Chiredzi Report
The Mutandahwe Area
Mutandahwe is a rural settlement at the border of the Manicaland and Masvingo provinces in South East Zimbabwe. The area is situated approximately 63 kilometres from Chiredzi town, a town that owes its existence due to the massive sugarcane plantations of Hippo Valley, Triangle and Mkwasine estates. Mutandahwe is located near the banks of one of the biggest rivers in Zimbabwe (Save River). The area’s ‘jungle’ status is further cemented by the numerous game reserves in the area, the main being Gonarezhou National park where wild animals roam freely in the nature reserves. The local people are mainly subsistence farmers, though the surrounding game reserves and the sugarcane plantations in Chiredzi also provide employment for the local people. There is a vast network of villages in the area, and they extend right to the borders of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. As is the familiar picture for these rural areas, the road network is very poor, with dust roads and footpaths connecting the villages. The poor road network has hampered the spread of the gospel in these areas; however, the call of Mark 16 has not stopped some brothers to spread the gospel in this rural area.
The Missionary Work
Pastor Sithole and the brethren from the local church (Mutandahwe Spoken Word Ministries) carry out all the missionary work in the area. The work is growing very fast, with many receiving the message of the hour through the efforts of the brothers. Services used to be held at the local school, but a church stand has now been purchased with a plan to develop it as the Lord provides. Services are currently being held on the open ground for now, but the plan is to put a temporary structure to protect the believers from the elements.
The outreach work goes deep into the jungles right up to the Mozambican border, where people are constantly calling the brothers to help with the spiritual food and prayer for the sick and needy. Some of the areas are not accessible by roads and in many instances; the brothers have not been able to reach some of the areas due to the poor road network. Pastor Sithole sometimes uses a motorbike to reach some of the most remote areas.
CREN Support
CREN (Christian Rural Evangelism Network) started supporting the work in Mutandahwe by providing logistical provisions like fuel to enable the brethren to spread the gospel everywhere. A consignment of Spoken word books, message SD cards in the local language, and an Agapao tablet for the main minister was recently delivered to the area to much joy and appreciation. As per the CREN model, the spoken words will be used as ‘seed libraries’ for the believers and new converts in the area to enhance their understanding of the message of the hour. Four bicycles have also been acquired and will be used by the local foot soldiers to reach out to the remote areas. There is ongoing work to provide bibles, message tracts, and other printed materials that will be used for the outreach work. We have also noted that communication is key, and CREN is working to purchase some mobile phones for some of the ministers to help improve communication.
The outreach work goes deep into the jungles right up to the Mozambican border, where people are constantly calling the brothers to help with the spiritual food and prayer for the sick and needy. Some of the areas are not accessible by roads and in many instances; the brothers have not been able to reach some of the areas due to the poor road network. Pastor Sithole sometimes uses a motorbike to reach some of the most remote areas.
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Great work. Keep the message fire burning