Sisters’ visit to Zimbabwe humbles, induces strong sense of pride

by Linda Mershon, FSPA

It’s best to wear a dress in Africa as hardly any “older” women wear pants. With that, I found myself hiking in a skirt through a cornfield just outside of Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, off to visit grandmothers who raise their grandchildren orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

Most of the families we met had lost both young parents, some had lost only one parent and few had even lost the grandmothers. They had all carved out a space in the cornfields, cultivated a little plot of maize and perhaps a small garden. Some of these homesteads were unkempt and in disrepair, but most were well tended, if extremely modest. No hut was more than a 12-foot square or round. Some were as small as 6 feet and sheltering families of six or more. One hut, housing six children ages seven to 16 without an adult, even had a painted porch. There is so much reflection material in just this part of the experience. But there was more.

Twenty-six families living a life of subsistence receive help from The Goodwill Project. Virginia Chingamuca visits the families each month and provides food and staples—medicine for children with HIV/AIDS, clothing and school fees. FSPA ministry grants fund the The Goodwill Project and these families rely on FSPA, literally, to get through each month and to receive an education. I have never been so proud and grateful. I met one grandmother whose 11 children were all dead. Her 15 grandchildren lived with her on provisions provided by FSPA.

Sister Marla Lang and I visited Sister Laurette Sprosty, who has served in Zimbabwe for 27 years. In that time she has cultivated relationships with many people. She has developed The Goodwill Project together with Virginia and Cyril and Davina Noguerio, our partners in Zimbabwe. The Franciscan Friars and Brothers at Tafare Community in Harare, Chivhu and other areas of Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa watch over and care for her. Her life is rich. Sister Marla and I were honored to be Sister Laurette’s guests for a week in March. She gave us a great tour of her part of Africa—with our individually handwritten itineraries Sister Laurette shared her life and ministry with us.

Our first day was spent at the funeral of a young African priest killed in a car accident. More than 1,000 people celebrated and grieved the life of Father Hosea, the third of their community to die on the dangerous roads. We visited other places of importance, with names like Mbare, Kopje, Mabvuku and Domboshawa. We had a lovely visit and meal with Cyril and Davina. Through their association with FSPA their daughter Bernadine is earning her master’s in nursing at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

Chauffeured by good Brother Dominingui, we traveled south to the Assisi Mission where Sister Laurette lives. She teaches the seminarians who study there and is also involved with the mission’s nursery (there is also a school and hospital on the premises). Assisi Mission, while located in the bush and accessible only by a pot-holed dirt road, is an oasis for those who use its services—and for those who provide the services as well. Farther down that same dirt road is the Franciscan Center where the novices live. We were welcomed heartily by Brother Juniper, given a hearty meal and took a brisk walk down to the river (but first heard stories of the crocodiles that lived there, which we didn’t see)!

The next morning we traveled farther south to the 1,000-plus-year-old ruins, Great Zimbabwe. The sun was hot and unforgiving, but we managed to hike around the compound and get a feel for the early peoples who lived there. A simple museum gave testimony to the pride of the people of Zimbabwe. Nearby in a small game park we were able to see giraffe, zebra, water buffalo and a lone warthog. We also enjoyed the sight of three baboons with a baby and a rare Hammerkopf bird that showed himself off by the side of the road.

We returned to Harare for our final night and joined the grandmothers and others at the Women’s Center, which is also partially funded by FSPA ministry grants. They love to practice their tradition of what they call “testimonials,” especially when accompanied by song and dance! One by one they each got up, sang and danced for us, thanked us for the help we give them and begged us to continue. It was heart wrenching and gratifying at the same time. They shared traditional African food with us and soya that they were processing as a result of the continuing education program that FSPA sponsored several years ago. Our trip to Zimbabwe culminated in an evening of mutuality with women and children who are the beneficiaries of our compassion and generosity. It made Sister Marla and me so proud to know that the programs we sponsor with our ministry grants make such a remarkable difference. In the lives of these 26 families that The Goodwill Project serves, it makes all the difference.

And, Sister Laurette sends her greetings! She writes, “I look back on your visit with so much gratitude and appreciation of the gift of renewed connectedness with ‘home’ and FSPA. But equally I have a sense of the time having been too short, especially with the all-pervasive feeling of life having been cut short for our beloved Father Hosea.” Life goes on—the bitter with the sweet. And we, as FSPA, play a vital role.