Our Still Yet Primitive Ideas of Existence and The New World To Come

With great conviction I think that our concept of existence is still pretty much primitive regardless of how sophisticated or progressive we assume ourselves to be. Our ideas regarding science and innovation within that same concept of existence are still in their infancy. Our imagination is yet to be unlocked and our processing capacity regards our mind still a fraction of our potential.



To the Christians that believe in a Heaven or eternal existence where we will perpetually sing hymns and shout glad tidings, well I don't think that Heaven or eternal existence exists in that way. The Bible doesn't teach this doctrine at all. It only quotes events, snippets really of when the saints will sing the song of Moses and the Lamb Rev 15:1-5 and the clergy have extrapolated this to mean an eternity strictly consisting of continuous songs and worship.



Paul writes saying, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him." 1 cor 2:9. So, whatever you Imagine the new world being right now is not what it will be. I believe it will be a time of greater inventions, technological advances and innovation. There is a reason God created man "in His own Image". He creates and  He is ever working John 5 :17. The universe was laid out with complex mathematical models and life embedded with complex chemical processes. I don't think He would give us such powerful minds to just lift our hands and fall on our faces in worship forever which I believe we will do as we worship Him and rightly so but the greater glory to God, I believe, would be shone in our creative power throughout the universe.

Photo credit:gestiriego.com

I believe earth which will be the Head Quarters of the universe is just a model of what can be created in the billions of galaxies that await but even in this instance my imagination is just but a worm's dream. Skills will be developed and required then as they are required now. The screening process of the creators is happening now because the foundation of such a world by necessity should be love and only out of love can the universe be filled with good. "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good". Gen 1:31



The excellent is yet to come. "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind". Isaiah 65:17 I speak not of life after death but of a physical habitation after a physical resurrection as much material as this world even more so because if you go down to the quantum level there is just nothing but  intangible energy arranged perfectly to give rise to the material.



I am strongly convinced that we are and perfectly will be an extension of who God is in all His functions and attributes, however, not individually but collectively. There is greater meaning, I believe, in the saying that We are the body of Christ, sons of the Most High God. Oh and here the Bible uses the term "sons" because both men and women will become Asexual but in the male form. Equal before God.



By McNorris Hakata

Time Travelling And Why It Can Never Be A Possibility- by McNorris S. Hakata

The fundamental flaw with the idea of time travelling lies in the definition of time itself. What is it that we call time? At the age of 15 I grappled with this idea and what time is and i came to a conclusion that time does not exist.

Photo Cred: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time

Conceptually time can be viewed as a linear dimension [the 4th dimension] but that is erroneous. You see by its very nature time does not "exist" because it is the construct of how we interpret consistent change relative to an object. Imagine a pendulum with a light bulb at the tip oscillating at a constant rate. If we placed a person in the same room with the
pendulum, the person could choose to gauge certain changes against this constant "period" of change provided by the pendulum. Take another instance where if every time a leaf fell from a tree that has a constant rate of leaf fall we would say a "leaf-period" has passed.

The constant change would provide a stable basis to measure change which would be defined as time. If the leaves stop falling it doesn't mean that change has ceased but in essence just proves the non-existence of "time" as a constant reality. Remember how we used to use hour glasses to measure the changes of the earth's surface's position relative to the light of the sun. If someone forgot to turn the hourglass it would not stop the continuity of change. Naturally the constant change of the earth rotating on it's axis and revolving around the sun is what we use as a standard against which we measure all other changes on earth. This standard measurement of change would need to be relative and connected to the changes we experience for consistency, the perfect example being the interaction between the earth, sun and moon.

Change in itself is non regressive hence the derivative of change which is time is limited to that state as well. This means you can not go back in time. For example a tree can not "ungrow" once the process of growth had transpired. To ungrow a tree would require physio chemical reactions that oppose the very laws of science like water flowing up a mountain yet with one still holding true the effects of gravity. A no-brainer as you can see. Also Imagine if the earth reversed it's
rotation from anti-clockwise to clockwise it would not take us to days past but it would simply be a change of direction and directional forces that affect the earth. A day in a different direction.

Photo Cred: fredmantel / Getty Images

Some scientists postulate that time travel to the past is theoretically possible in certain general relativity spacetime geometries that permit travelling faster than the speed of light, such as cosmic strings, transversable wormholes and Alcubierre drive.That for example if you went around the earth at more than the speed of light (which is impossible because of the infinite mass you would gain or more like become) you would come back yesterday.

