Kabwe, Zambia (part 2)
16 March 1999 10:37
This is the second and concluding part of Bernard Chiuma’s report of Vassula’s visit to Kabwe, Zambia.
FORMATION OF THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE:
When the Deanery declined to organize the Tour, a few people who were interested in the messages were contacted to salvage the tour. An Organizing Committee comprising of 15 people was formed. Some people in the Committee never heard of Vassula before but they came forward to organize the tour with zeal! Some people even started getting messages direct from Their Two Hearts, encouraging the Committee to forge ahead!
The Committee met Fr Christian Mashimishila at once to inform him about the refusal of the Charismatic Renewal to Host the visit of Vassula to Kabwe. The Priest advised that we go ahead to organize the tour saying – ‘You cannot close the door in the face of Jesus’. He however warned us to pray hard because the Evil one would try hard to disrupt the visit. Fr Mashi then offered Chows ‘A’ Church, the largest Catholic Church in town for the meeting.
Fr Christian was being informed of the progress on weekly basis and he was extremely helpful to the Organizing Committee. On the day of the first meeting of the Organization Committee, I received the message from the Lord on page 54-55 of TLIG Vol III (Ask My Spirit to Help You. Ash). This message was given to the Committee Members who were extremely encouraged by the message.
Committee Members and well wishers contributed funds that we needed, to host our two visitors additionally we had to host even the two German Cameramen who had all their money stolen in Lusaka! The Lord provided all the money and transport that we needed to serve His cause!
One member of the Organizing Committee offered to pay board for Mrs Georgia Braun. We however managed to host all our four guests without tears!
On Sunday 10 January we left for Lusaka at about 9.00 hours to join forces with our Lusaka colleagues who we were going to meet for the first time. Everyone was extremely elated and exited we prayed the Rosary the whole trip interceding for the safety of our guests and the welcoming team.
MY EXPERIENCES AT THE ARRIVAL OF VASSULA AND MRS BRAUN:
When time drew near for the plane to touch down, I became apprehensive; my mind was not convinced that Vassula was arriving in Zambia that same afternoon! Even when the plane touched down I declined to receive her at the apron together with the Glower Girls and Medard! Members of the Kabwe Organizing Committee could not understand my strange but rather embarrassing behavior nor could I understand this behavior myself! Vassula was however received warmly more like a Head of State in true Zambian tradition hospitality; some people were even weeping and dancing with joy when Vassula and Mrs Braun came out from the arrival bay!
I met Vassula and shook her hand an hour or so when we stopped for a drink at a form Motel after covering almost three quarters of the journey to Kabwe, this was a place where I was introduced to her and Mrs Braun. After this encounter, I believed that I was not dreaming after all – Vassula was on her way to Kabwe! This was a miracle to me. The arrangement of Vassula’s tour to Kabwe did not promise me any success. There were numerous physical and spiritual problems, against the tour, but the Lord is great; he can do anything even in things human nature considered impossible! This is how I view the visit of Vassula and Mrs Braun to Kabwe and Lusaka.
I am thanking Their Two Hearts, and the Switzerland TLIG Association which paid for Vassula’s return ticket and the request Vassula made to them for the trip. This was a special gift to us from the Lord, I am grateful for what you have done for us in Zambia and what you have done for me – the Lord used me so that he could talk to His people.
When we arrived at the Government Lodge in Kabwe we got a welcoming Choir waiting, when they say her, people danced with great joy. After dinner she was received by Fr Christian and all the members of the Organizing Committee to brief her about the meeting the following day.
MEETING AT CHOWA ON MONDAY MORNING, THE MESSAGE OF LOVE:
Monday, 11 January was not a suitable day for the majority of the Community in Kabwe or any where in Zambia! That was the day when schools were opening and most parents were taking their children for the first time. Everyone thought that this problem would affect attendance, but this was not to be the case.
I went to Chowa Church late myself due to the Fax in which you asked me to attend in regard to Visas for the two ladies to South Africa. I tried to Fax you and the other two ladies in Lesotho and South Africa but to no avail. However when I showed Vassula the Fax she told me that something was being done by the German Embassy with the help of Hans the Cameraman and the matter was sorted out. Vassula did not need a visa to South Africa – she is the Lords Ambassador!
The Church at Chowa was packed with over 3000 and there were hundreds more people outside who could not find space inside, people sat all over in the passages.
There were children in the Church, but the little ones were so well behaved and it was difficult to believe that we had children in within the Church! The Lord is always ready to surprise us but we still don’t understand, our hearts are made of stone and we even ignore the most obvious situations!
The introduction theme done by Fr Christian and the message I received that morning from the Lord which I showed Vassula before the meeting started ie – in the TLIG messages Vol III Page 63 (8 October 1992), and the message that Vassula gave in her talk was the same. It was a message of love, humility, forgiveness and reconciliation.
The message was so refreshing to all the people in the outside the Church; some people were weeping publicly while embracing each other, some of these people never talked to each other for years! The multitudes were stunned by Christ’ s message.
After the end of the Kabwe programme on Monday 11 January 1999, the Kabwe Organizing Committee handed over Vassula Mrs Braun and the Cameramen to the Lusaka team at 15.00 hours local time and they departed for Lusaka soon after.
PERSECUTION AFTER THE MEETING:
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal Deanery, continued spreading negative stories of persecution of Vassula and me and the Organizing Committee to other Parishes saying. The Lord solved all such problems. ‘If the Lord is with you who can be against you’. The negative stories were not in line with the message of love and forgiveness which Vassula brought to Kabwe.
When the Deanery refused to host the tour, it was decided by the committee to organize the tour privately, this is what we did. However, the Archbishop of Lusaka Arch Diocese knew about the visit of Vassula as a private guest; when the Catholic Secretariat were told about the visit they said time was too short to clear Church bureaucracy.
Fr Christian was also hit by this same persecution, when he was rebuked by a fellow priest for allowing Vassula in his Parish. It is surprising to see how priests can fail to recognize the voice and the cry of Christ and they end up rebuking their fellow priest whose only mistake is recognizing the Lord’s cry on the cross of Calvary where such people crucify Him daily!
Fr Christian informed Parishioners about this persecution in Church during the homily on Sunday 17 January 1999.
Up to now, Vassula’s visit is still the talk of the town of Kabwe and I must therefore thank Their Two Hearts for what you have done for the Nation of Zambia and particularly for the people of Kabwe and Lusaka. We are praying to the Lord to afford us with the third visit of Vassula to our country.
