Back from Overseas

I returned yesterday from a week in Scotland UK, and a week in Maryland USA. I presented at the Formation Workshop for Redemptorist Formators at our monastery in Kinnoul Perth. The Redemptorist workshop was a wonderful opportunity to meet with confreres from the Northern Hemisphere just as the one in Bangkok was my first encoutner with the East and with our confreres of Asia, Oceania and the Pacific. Its always good to be with a bunch of our guys - the Reds are great. We had confreres from the USA, Canada, the UK, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Ireland, South Africa, and Zimbabwe at the Scotland workshop. I felt sad at the end of the week of my presentation, when I had just about come to know the guys, to have to move on.

In Maryland I was happy to be reunited with the Redemptorist Community that hosted me when I studied at Loyola. Two of the confreres have just been moved; John Hamrogue to Brooklyn NY and John Lavin to Boston MA. I was fortunate to be there in time for their farewell Mass and party in the Caroll Gardens! I was able to spend some time with each of the members of the Annapolis community and to catch up with each of them. I went out for dinner with Jack Kingsbury, Andy Costello and Pat Flynn on both the Sundays that I was there. It was so nice to go through memory lane and to have uproarious laughter about the memorable lighter moments of my stay in the States.

I did get a chance to meet a good number of the faithful of St Mary's Parish Annapolis. Many people seemed as they were when I left last year, and some seemed to have changed much. Many of the young people have become young adults in the space on one year! It was just like madness when i walked into the St Mary's offices on the Saturday morning and there were all those screams and shouts for joy. I felt like a hero returning home! Harry the musician stood up to the occassion and played Pachabel canon for me at one of the Masses! I was tremendously impressed by the interest in and concern for Zimbabwe that the people of St Mary's showed. Because they know me they have followed events here very closely as they unfolded and asked for my safety all the time. It was very reassuring to know that there is that prayerful support for our cause and plight. It is very encouraging to know that we are not alone.

I visited Loyola College in Maryland, my Alma mater. I met some staff and faculty. I had called earlier and scheduled a meeting with the Admissions Officer David Newton and my Clinical Supervisor Dr Danielle LaSure-Bryant. We had a very good time together and they listened to my Zimbabwe stories with much interest. Just being at Loyola brought back many good memories of my stay in the States. I did catch up through the phone with classmates Laura and Hope and Karlyin actually made it to dinner with me.

I visited my friend Booby in the "Hood" of Annapolis (a black neighbourhood). Unfortunately, I was not able to see Booby, but his grandmother and his mother were there. They were both very happy to see "Mr Williams, the fine gentleman from Africa" as they call me. I regret not having had the time to allow them to teach me to eat crabs again. I went to the barbershop where I used to have my hair cut in the Hood, just to check out on the brothers and to "cut-back" (free speech as practised in the barbershops) just a little bit, if you you know what I am saying. Ah, I could have had my hair cut everyday of the week just for the "cutting-back" with brothers.

I also visited my other clinical placement site at the Calvert County Hospital's Crisis Intervention Center. I just walked in announced, like anyone in crisis coming for counselling. Now didn't I make the receptionist, Brenda, nearly faint! She just couldn't believe that it was I who she was seeing before her. It was so good seeing the wonderful counsellors who taught me the ropes of crisis counselling, which is ever so helpful on the Zimbabwean pastoral scene. Cindy who I did children's group with and Christine who trained me to do the intakes and to take the hot line calls, Janet my site supervisor, Paul the specialist for children and Allison one of the senior therapists were all there. Timothy from Kenya who interned at the same time with me and who stayed on was also there. It was a wonderful afternoon with much glorious laughter.

I caught up with some of the Zimbabweans in the Diaspora who were part of my extended community in USA. I drove up to PA to see Moira, Taka and Memory and we had some sadza! I was again just in time before Moira moves on to Canada to join her mother and Taka to Texas next month. I was able to find half a dozen Fanta's to take to Brenda and Thandi's house, as I always did when I visited them. Shingai came to Annapolis and spent the good part of Saturday with me. We went to Rumshead Tavern and had a good happy hour savouring one of Maryland's finest brews, the Copperhead Ale on tap!

The rest of the Zimbos, I was not able to see - you could only fit so much into a week. I did call Reuben and his family in Texas. Noel in North Carolina called everyday and chided me for coming for only a short time. Kuda called me from Connecticut and I was able to talk to him and his parents who are visiting from Zimbabwe.Fungisai called from Virginia and Girley from California, Chiyedza called from PA and Lillian from Texas as word began spreading among the Zimbos that I was in the States. It was nice talking again to these friends from Zimbabwe and to catch up with their life stories. Each of them spoke of the pain of watching their beloved motherland go though such an enormous struggle about which they can only do precious little to help. We shared our helplessness and encouraged each other to hope for a better Zimbabwe.

Most people who I talked to in the States, and in the UK, were worried about my going back to a Zimbabwe whose many dangers I had told. Some were courageous enough to tell me that they thought I was a fool to go back. I did not take offense. I know it is utterly foolish to come back to Zimbabwe having had a chance to go out. Many people in Zimbabwe would pay an arm and a leg to get out of this country now. I really enjoyed my time in the "free world" for those two weeks. I could not possibly abandon Zimbabwe at this time. It would be hard for me to have an appetite and to find sleep if I jumped of this ship now. So I came back. I came back because I believe very strongly that Zimbabwe is where God is calling me to be. This is where I can do the will of God and fulfill my life's mission at this time. I am very grateful that I have the opportunity to leave because that helps me to see things differentlly and with new clarity each time. My short time away has re-energized me and re-enkindled in me the fire that I need to keep burning for Zimbabwe. It was a well deserved break and I am ready to pick up the struggle where I left and continue to share hope with those who live daily in helpless hopelessness.