The real answer to this idea lies in a basic equation of physics time= distance/speed (bear in mind that time is just an interpretation of constant change relevant to a locality). What this means is it would take a fraction of a second to go round the earth travelling at more than the speed of light and as speed approaches infinite it would seem as if you never left where you were because the change would be imperceptible and your position would approach a constant (K) as you approach infinite speed. Distance and time become a constant. No matter how fast you go you can not come back yesterday because the state of "yesterday" does not exist apart from the interpretation of non-regressive  change. Going around the earth you will appear to be everywhere along your path to every observer along your path, every one of those observers would experience you as a constant. Omnipresence.

In an environment where there is no change time can not exist because there is nothing to measure in terms of change period. The constant of no change would supersede forward moving, random change.  Hence it becomes easier to grasp how God exists "eternally" because there is no shadow of turning in Him that is no change and hence outside the change of any locality that can be interpreted as the passage of time. Also note how James refers to God as the Father of lights this means He is not limited to the speed of light hence attaining omnipresence as He becomes a constant throughout the universe.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

 If you were thrown into space you would have no idea on how much "time" has passed because the local changes on earth would not affect you hence you can not measure the change however if you orbited a certain cosmic body every measurable period you would start to create your own idea of time. But you see going back in time would be as ludicrous as "ungrowing" a tree or your hair. Once the change has occurred well that's just about it, it has happened.

If you also consider the science fiction notion that there can be a past and future you well that would not be physically possible because a copy of you would need to be made for each milli second you have ever and will ever exist along your timeline. The existence of a past you for example would not selectively be limited to a copy of you in a particular time period but would need to be continuous up to the present so that at each point along your timeline if someone jumped back they would find a copy of "Past" you since you existed continuously along that time line up to the present. This would give infinite versions of past you and even future you and it would be impossible to account for that infinite mass and energy creation. Only one copy of you can ever be possible and time does not create mass or energy to have copies of future and past you hence it is physically inconceivable to go back in time according to scientific logic.

Photo Cred: http://collider.com/best-time-travel-movies/

There is no yesterday or tomorrow just constant change we somehow rely on. In reality you are really confined to your current state. You can't go into the future because the change hasn't occurred and the past because that change can't be undone. Time travelling is hence scientifically impossible but hey that should not stop you from enjoying a good'ol purely fictitious movie based on the illogical concept of time travelling LOL.

By McNorris Simbarashe Hakata

Don't just adapt but manipulate- it's the key to survival

Contrary to what you been taught the key to survival for human beings is NOT adaptation but manipulation.
Only animals, insects and aqua/marine creatures were meant to adapt to their environments. human beings on the other hand were meant to manipulate their environment and create new dimensions of their environment. To substantiate what I am saying- compare countries that have merely adapted to their natural environment compared to those that have manipulated their environment and created new dimensions of the same. For example African countries (adapted) vs European countries.

photo by McNorris Hakata

Adaptation means you become subject to your environment, you by necessity have to change to suit the demands of your environment. Everything pertaining to your environment controls your life. The weather, the soil, the terrain, the vegetation etc. In Africa people adapt. The lives of most of her inhabitants are controlled by the environment in which they find themselves in and the sign of this is the lack of infrastructure and sophistication. People die from hunger, from Malaria, from attempting to cross flooded rivers. People become comfortable with living in these conditions that they fail to manipulate their environment and subdue it- adaptation. In such environments there is no creativity or ingenuity. People can easily adapt to poverty which begins to settle in their minds and reach a dangerous state of acceptance.

Bereshis (Genesis)1:28 God blessed them (gave them extraordinary abilities and divine authority); and God said to them (commanded, decreed), "Be fruitful (birth new ideas, create, produce, invent) and multiply (through out the whole earth, in your community, on your continent, in your country), and fill the earth, and subdue it (conquer it, make it subject to your needs, manipulate it); and rule over (Reign, have dominion over) the fish of the SEA and over the birds of the SKY and over every living thing that moves on the EARTH (land).

Photo Cred: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com

The mandate to mankind was to manipulate Earth, Sea and Skies to improve the conditions of his environment. This should only be done in a way that positively builds and enhances that environment. A very good example of this is found with the U.S Navy SEALs (SEa Air Land) . This particular nation took cognizance of the environment they would need to take control of and rule and so train their special forces to dominate in all of the three environments. Indeed it is not only the United States that has in today's context successfully managed to manipulate it's environment albeit the damaging methods taken to achieve such goals but the rest of the world that is now termed as the "developed" world. In these countries life expectancy and the quality of life is much higher than in the "under developed" world, those countries which have merely adapted to their natural environment.

