Nicholas’ Story
After hitting rock bottom, a young man becomes a passionate follower of Jesus and excited church planter.
The story of Nicholas coming to the LORD is an interesting one. At the age of 20, he did a lot of nefarious things antithesis his age. He was a hardheaded juvenile boy. He spent 4 days behind the bars on allegations of theft. At one point he faked to be a witch doctor (Sangoma). A dozen people were conned of their hard cash by the self-imposed conjurer. He came up with this wicked plan after succumbing to a witch doctor that wood winked him with empty promises. Instead of accumulating riches he became poor. He absconded the place where he was performing illicit practice for dear life as people were calling for his head.
We met with the brother in the Green Market Square where he would spend much of his time sitting. We had a nice talk with him and he was keen to continue meeting with us. We led him to the Lord and established a simple church in the area. The Lord lifted the ponderous weight off his shoulders. He had sleepless nights, pondering upon lots of things. He was jobless and bankrupt. He had impregnated a girl back home and could not able to raise much needed finances to pay lobola. In our culture lobola is paid in cash or kind to the in-laws as token of appreciation for the bride. He was in a predicament void of peace and you could hardly see a smile on his face.
We prayed for him and the Lord answered our prayers in that he got a job. The next thing he did was to ask me to inform his family and friends back home that he was no longer a notorious guy but a new man in the Lord. No sooner had he started smiling than the xenophobia erupted. He lost everything to the perpetrators of the diabolic act. Not only Nicholas was rendered homeless but also thousands of people were left in the cold. Fortunately enough brother Valentine from the Green Market simple church housed him in a garage. Abruptly, a simple church was established in that tiny garage. He was participating well and we gave him a bible. More people would come for bible study in the garage. Some folks from the Anfield Village complex were touched and moved by the experience. They asked us to move from the garage to flat number 222. We baptized Nicholas in a wintry weather, it was extremely cold. Since then he never looked back, he started ministering the good news to his work mates.
Unfortunately, the boys in the garage were booted out. We then decided to house 4 guys in the discipling house. For a period of 4 months, we would meet from 7 to 8:30 pm daily for prayers and bible study. The guys became fully-fledged followers of Christ. Nicholas sent some money to his family in Zimbabwe to pay lobola. His girlfriend and Tanyaradzwa joined him and a wedding was organized for him. He wedded Rutendo (Faith) at the Africa House in April this year.
Nicholas is discipling a number of people and is craving more of the Lord not to mention his wife. Both of them are hungry for God. Nicholas is leading the house church in Pine Lands. The Lord has changed the counterfeit (sangoma) witch doctor into a Jesus planter.
by Munyaradzi Hove
