CALLED:
TAWANDA MASANGO HAD TO GROW UP FAST INTO A LIFE OF MISSION
BY TIM ALLAN
CALLED
Aged just 15, Tawanda Masango was thrust into both the frightening cultural spirituality of his Zimbabwean homeland and the overwhelming responsibility of adulthood.
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Violet, was, and still is, a devout struggling. When she came back, she told us she had found some Christian and took her children well-wishers who had committed to to church each week; his father, Wellington, identified as a Christian, pay our fees.” That was when God really stepped but faced the pressure of syncretism, which saw him sometimes consult into Tawanda’s life, by giving him traditional healers. two good friends at school, Antony Mercifully, by the time and Peter. They too were nominal Wellington died he had come to a Christians but, as they searched their The schoolboy and his five full understanding of who Jesus is. hearts and heads for answers, they sisters had just suffered the trauma By God’s grace, Tawanda’s home decided to start reading the Bible and of losing their father when his was only a few minutes’ walk from praying together. uncles gathered round him. Rusitu Mission, the very place Tawanda recalled: “It was that As is traditional in his Ndau July – July 2000 where some culture, the death of his father – that I made a of the pioneer I always thought meant Tawanda would have to commitment to mission workers ministry was for people follow Christ, take his father’s name and all the who first came responsibilities that came with that. to Zimbabwe who had failed to make as did Anthony Tawanda, who is now serving in 1897 had it in professional careers and Peter. Every with SIM Zimbabwe reaching out lunchtime, we met established a but my year in Australia to read the Bible to students in Bulawayo, explained: Bible college, “There is a ceremony after a and pray. At first, a school and a opened my eyes. I saw father dies which makes clear the hospital. Tawanda people who had given up we did not want responsibility is now passed to others to join us was blessed to the son. It used to be that a staff attend the Baptist secular jobs and realised but we spoke with was handed over but now it is our church pastor boarding school I could do the same sometimes an umbrella. and he showed us as a day boy, “That was done to me and soon returning home each evening to help how to share the gospel. after that, I was asked to join some “By the time I left school in his family with subsistence farming. of the extended family members 2002, more than 40 people were He said: “When my father for a trip to consult a witch doctor, died it was doubtful that I would joining us in the prayers and to find out why my father had died. studies. Looking back, I can see God even be able to stay at school, They thought it must have been was training me even then, helping but my then class teacher, Mrs caused by bad spirits. me into ministry leadership.” Warrington, was going back to the “You can imagine that I was very Those schooldays were UK on home assignment. frightened by this, and very confused.” instrumental in Tawanda hearing “She took my report cards Tawanda had been brought up in with her, together with those of God’s call to mission. He may not a Christian household. His mother, have called it mission back then but some other students who were now, 20 years later, he can see it was. From school, Tawanda went to university in Bulawayo, studying PLEASE PRAY forestry and wildlife management, • For God to send more workers into ministry alongside Tawanda and and then found a job in South Shupi so they can form a team to reach more university and college Africa. While he was there, his old students with the gospel. friend Antony, who had gone to • For continuing good relationships with church pastors and that they theological college in Cape Town, would embrace the vision of partnership with SIM, for their good, encouraged him to consider a the good of the students, the good of SIM and the glory of God. role as a ministry trainee with • That Tawanda and Shupi would have wisdom about what to take the Australian Fellowship of on, so they can guard against the possibility of being burnt out and Evangelical Students (AFES). overwhelmed by the workload. Tawanda said: “I always WWW.SIM.ORG