Photo Cred: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org

Imagine for a second what Dubai would look like if her inhabitants had decided to just adapt to the pre-existing desert conditions? Frankly, we wouldn't have a place called Dubai or maybe it would exist but one thing for certain is that it wouldn't be swamped by tourists and traders as it is today, in fact no-one would care. No one ever wakes up planning for a trip into the Sahara desert unless your government or scientific research department has asked you to. The nations of the U.A.E. realized that for them to improve their well being as nations they has to manipulate their desert environment and transform it into a paradise instead of adapting to desert conditions which they had done for millennia past. These and other nations like Israel to add to the list are no longer at the mercy of their natural environment or to weather patterns because they have SUBDUED the earth through the multiplication of their ideas and ingenuity. In Japan they now build flexible buildings that can absorb earth tremors and withstand earthquakes and that is an example of taking control of your environment in this case one could argue that this is a form of adaptation but in essence it isn't adaptation but manipulation.

photo cred: www.spreadshirt.com

Even in business you have often heard the phrase "adapt or die". Truth is that is not entirely true. Adaptation is not the key to survival in business. Take a look at the most successful businesses in the world, did they get to where they are today by "adapting" to existing business conditions? NO they didn't. Let us look at Microsoft for example, it didn't adapt but it completely changed the game and became the market leader in its field. Apple didn't become a tech giant by adapting to it's environment. It was born in an era when personal computers were said to be "a total waste because no one would ever need one" laugh out loud right. These are example of companies that didn't adapt but manipulated their existing environment through innovation and conquered the world. Here is what adapting means in business, it means try your best to fit in, if people don't want personal computers why even make one? It means you cut your head count and expenditure so that you survive (in reality you hope to). It means you are calling your environment "Dominos". In most cases businesses that choose to merely survive end up as debris at the bottom of the corporate ocean of dead companies. Sadly this is not limited to business but applies even to relationships and governments. In relationships I am not advocating for manipulative behavior since this would be a totally different definition to the context of this article but also one does not need to adapt to an abusive relationship.

To adapt we need to transform and to manipulate we also need to transform but the key difference is that in adapting we are transforming to conform to whatever conditions we find ourselves in. We are forced to change but when we manipulate our environment it is our environment that is forced to change to suit our needs. In the end we should reach that balance where we manipulate our environment yet adapting to it's most fundamental core. As we industrialize we need not puncture the ozone layer or destroy the environment for in doing so we also destroy ourselves and that is not manipulation but self destruction for manipulation should be to one's own advantage.


By Simbarashe McNorris Hakata

Pesach/Passover - Reflecting on the true shadow!

photo cred- hankewitz.com

Tomorrow evening (22 April) marks the beginning of the Pesach (Passover) week. The week in which Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach Yahushua was crucified and after three days rose again from the dead to sit at the right hand of the Eternal Father, He also being our Father Eternal. It is amazing that most Christians will not celebrate or just remember the days of Pesach yet joyfully celebrated Ishta (Eostre/Easter) which (and who) has nothing to do with Him who said, "I AM the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE" Yochanan (John) 14:6. Many indeed celebrated the holiday past without even thinking deeply as to what it really means for them. Yes our Adoni paid the ultimate price for humanity's sins but the connection to Ishta takes away the essence of the meaning behind the shadow which was Pesach.

During the Pesach week the children of Israel were to eat unleavened bread, offer a lamp without blemish, eat the lamp with bitter herbs and remember how Elohim took them out of bondage from  Mitzrayim. On the very first day of the Passover the Israelites were commanded to put the blood of the lamp on the door posts and lintels of their houses lest the angel of death visit them and kill their first born sons Shemot (Exodus) 12. Did these things have meaning beyond Egypt (Mitzrayim) or was it just meant for the Israelites to just recall that past time with no future significance? Like all things HaShem does, it all had significance beyond Israel. From Genesis God wrote the Good News of His salvation to mankind through His one and only Son Yahushua (Blessed be His holy name).

photo cred itinerantpreacher.org

He told Adam and Eve about the coming "suffering servant" Genesis 3-15 And I will put eivah (enmity, Midrash Rabbah 23:5) between thee and HaIsha (see HaAlmah, Yeshayah 7:14), and between thy zera and her Zera; it shall crush thy rosh, and thou shalt strike his akev (heel). Abel became a type of Moshiach, a shadow of Him whose blood would speak better things than his own, who died at the hands of His own just like Abel. The ark Noah was commanded to build whilst preaching the destruction of the world by water and which was made of wood, represented the Church of the Living Word of God. This ark being made not by the hands of man but by the Spirit of God, whose doors only God can shut and being the embodiment of a new creation for the new heaven and new earth to come. The water which destroyed the world is the water through which She (the Church) has her baptism, a confession of her faith in the risen Lord and the resurrection to come through Rebbe Melech Hamochiach Yahushua. Indeed are these not like the days of Noah? To Avraham (Abraham) the divine message was given and revealed even through his own obedience to the call of this magnificent Gospel we now have which pointed to the death and resurrection of the Messiah through his sacrifice of Isaac [Bereshis (Genesis) 22] through faith and in that day Elohim provided an appropriate sacrifice in the form of a ram which represented the Lamp of God which takes away the sin of the world.

