trees in the garden and a breakfast buffet.
On top of that, our venue in the city was the Celebration Centre (Home of Celebration Ministries International), a large, modern building, which not only has indoor toilet facilities – a rare treat on this trip – but also a coffee shop. And that’s were Sifelani and I had our happy reunion, animatedly catching up over a cup of tea before the Leadership Conference in the morning. She introduced me to her sisters, and two of her children, and her seventy-five-year-old mother, Margaret. Margaret and Sifelani stayed for Sisterhood and, during our giveaways, Margaret, a dignified elderly lady, who doesn’t say much, was delighted to win the prize for the woman with the most grandchildren. (She has twenty of them.) ‘I’m so happy,’ she said. ‘Thank you, Lord!’
We’d rolled out the red carpet for the women of Zimbabwe, and they came. ‘It was amazing,’ Lucinda said afterwards. ‘God is breathing on the women of Africa. Whenever they gather, it’s extraordinary. At first I was thinking, “Oh no, this is going to be a bit quiet,” and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. But once we got started, they’d come in, and they were getting their nails done, and they walked along that red carpet, and the boys were walking them in. It was very overwhelming. And the meeting was just unbelievable. They were so passionate. They came so expectant. They were so hungry for God. It was quite extraordinary.’
Top moments included Lucinda’s impromptu dance-off: the crowd went mad, cheering, clapping and ululating, and the two winners got tickets to our evening concert. Also, many women made decisions for Jesus. ‘And that was so amazing,’ Lucinda said. ‘It was actually awesome on the altar call because girls were just crying, and you could see the Holy Spirit was really touching their hearts.’
As the ladies left, happily talking and laughing, I chatted to a few of them. ‘I had a great time,’ one told me. ‘I was so blessed. The message was incredible.’ Another said: ‘It was very nice and very empowering just being affirmed as women and reminded of how great God is. And I loved the free stuff. It’s always nice to be treated and made to feel special.’ Sadly, Sifelani and her mom couldn’t stay for the evening concert, and we said our goodbyes back in the coffee shop. ‘It was an amazing time with you,’ she told me. ‘We really didn’t expect you people to come to Zimbabwe. I can’t even express how I feel. I thank the Lord, because he’s the one that made everything possible.’
