Prayer for Zimbabwe

I hope everyone has a chance sometime in their life to come into contact with living saints. For me, these living saints were Willie and De De Gamon. Aside from being dyed-in-the-wool Washington Husky fans, Willie (aka 'Doc') and De De were life-long advocates for social justice from the unlikely location of Cheney, WA, where I grew up.

Willie was the town doctor, which freed De De up to raise hell around town - notably helping race relations at Eastern Washington University, which is located in Cheney (pronounced: CHEEnee, not CHAYnee). In addition to this, the Gamons went to Zimbabwe on more than one occasion as medical missionaries. Willie did his doctorly thing, while De De served as his nurse. She also smuggled birth control in for the women who did not wish to have more children, and taught the little ones the Black Power salute. They worked at the Mount Salinda orphanage, and every Sunday at Cheney UCC, those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries would make a donation to Mount Salinda to celebrate their special event.

Willie and De De thus opened my small-town eyes to the wider world, and to Zimbabwe in particular. So it is with a great sense of hope and prayer that I hold that nation in my heart this week. I realize the legacy of colonialism is extensive, powerful and largely negative, so I am wary of my white, American voice. But I nevertheless feel that it is necessary to pray for the freedom of honest self-determination, justice and reconciliation for all of the people of Zimbabwe.

And if anyone out there in cyberspace has a connection to Mount Salinda - you are not forgotten!