More and more examples can be given of the shadow of the work that Moshiach would achieve on earth and in heaven. Through Jacob [Bereshis 28], through Joseph who was sold by His own to suffer at the hands of gentiles, whose garments was torn and stained with blood and presented before his father (like the sacrifice Moshiach presented before The Father), who became dead to his own yet lived and became second only to Pharaoh (like Moshiach who after His work sat at the right hand of Elohim) and became yeshuat unto his brethren (and Moshiach Yahushua has given us salvation). The shadow of this gospel given through Moshe, through David and the prophets (with many countless examples) up until the Prince of Shalom Himself came to earth and gave us hope through His redemption even us who did not have the ordinances of HaShem. 
 
In the example of the Pesach the Lamb pointed to Rebbe Melech Hamoshiach Yahushua (blessed be His holy name) and the blood offering he made for our sins so that death would Pass-Over us, so that we would be translated into life (in all its abundance). That ancient way that leads to eternal life that the angel of HaShem guarded when Adam was driven away from the garden of Eden was now opened up marked by blood to a cross upon a hill called Golgotha. The bitter herbs represented the suffering this "King of the Jews" would endure on a tree, the sign indeed depicted by the lintel and door posts and all those that would follow him would have their own bitter herbs being hated of the world, despised, mocked, killed even yet holding on to the the promises of Him who is Faithful and True. 

Unleavened bread pointed to His body, blameless like the Pesach lamp, without sin, holy, unpolluted by the world which was crushed for our transgressions and He Himself said "Remember.." Matt 26. The bread pointed to His simplicity and yet how fulfilling He is to them that willingly partake of his body Yochanan 6:54. The door posts which were made of wood pointed to the cross He bore and by it bearing our sin and our curse and it also pointed to the door of the believer's heart, whose heart would receive the divine circumcision, having been washed in the blood of the Lamb. The wine pointed to that cleansing, bondage-breaking and saving blood which set us free. The blood which gives us victory together with the testimony of Yahushua (Blessed be His holy name) Hisg (Rev) 12:11. Indeed even the ordinance that this particular month in which the Israelites were to celebrate Pesach would become the first month of their year was a Shadow of how Moshiach's death and resurrection would be the mark of a new covenant between us and Elohim.

So whilst others still look back to Mitzrayim, we in these days of Pesach look back to what LOVE did for us and the price that was paid for our salvation. For Elohim loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (HaBen), that whosoever believes (has Emunah) in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Yoch 3:16. We also look forward to the hope that we have in Him of that glorious age when God shall dwell with men. The new Yarushalayim now on earth and sin and death have been destroyed Hisg 22. 

And to His Kingdom there shall be no end. Hos 2:14

The Write Monkey: Formation

From the The Write Monkey: Formation: One of the most amazing revelations I have come across. Very interesting article and research. A must read! I recently came across a post that showed pictures of different dried human tears seen under a microscope. Tears of joy, tea...

Who is more American- From an African Spectator's perspective?

In truth I think non-Caucasian American people accept (and perpetuate) racism by identifying themselves with the following terms such as "African American" or "Native American" ...now that is ridiculous especially the former. There is no white person saying "Hie I am European American" or "Hie my name is Bob and I am Native British". (You see how stupid it is- thank you) In fact only 2.35% of Americans of European descent would ever want to be referred to as such. They would prefer to be called "Americans" or "White" Americans.

In claiming (or accepting) a self-discriminating label you deny the authenticity of who you are. In essence you cannot (by definition) be anything else more or less American even if you migrated from Africa as long as you are now "deemed" to be American the label should be the same with Caucasian Americans. Remember they are not originally from there just like everyone else except for the indigenous tribes. I do appreciate the history of denied rights and segregation but the reality is you are part of that country and society in every respect and in every aspect.

Also If you can't label Africans in Africa as native African or Chinese in China as Native Chinese or Europeans in Europe as Native Europeans a label like "Native American" should not exist. Those people are simply "Americans." Of all the racial groups in America "Native" Americans should be the ones without any label whatsoever and should just be referred to as "Americans". It's like Europeans in Africa being referred to as Africans and Africans in Africa being referred to as "Native" Africans. Would that make sense?

