Zimbabweans head home with nothing but good feelings
Staff writer
Kansas is just all right and then some. The state and its people made a great, positive impression on two men from Zimbabwe who left for their homes Monday, after having Marion as their headquarters for nearly seven weeks.
Chief Mambo Zimunya and his traveling companion, Kennedy Mhondoro, were here to raise awareness among United Methodists and other Kansans of the plight of young people in Zimbabwe, many of whom are poor, jobless, and untrained.
The men hope to start a job training center in Zimbabwe, and make it the first of many such centers there.
Both have strong ties to the United Methodist Church. Zimunya is a township superintendent in the Mutare district of Zimbabwe. That position is something like that of a city manager or a working mayor in this country.
Mhondoro is a college lecturer in the field of education, and a lay leader/local preacher at home.
Both were here representing the UMC of the Mutare District.
The chief has already donated some land in the Mutare District for the job training center, and is prepared to donate a total of up to 40 acres.
The men praised Kansans in general for their warmth, friendliness, and hospitality, and singled out their hosts here, Bob and Judith Priest, who live at Marion County Lake, for special praise.
"They are such wonderful people," the men said. "They were like parents to us," said Mhondoro. "They were worried about what we would eat, where we were going, when we would return."
The Priests even had hot tea ready for them when they returned in the evenings. Iced tea is one thing they did not develop a liking for.
Another individual they were very grateful to was and is Pastor Kennedy Mukwindidza of the Lincolnville and Valley United Methodist churches.
He coordinated their visit here, made many of the arrangements, and was their chauffeur much of the time while they were in the Wheat State, "up to five hours a day," said Chief Zimunya.
Marion "has been a real home for us," Mhondoro said. "The people welcomed us, we felt at home, they were very hospitable, we were fed by the people of Marion."
He added more gratitude for the Valley church, the Lincolnville church, Eastmoor United Methodist Church, and again, the Priests.
They liked the Rev. John Goering at Eastmoor UMC "a lot," they said.
The men felt so at home, Mhondoro said, they were tempted, when asked, to say, "We are from Marion" rather than "We are from Zimbabwe."
"I hope we have created a long-lasting relationship with Marion. We hope some people from Marion will go to Zimbabwe," Mhondoro said.
"All over Kansas, everyone was kind, friendly, with prepared programs and/or sessions for us to present our program, midweek or on Sundays."
He said the fellowship in Kansas UMCs surprised them, i.e. the eating together before or after services. This fellowship led to discussion of ideas.
"We took this as a lesson," Mhondoro said. "We do it sometimes (have a meal with a service), but it's done much more often here. It makes people feel at home, willing to talk, discuss things.
"Our message was well-received throughout Kansas. The Salina District (of the United Methodist Church) has taken this (job training center in Zimbabwe) as their global project.
"Our experience here was tremendous. There were no negative aspects. It was all positive. Everyone was very generous. Many responded emotionally, and we wept 'cries of joy' with them at times, as children of God with a common objective."
The men were given lots of literature, Mhondoro said, about education and training. There also were various offers of ideas, and of volunteers and mission people to come to Zimbabwe to help.
Exchange programs involving students and teachers also may be implemented. The men were offered some choir robes for UMC choirs in Zimbabwe. "Most do not have them," Zimunya said.
An organization in Kansas called Tractors for Our Daily Living has offered some used tractors that have been fixed, repaired, and are in good working order. TODL provides help for Third World countries, Mhondoro said.
"People provided transportation for us, pastors were good to us, people took us where we needed to go, everything was well-coordinated, we did not miss any appointments.
"Kansas is a very good place."
They said they met with Kansas' UMC Bishop Fritz Mutti, who "allowed us to make presentations to both the Kansas East and West conferences of the UMC."
"We think our message went far and wide, more than we had expected," said Mhondoro. "We hope to have a relationship between the Kansas conferences and the Zimbabwe Conference, and alleviate some suffering, using the church as the strong arm of God to assist, to keep people up in hopeless situations."
The men said the West Haysville Baptist Church also was "good to us," by having them as guests and encouraging them to present their program about the suffering, the drought, the joblessness in Zimbabwe.
They toured Kansas farms and dairies, "like tourists," Mhondoro said. They rode a combine during wheat harvest. "People went out of their way to be helpful," said Pastor Kennedy.
Zimunya said, "We went to museums, to see the history of Kansas. People gave us gifts." Those included crosses for the men to wear on neck chains, given on their last day here, from Valley UMC.
They visited the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State and Pittsburg State universities, and technical colleges. "We got some valuable ideas about education for our people," Mhondoro said.
"Programs that are relevant, how to get funding, those are some things we learned about," he said. They also visited Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Friends University, Wichita Technical School, and were interested in Sterling College's partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
"The food was really good, too. We're getting used to it," said both men. Mhondoro said the only thing they were not "wild about" was some seafood, especially shrimp.
They thanked Darla Bryant of Marion, missions coordinator at Valley UMC. She coordinated the food with the whole community of Marion, the men said, during their stay here. Both said they really like lasagna.
In praising Pastor Kennedy for his help and concern during their stay, Zimunya said, "He had to neglect his family a bit."
Pastor Kennedy, a Zimbabwe native, said, "They made me feel homesick. Parting (with the men Monday) will be very difficult for me," he said during an interview.
The pastor is from the same province the two guests come from. He returns to Zimbabwe every year for a visit.
Pastor Kennedy said of Zimbabwean Methodists, "Our music is part of us." He said they are very emotional while singing.
Kansans were amazed and thought perhaps people had to have "special skills" to do that, he said. Many found it hard to participate in the music to such an emotional extent.
"People here are not quite so emotional in singing," the pastor said. "You don't have to stand still to sing and praise God. We expect the congregation to sing with us."
Here, some do, but many don't, he said.
At a Pittsburg church Saturday, after about an hour of the service, "we had the whole congregation singing and dancing," said the pastor.
