Well, it was an interesting, but mixed up kind of day. A trip to Barclay’s bank, two stops at Territorial Headquarters and a quick run through one of the local Harare markets for trinkets, treasures and souvenirs and then we set out on our 270 km drive to Gweru.
We left Harare at 11:00 a.m. and arrived in Gweru at 4:30 p.m. passing many vehicles bound for the congress. Needless to say, it was a long, slow drive with several stops along the way but we made it.

The congress facility is located about 7 kms outside of Gweru. The main building is huge with the capacity to seat thousands and that is a good thing as there are Salvationists, young and old, everywhere!

The adjacent property is a virtual Salvation Army tent city with corps from across Zimbabwe setting up campsites for the weekend. It’s about worship, fellowship and being together. The sense of community is clearly very strong in the African culture.

There is an air of excitement as people anxiously await the arrival of the International Leaders following a March of Witness and grand welcome by local government officials. The Easter Congress is upon us and people are ready and eager to worship.

Finally, as I write this blog tonight I appreciate the sense of family and community around me but I am also sensitive to the fact that this is the first Easter weekend in more than 20 years that I will not be with Brenda, Zack, Liam, Kieran and Nathan. It’s a bittersweet experience as we will celebrate Easter on three different continents. 

I’ll close for now. Good Friday awaits, but remember, ‘Sunday is coming.’

Happy Easter and thanks for reading.

Major John Murray, IHQ Communications and Literary Secretary