Racism in America will stop or at least begin to stop (maybe) when "African Americans" and "Native Americans" acknowledge that they are "just" Americans. Would we call an American Caucasian "American African" if he migrated to Africa? These terms were designed to make non-Caucasian Americans feel less American and yet give them a false sense of pride by associating them with a distant geographical area with which they cannot relate with either.

should these terms be perpetuated?

photo credit- www.sincereignorance.com

by M c N O R R I S

The petroleum Adept- A Comprehensive Guide For Frontline Staff

Get it on Lulu for just $2.99

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author- Simbarashe McNorris Hakata

 Cover design by- Wilhelmine Antonette Wachter who blogs on
The write monkey and Le heart and zi mind

 Pages- 155

The Petroleum Adept focuses on the downstream retail sector of the petroleum industry. It is mainly targeted at frontline staff and first-line managers in the petroleum retail sector, however it has sufficient depth of information to assist even entrepreneurs looking at investing in the petroleum industry. It can also be used by anyone seeking to gain knowledge of the petroleum retail sector in Zimbabwe and other African countries.

The book has been written to equip frontline staff and first-line managers in the Petroleum retail sector with the knowledge they need in conducting their duties. This being done in a safe and secure environment and also in a way that positively contributes to the overall customer experience. This will greatly impact on the profitability of the business through efficiency of resources utilisation and the establishment of a broader customer base. 

Key Issues addressed in the book include;

Safety- safety is crucial when handling petroleum products and safety standards need to be upheld all the time by oil companies and individuals in the petroleum industry. This will reduce the number of accidents associated with petroleum products and also ensure a healthier work force which ultimately contributes to economic growth. Safety goes beyond the activities of oil companies and affects the communities in which oil companies operate, for example if a fire breaks out at a facility that retails or store petroleum products, the fire and fumes are going to affect the communities around them.

 Product knowledge- In many cases of petroleum accidents that have been recorded around the country, the accidents were caused by a lack of knowledge of petroleum products and their properties. If one possesses adequate product knowledge such as contained in this book they will be able to handle different petroleum products with the care and caution they deserve. This will also increase service quality at fuel service stations and reduce incidences of vehicle contamination which can be very costly to oil companies.

Environmental protection- there has never been greater urgency such as exists today for economies all over the world to protect their environments especially in the developing world. Natural resources which we direly need for economic growth and development are fast depleting and this book seeks to educate people on the need to handle petroleum products with greater care and avoid spilling these products into the environment where they damage the soil and destroy plant, animal and human life. Oil spilled into the environment will alter the chemical composition of soils and even put our water table at risk in the long run. Protection of our natural environments will also encourage tourism and a healthier work force for industrial development which will also get its raw materials from these natural environments and agriculture.

Air pollution will also be reduced leading to a reduction in greenhouse gasses which will affect power generation, agricultural activity and ultimately all economic activity.

Compliance- the book encourages compliance by oil companies and individuals in the petroleum industry with government regulations and laws that should be observed when Procuring, producing, wholesaling or retailing petroleum products. 

Among other topics in the book such as the work environment, first aid, customer service etc., The Petroleum Adept also has a section for emergency numbers in Zimbabwe and in selected African countries to assist in emergency situations be it a fire, a medical emergency or even a robbery. 

Overall the benefits of this resource will not only be enjoyed by oil companies but also the economy as a whole. The book seeks to conscientize oil companies and the general public on the need to grow sustainable eco-friendly businesses.

  It can be used as a training tool or as a pocket guide for front-line staff in the petroleum industry. 

The questions at the end of each chapter are meant to help one recap on what they would have learnt in the chapters and also help one to think in a critical way about the issues addressed in those chapters. It also includes practical activities in selected chapters as well as case studies to give a more practical approach and emphasis of the lessons one needs to appreciate in the downstream petroleum industry especially those on safety.

The Lion and the Bear- a testimony of grace

"....So McNorris, amazing things happening in your life, You Have defeated the lion and the bear but Goliath is still to come..."- Pastor Tom Deuschle

My Testimony

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Barukh HaShem Eloheinu Melech HaOlam (Blessed be the LORD our God, King of the universe)!

Shalom!

“I would rather lose Knowing God was on my side than win knowing that He wasn’t” these are the words that were playing in my mind repeatedly like a scratched disc as I listened to my cousin brother. His words almost drowning in the clutter of the noise surrounding us but mostly from the words that kept playing in my head, words that had been repeated time and time again by a man (One of the very few) I deeply respect and honour Pastor Tom Deuschle and words often repeated by Dr Strive masiyiwa.

