Holistic discipleship in Zimbabwe

By Julianna Jones

We are so excited by the leaders God has raised up through All Nations Cape Town over the years. One family has taken the vision for movement to Zimbabwe and tailored the work for their own context.

Valentine and Allison Chirume met and married while they were both with All Nations in Cape Town and now they have two children. Originally from Zimbabwe and the United States, respectively, they had a vision to move to Zimbabwe for discipleship and church planting. 

Allison shared that when they first moved to Kadoma, Zimbabwe, they tried hosting Ten Days for Jesus, an All Nations training program for young people. But the young men involved in it would inevitably have to leave early to go help provide for their families. In a country with rampant unemployment and financial instability, the practical needs of these families just could not be overlooked.

So Valentine started a construction company. He is able to spend all day with the young men he employs, talking on lunch breaks and really sharing life with them. Through this, he disciples them not just in the basics of the Gospel but in what it means to follow Jesus in every area of one’s life. They tackle deep issues together, really talking through the challenges of life in Zimbabwe.

Allison has also focused on practical help partnered with holistic discipleship. She works at a preschool, runs parenting courses, helps at the local clinic with pre- and post-natal counseling. She said she walks a journey with the women and also gets questions from other moms in the community, helping them know what to do with common childhood ailments. She educates women about danger signs with pregnancy and childbirth as well in order to try to curb the very high maternal mortality rate in Zim.

The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have been incredibly difficult for those struggling to make ends meet in Zimbabwe. Please pray with us that God would strengthen and provide for the community where Valentine and Allison work.