Hi and welcome to the forum, Pilgrim! I must say that, personally, I am
thrilled to see a fellow Zimbabwean/Rhodesian here!! Already I feel a connection!
It blesses me no end to hear your story. The more I meet up with those of my parents generation, the more convinced I am of a wave of revival/spiritual awakening that swept through Rhodesia in that era, and you are the first I have "met" to testify of it. I believe my life is a product of that revival.
I do look forward to conversing with you and hearing more of your story.
Warm regards from Zimbabwe.
Hi! Yes it takes a lot of research to find reports of what God did in Rhodesia in those days. I was raised in Pietermaritzburg in Natal (Kwa Zulu) and had three brothers. I was sent to Sunday School in the Presbyterian Church by my parents. Dad was a Racehorse trainer, having been born in Scotland. Mom was of French decent. I married at the age of 20 and left to live in Rhodesia. Their only comment was now the black sheep of the family is leaving home. Let that be sufficient to indicate the life that I was living, I'm not proud of it because I was a rebel and not really worth having as a friend. My love of Partying however made me quite popular.
Rhodesia in those days consisted of Northern Rhodesia (Now Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (Now Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (Now Tanzania ) We were in Southern Rhodesia and loved it. After a disasterous time in Fort Victoria we moved to Umtali (Now Mutari).
One day a man came our door and said, "I don't look like a minister do I" My thoughts, "I've got a real nut-case here." He invited us to come to His church and left a magazine from Oral Roberts, an American Evangelist, with us which along with many other tracts etc. I had been given I put in the too hard basket. He and members of his congregation continued to invite us to Services and home fellowships with little hope of a result.
One day I returned from work to be told by my wife that we were to go to a home fellowship in our neighbourhood.
My reply was "I hope you enjoy it." But she insisted I had to go as well. The minister said, "Seeing we have visitors with us tonight I will not continue our study but answer questions." The questions came hard and fast which he would answer with a scripture reference that was always right on target. I sat there amazed! Remember I had been in Sunday School, was baptised and confirmed but I had never heard how relevant this Bible was to our daily living.
He closed with a summary of the Gospel - How that we all were sinners and need God's forgiveness which could only be had by accepting the Sacrifice of God's Son Jesus Christ. Then He asked all to bow in prayer and gave an altar call. That was when the Holy Spirit began to deal with us. Being a great excuse maker I began to think of every reason I should not respond but finally gave in. My wife surrender the same moment and after short instruction and explanation of what we were doing we prayed giving our lives to Jesus.
The rebirth is a gift from God to all who believe and our lives were changed. I look forward to telling you more of my Pilgrim Journey but for now I give Just two comments that were made by friends. One asked the minister what he had injected me with to change my life so much. While an old friend in South Africa when being witnessed to said, "You were the worst of the bunch.":
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