Pastors Tom and Bonnie Deuschle - Celebration Church International

I knew my brother was concerned about my fate but of all the years we had spent around our grandfather a part of me was wondering what had happened to him to treat this Gospel as an outer garment that one can conveniently take off when it suits him. Our late grandfather Norman C.C Hakata was a pastor and he had instilled godly values into us or at least tried to from our childhood.

The late "General" Pastor NCC Hakata- my grandfather and mentor

“Baba munini hakusi kuhotel kwauri kuenda, ndine maface angu mapurisa kuHarare andinoziva vanokwanisa kusorta kutizviite bho. Havamboda mari yakwanda pane kuti unovharirwa nokuti baba culpable u are not looking at less than 2 years ndoitori minimum. Remember Henry akakuenda kuseri akadzoka achifa ndokunge watobuda nokuti ma1 (Young bro, prison is not a hotel. I have my guys in Harare in the police force who can make this case go away. They wouldn’t want a lot of money than for you to go to prison. With culpable homicide you are looking at not less than two years imprisonment which is the minimum sentence. Remember Henry who died soon after he came out of prison, you might not even make it out)” At these words I became greatly afraid and I started praying in my heart, I looked at my cousin and said “thank you bro but I can’t do that”. “Hoo Problem yako ndeyekuti unoda kuwanza chiKristu mfana, iwe you can always repent zvapera (your problem is you are too much of a Christian, you can always repent after it’s done)” he retorted.

This was a conversation taking place barely two weeks after I was involve in a tragic accident on the 13^th of September 2014 around 7pm. I ran over a pedestrian whom i had not noticed crossing the road. I had only felt the impact of my car hitting something and at that point I knew I had hit someone. I kept repeating the words “no no no no God no” as i swerved and stopped at the side of the road. I ran back to look for the person I had hit. The two way, four lane road was very busy yet no one else had noticed him in the road. I found him lying in the middle section of the road between the inner lane of the road due east and the one due west. As he lay in the road motionless I started crying and shaking and lifted up my hands to signal for help. None of the cars stopped until people close to a service station noticed what had happened and came into the road. One person then shouted that the man was still breathing but no one at the scene had a contact for an ambulance and most suggested that an ambulance would take time so I rushed and turned my car around and with help put him in the back seat of the car to rush him to Parirenyatwa hospital. The man I had run over (Neville) was breathing heavily yet stable, I was now mostly worried about him losing too much blood as he was bleeding. As I was about to leave the scene a lady from the crowd came to my window and said “My son Jesus loves you, talk to Jesus”. I didn’t know her and neither did she know me. (In most cases in situations like these in Zimbabwe people at an accident scene gang up and beat up the driver regardless of who was right or wrong but here was a woman who didn’t know whether I am a Christian or not strengthening my faith at a time like this) I left the scene with a desperate prayer in my heart “Please God, don’t let this man die, You are able to heal him and restore him, please don’ let him die”

When we arrived at the hospital the doctor from the emergency room instructed me to put the man on a stretcher and bring him into the emergency room. The man who had come with me who had said he knew Neville was intoxicated and could not help much although he tried. It was the most difficult task. I didn’t know how to handle an injured person and how to lift him from the back seat of a low car onto a stretcher. I asked some paramedics from an ambulance service parked next to my car to assist and they declined sighting contractual restrictions that they had to adhere to. What they could only do was to advise on how to handle the injured man which they did. I then managed to get Neville into the emergency room and the doctor further instructed me to go and make a police report at their in-house police post before they could start treating him. After making the police report, the doctor then said I had to buy a card at the reception and that is when they started attending to him and instructed me to go to their pharmacy and buy medication. I called a friend of mine to bring me any amount of money which he had on him and he arrived just in time to buy the medication. When we returned to the emergency room, the doctor said that Neville was gone. This was now around 8:30pm. My heart sank and I felt the darkest clouds of despair enshrouding my mind like a thick blanket.

Pastor Langton Gatsi- who also taught me much about prayer and being close with God

My family arrived and we went to Harare Central police station and went through all the procedures and reports necessary including returning to the accident scene then returned to the hospital and sat there in the hospital waiting for Neville’s family to get to the hospital. The family arrived around 2am and all I could do was breakdown in tears uncontrollably. The uncle of the deceased comforted me (In some cases like these the relatives of the deceased will beat up the driver or refuse to meet with him completely). We made arrangements with Neville’s family to meet later that same day to make funeral arrangements. When I got home that morning I went into the bathroom, stripped off my clothes and lay postrate on the floor and cried out to God. “Just as I am as I came out of my mother’s womb…” Later on that same day we were at Neville’s family home and the relatives welcomed us and received us well. We assisted in the funeral process through cash and providing some of the food eaten during the funeral until it was over. Neville’s family (God bless them) was a God fearing family and people prayed and sang songs of comfort and worship throughout the whole funeral. It was a painful time to go through because I blamed myself for bringing a family together in the pain of losing their loved one. There were some family members who said they were not alarmed when they received the news of Neville’s death alluding to how Neville lived his life which they said was careless. According to them the man would mostly sleep out drinking strong liquor and cough syrup (Bronko). He had divorced twice and was deeply troubled. His friends at the funeral sung songs about how they used to drink cough syrup with him and get wasted together and were bitter because no liquor was served or allowed at the family funeral. However all these things concerning his life did not comfort me in any way, a life had been lost, a life for which I still prayed for in faith.

