“Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). The Cypriot Metropolitan
of Zimbabwe
Mr. Georgios has set this gospel
mandate as the life objective. With “His Reverence” I have been friendly for a
few years, so I did not have much trouble accepting his invitation to go to
this distant African country, in the Easter last year. I had already heard too
much about Zimbabwe and,
judging from the activity of the Metropolitan in Cyprus, I was sure there is a
serious missionary work there. And now this unexpected invitation would give me
the opportunity to put “my finger where the nails were” (John 20:25)...
Metropolitan George performs a double project. On the
one hand, he shepherd the few Greeks
living in Zimbabwe
and, on the other hand, is engaged in intense missionary activity among the
local population. I was witnessing this activity during my visit and some of my
rich experiences will be presented later on.
My first contact with the
mission was in the Saturday of Lazarus, when I accompanied the Bishop to the Missionary Center
of Saint Nektarios, located in Harare, the
capital of Zimbabwe.
Here the black Orthodox people they welcomed us with dancing and singing. Let
us note here that the traditional dances and songs are deeply rooted in the
temperament of these people and they reveal it at every opportunity.
In Saint Nektarios, “His
Reverence” performed a common baptism of people of all ages. Thereafter, the
newly - baptized were anointed with the Holy Myrrh within the Temple. I was particularly impressed by the
class and the patience with which everyone - both young and old - was waiting
to receive the holy baptism.
On “Great Monday”, we flew to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's
second largest city. In this city there is the St. Augustine Mission
Center. I was once again
able to see the unadulterated love and immense respect with which the local
Orthodox surrounds their Bishop. After the Doxology that was chanting from all
of them, shared to the participants who were present, a pouch who contained
"milli - milli" (a kind of corn meal which is the main food of the
inhabitants).
On Wednesday after the Easter,
we went to Warren Park, a downgraded suburb of Harare. In the absence of a Sacred Church, the gathering took place in the courtyard of the
house of the mother-in-law of the African priest. There, we shared on the
women's shoes that were sent from Cyprus. Children were given
biscuits.
Leaving Warren Park, we walked
around the area, looking for a plot suitable for the erection of a Sacred Church and the creation of a new missionary center.
On Saturday after Easter, we
went to Saint Nektarios, where the Orthodox teenagers had gathered. After the
usual reception, spoke “His Reverence” to them. Then they were guided by their
male catechists and female catechists to get some things that the Metropolis
had prepared for them, while they stand on line, the one after the other. The
boys took a shirt and a pair of pants, and the girls were a pair of shoes and a
female bag.
If I was left something with
all these unprecedented experiences, it is the self-denial who someone needs,
to go to work missionary in an African country. And this self-sacrifice is
certainly the main feature of Metropolitan George. Those of us who helping,
either morally or materially in the missionary work, be sure that our
assistance "it is worth".
By Nikos
Andreou
Zimbabwe
It
is an landlocked Country in the south of East Africa.
Capital:
Harare.
Population:
14,848,905 inhabitants (official estimate 2018).
Religion:
Protestants 75.9%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Other Christians 8.4%, Other Religion
1.2%, No Religion 6.1%
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