At Hands at Work our volunteers are called by God from all over the world to serve the most vulnerable in Africa. Each of us has a unique story of how we were transformed when we stepped out in faith and were obedient to His call. John shares his story and the journey that has led him to fully trust and serve in his local area in Zimbabwe.
“Growing up, I lived with my parents and five siblings in the Honde Valley. My father was married to two wives, of which my mother was the second. His first wife had eight children. When I was four years old, my father passed away. With a big family and no father to provide, life was very difficult. My brother, who was 15 years old, had to become the leader of our family. He was working at the tea plantations, and any income he received would go towards food. At that time, things like clothing and school fees were outside of our reach.
For many years, there was war in Zimbabwe. Eventually, we were taken to live in a camp because it was thought that we were helping to provide the guerrilla soldiers with food. We stayed there until Zimbabwe got its independence.
When we returned to our home, there was nothing there. It was simply a place to live. It was then that I started grade 1 school even though at my age I should have been in grade 7. It was tough. My mother was doing farming but without fertiliser or enough seeds, she couldn’t harvest anything sufficient. I remember wearing the same pair of clothes for months at a time that were dirty because we didn’t have soap. When I was older, I started working on the plantations during the school holidays so that I could purchase a pair of school shoes – which I finally did when I was 16 years old.
In 1996, I got married to my wife and we had our first daughter. From 1994–1999, I was working in Mutare but after some challenging situations, I moved back to the rural areas of the Honde Valley. Before I moved back, a friend of mine said that I was supposed to be serving the Lord, but it didn’t click in my mind, because as a man I wanted to give the best to my family. Eventually, I was employed in a construction company where I worked for a year before starting to actually work on the plantations. One day while I was working I got into a serious accident. I thought I had broken my leg. Miraculously after a week my leg was ok and I was able to walk.
After a few challenging years of participating in the diamond rush in Zimbabwe, I met Farai in 2008, when I was going to meetings at my church. He shared the vision that he had to care for the vulnerable children and asked if I wanted to join. I said yes, because if it is something from the Bible then who am I to say no. We started working with the children. We faced many challenges along the way because people thought that if you were doing something like this, you should get money. They would also point to the work and say that it was for women and that men are supposed to be working for their families. But the relationships that I had built with the children made me unable to say no.
For many years, I was a Care Worker in Pimai B Community. I enjoyed cooking with the Care Workers. I was the only male at the time but later on two men from the community came to join.
Over time, through Hands at Work and my church, I have learned the truth of Jesus. I have learned that by living simply, you save money but you also serve other people. If you buy expensive things, there is no money left for other people. In 2013, I moved to serve with the local Hands at Work team in the Honde Valley. My favourite part about serving with Hands at Work is Maranatha Workshops where we can share the gospel to isolated communities. We are able to share about the Jesus we know, who speaks about forgiveness, healing and salvation.
I love playing with the kids. Whenever I see a child, I see life. It is my lifestyle that I play with the children, even at church I can spend time with the youth and encourage them. When I joined Hands, that’s when the calling came on my life. I know that I am supposed to do this.”
John lives in the Honde Valley in Zimbabwe with his wife and children. Currently, he serves as a member of the local Hands at Work team in the Honde Valley.