After the funeral, we had to continue with police procedures in preparation for court. Because of Neville’s death the state laid a charge against me which amounted to culpable homicide. I was to appear before a Magistrate’s court. During this time the cops handling my case who had so far been so kind to me then took me aside and said my case was not a big issue because they knew how to work the system. They could either make the docket disappear or I could give them money and they would give part of it to the prosecutor who would handle my case in court who in turn would give the magistrate “his cut” in the “deal”. I said thank you for trying to assist and I looked for a lawyer to help me with the legal language of the courts. The cops were outraged at learning that I had chosen to hire a lawyer instead of going the “easier and cheaper way”. “We didn’t want a lot of money” they said “And this lawyer that you have contracted will squeeze your pockets dry”. They then contacted my lawyer to try and cut a deal with him and when my lawyer told me about it, I told him of how there was a reason I had avoided that route and hired him instead and I would not be represented by a corrupt and incompetent lawyer who needed the aid of corrupt cops to handle a case.

Because I had refused to bribe the police officers handling my case, one of them later changed his testimony in court against the facts recorded from the night of the accident and said whatever he had recorded in the beginning was in error. His colleague who had been transferred before they had asked for a bribe came to witness and confirmed the events as they had been initially recorded sighting that his colleague was not telling the truth.  

Before my first court appearance, I dreamt I was walking towards a prison holding some papers in my left hand and when I got there I went to the reception and asked to see the warden. The officers at the reception told me that I would find him at the back of the building and directed me to go through a narrow dark passageway which was a mortuary with shelves to put dead bodies in. I went through the passageway and I came out on the other side and saw the warden, a tall mean looking man coming my way. When I looked into his eyes I saw a vision of two prison guards beating up an inmate on the ground with button sticks. He asked me why I wanted to see him and I told him that I was supposed to be incarcerated there and handed him my papers. He took the papers, scanned through them and looked at me and said “Go back, you don’t belong here” and I turned and started walking away. When I woke up I thanked God for the confirmation though I was afraid and was unsure of my fate. I knew God had spoken and I even shared the dream with members of our cell group and told them what I knew God was telling me.

When I first met my lawyer he had indicated and then spelt out how he intended to win the case by whatever means necessary even by hook and crook. This was even before we had gone for our first court session. I told him again that he would only do the things that would leave me at peace with God because God is the final Judge. I would not bribe anyone and the only money I would fork out was money for fair legal fees which also would not include any “hidden fees” for purposes of greasing any hands. I told my lawyer he would have to work with the facts of the matter and nothing more. To me winning was not being exonerated from the charges but knowing that I am at peace and in fellowship with God through it all regardless of whether I go to prison or not. This is the same time I spoke to my cousin brother who told me that prison was not a holiday inn especially Zimbabwean prisons. During the same period a man I knew whose wife worked at my work place shared his experience with me of how he had run over a little girl and he bribed the prosecutor and magistrate with $600 and he only paid a fine of $200 which he had determined himself since the “court” had asked him how much he was willing to pay. Prior to these events that is the man’s running over the child I had dreamt of the accident he got involved in and sent warning to him through his wife and asked them to pray but at this point what he could share with me was the “wisdom” of man.

[My first court appearance was in November 2014 and my last was in July of 2015. In April of 2015 I lost my job. I got set up by my senior managers who connived with the two supervisors working under me to steal money because I would not take money from sales as my senior managers desired. They then came up with a plan and took $29000 which I discovered after the Passover holidays and dismissed me on the grounds of being the two supervisors manager. One of the supervisors was related to my boss who was handling the issue. I made a police report on behalf of the company against the two supervisors who had admitted to taking the money but the case was withdrawn by my senior managers who immediately suspended me and later fired me without even a hearing.]

Towards the end of my court case my lawyer showed me his call log and he had received a call from the magistrate. The magistrate wanted money so that he could give a favourable verdict. I told my lawyer who had hesitated to tell me about it that I was not going to do such a thing. Whatever the verdict he would come up with would say. The state had clearly lost its case at law because of contradicting witnesses so there should not have been anything possible conviction given the facts of the case. When we returned for another court session which was supposed to be the last, the magistrate postponed the matter without even consulting with my lawyer which he was not supposed to do in the normal proceedings of court affairs.

