The home missionaries of the New Canaan congregation.
Within a radius of 130km there are 11 mission stations connected to the New Canaan congregation. Each station holds two services on the Lord’s Day, and there are seven prayer meetings in the congregation. This work is impossible for one minister. Supplying these mission stations is achieved through the help of seven elders, among whom Mr Andrish Sibanda and Mr Josia Mashavakure are full-time home missionaries. Mr Mashavakure resides at Ingezi and operates within a radius of 30 km, covering Munaka, Chiwara, Chiedza, Akori, Ingezi and Maware. Mr Sibanda is stationed at New Canaan, and he covers New Canaan, Makovere, Ebenezer and Gweru. The first three of these stations are within a 17 km radius of New Canaan, but Gweru is 130 km away. Their duties include holding services on the Lord’s Day and conducting prayer meetings. They also undertake home visits, as most of the people in the congregations are now old and cannot walk to church. The missionaries pray with the sick in their homes. They give addresses after a death and at community gatherings for various NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) programmes. They also make visits to encourage church attendance. The home missionaries use motorcycles for transport as the roads are very bad and are easily affected by the rains. One of the missionaries, Mr Mashavakure, is elderly and has health problems. His sons have purchased a light car for him to use for long distances when he is able to get a driver.
Thembiso Children’s Home.
The new superintendent, Mr Dube, continues to settle in well. Local donors visited the Home on 16 December 2024. They gave groceries, rice, clothes and uniforms. Another donor, Milestone Tutorials, organised a day of games at the Home on 21 January 2025. They donated maths sets, paper, rulers, covers, pens, sticky tape and jotters. A trip to the “Free to Be Wild” Wildlife Park was organised by Miss Margaret MacAskill and Miss Petra Beukers on 21 February 2025.
First fruits of the harvest.
There is some encouragement that the expected harvest will be better than first thought. Pictures of several garden vegetables grown at Mbuma show promise.
Political unrest.
Zimbabwe is going through a period of political unrest. We are thankful in such circumstances that the Mission is non-political. We pray that the ongoing troubles will not adversely affect the work of the Mission.