When the lady Pastor came back from her South African visit which lasted about nine days, the whole church was eager to hear her experience.This was obviously her first time to go out on an international outreach of that manner.I was one of those who were eager to hear about her trip.I must mention that her trip almost coincided with President Bush's first visit South Africa. The American President had gone there with her Secretary Condoleza Rice, a black African American woman. That same year in 2003, things were very difficult in Zimbabwe. There was no food, no fuel, and so on.Political tensions were mounting everywhere. It was no really this bad but it was just the beginning.This was just to give you a little background of that period.
My own Uncle Rev Jordan who is a minister here in the United States and his wife made several trips to Zimbabwean all year round.Rev N. Jordan is married to an American woman who is also a co minister just like my lady Pastor.Despite the hardships in Zimbabwe my aunt loved the place and the people. She knew Bulawayo like the back of her hand. It was important that make that comparison. Its a Sunday morning and my Lady Pastor begins to preach. Can you guess the title of her message. "My trip to Africa" She started by thanking God that, "even though we came here as slaves we are better off" I could not have guessed that her trip did not go so well.
She said Africans are poor and sad people and its evident in their faces.She said was hosted in a little house which they called a "mansion" and "that was no mansion at all" She also told a story that she had heard about lions at Kroger Park. Somebody told her that Lions at the Game Park were dying because of Aids having eaten some infected illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe.Her sympathy was for the lions more than human beings.When she recited that story, the whole congregation was sympathetic to the lions.
The Pastor would go on saying that she saw a mosquito on her car window and she had to pray in tongues, that she does not get infected with malaria. She did not even eat any fruits because she could have brought a disease that could wipe out the entire nation, she continued.As she was speaking I began to think to myself, What if she has visited Zimbabwe? She had only visited the finest places Pretoria, Cape town and a little bit of JHB. I was still waiting for her to preach, but when she continued her episodes of her nightmare trip. She further criticized people for not putting ice an her soft drink soda like they do here.I could not stand her blunt and ignorant whining. I took my bible and headed for the door.If she despised Africans and Africa in particular,I had no business being around her.I later tried to seek audience with her to give a cultural understanding, but her staff could not allow me.I even offer to put an appointment with her but all that was fruitless efforts.On that day I understood why some are of the opinion that woman should not preach.
I concluded that the ministry that hosted her did not do a good job of explaining to her where she was going.I also concluded that the people who invited her treated her like local black people. Anybody who knows South Africa must know the gap between the two races. This is regardless of weather one is a christian or not. The lion story must have been a propaganda from unreformed racist in that country.I vowed never to put my foot on that church building again.If my uncle Jordan and his wife lived in Zimbabwe for the whole of 2003, what was so special about her to make so much noise. President George W. Bush and Condi Rice went to South Africa and did not complain, given their capacity as VIPs.
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