 [On one of the nights before we returned to court again I met a drunk stranger whilst I was getting sadza from a take away restaurant and he looked at me and said “Hey don’t worry man, God is able, so remember that” and that was our entire conversation.]  

with the beautiful Miss Wilhelmine Wachter- my  love

We waited for the date, praying. My girlfriend Wilhelmine Wachter, my mum Cicci Mtatiwa and her friends fasted with me. Our cell group, Zone leader and our District pastor, Pastor Thandie prayed for me and encouraged me throughout the period and later also told me that a host of pastors were also praying with me including Pastor Taz. On the day, the magistrate pronounced his verdict -“guilty” based on the testimony of the (contradicting) witnesses that had appeared before the court. On the day when I would be sentenced which was the next day, the prosecutor came up to me whilst we stood at the court entrance and said “Hakata, haa wakaoma -literally-(Hakata, you are hard man)”. Then in court the uncle to the late Neville who had been present at all the court appearances requested to speak to the court and spoke on my behalf. He spoke of what we had done for the family and how the family had accepted that what had happened was an accident. I was deeply moved by this to the point of tears and after mitigation the magistrate stood down the matter to 2:15pm which was also unusual. We went back and I was sentenced to 210 hours of community service. My lawyer and my family wanted to appeal but I told them it was not worth it. I said this because an appeal could take another year of court appearances and all that time the relatives of the deceased would have to be present in court. I accepted the community service and told my lawyer and family that the bereaved also needed rest from this and as unfair as the judgement might have seemed- it is well, I was at peace, God had fought for me and I had seen His grace throughout all that happened. It was so much grace that even my girlfriend’s father Michael A. Wachter helped me out financially during the whole ordeal.

 

I served community service at Mabelreign clinic and there I saw the favour of God at work. The clinic staff there was very kind to me and would not let me do things they deemed hard like digging, choosing instead to let me work inside the clinic packing pills or taking inventory. They also arranged for counseling sessions for me concerning which they soon realized there was no need because the Greatest Counsellor of all counselled me. I witnessed to many I came across with. To show how God had been gracious towards me, I met a man whose nephew had run over a child and he was locked up the very same day despite having given one of the cops $50. The man’s nephew was kept in custody, denied bail and was sentenced to three months imprisonment at Chikurubi maximum prison. I have tried to get the man to go with me and visit his nephew but up to this date he has not shown any willingness to do so but I pray for the young man. In a month I was done with my hours. On my last day, all the clinic staff expressed sadness at my leaving and bid me farewell.

I want to thank God our Father through our Lord and King Yahushua for holding my hand and for being there for me through the storm and the fire. I would also like to thank My late mum and best friend Auxillia Tatisa for raising me up to fear God, Neville's family,

The late Honourable, her excellency Auxillia Tatisa- my mum and best friend

Wilhelmine Wachter my best friend and love, My mum and dad Mr and Mrs Mtatiwa,

siblings (Joy, Tino and Ruva), My aunt Gladies Tsopotsa and family, My nephews Zed, Naison and family and Lucas, my Nieces Taffy and Tarisai and family friends particularly auntie Faith, My friends Simbarashe Ralph Shokobishi (God bless you mate), Janielle Beh (praying with me and encouraging me all the way from Australia), Munyaradzi Chinyemba, Sija Mafu who has written about my testimony on his website http://www.motivated2inspire.com/index.php/what-scars-represent-in-our-lives,

Cliffton Mapfumo,  Blessing Mabvuramiti, Leo, Emelda and Precious Vhiriri.

Pastors Tom and Bonnie Deuschle, Pastor Taz, Pastor Thandie, Sister Rufaro and my cell group family (all from Celebration Church international), Pastor Langton Gatsi of One way International Ministries.

My parents (the rents) Bornaparte and Cicci Mtatiwa

I pray that this testimony will encourage all that shall come across it. It is not a testimony of strength but of how God became my Strength when I had no hope. We live in a world where it is “easier” to do the wrong thing than to do the right thing (having been tempted to give in) but by His grace we do overcome. Even if we suffer it is gain for one day we shall share in Christ’s everlasting glories. I do not regret the choices I made even though I have suffered much for them, what I do regret are the moments when I doubted God and feared but This God that we serve, Is a faithful God, an awesome God.

To Him who sits on the Throne and to the Lamb- be praise and honour and glory and power forever and ever Amen.

M c N o r r i s