God's Peace Under Stress

 

[1]

Isaiah 26:3 King James Version

³ Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

We were teaching at Ikizu Secondary School in Tanzania in the tenth year of national independence. The government was still feeling its way through political challenges, economic challenges, and undesirable colonial hangovers. Besides, much of recently independent Africa was suffering from political instability. Country after country suddenly had a violent coup de tat that destroyed the ruling government and replaced it by a power-hungry revolutionary. Recently Idi Amin, a Ugandan army general, had seized control of Uganda, while the current president was abroad at some meetings. He methodically killed anybody who was connected with the previous regime or might have leanings towards it. Over a million people died from his voracious anger and insecurity.

The Tanzanian government became very skittish. They viewed their own army as being suspect. Any alien was subject to a 24-hour expulsion from the country, if there was any suspicion that he or she might be critical of the government.

I was aware of this policy. I had taught for over four years not allowing myself to say anything critical or disrespectful of anything related to the government. I did my best to positively support all of their actions.

Peter was a student at Ikizu who was always critical of anything smacking of authority. He had circulated lies about the previous year’s principal, a well-respected Tanzanian who had since gone on and gotten elected as a member of parliament. In 1971, restless Peter decided to get me thrown out of the country with 24-hour notice. He started circulating lies about me. He accused me of defaming the flag and the government. He pushed these lies into every government committee that would give him ear.

The current principal called me in and informed me of what was happening. I realized that we were under the shadow of a 24-hour expulsion threat. Sylvia and I packed our important papers and a change of clothing into a little suitcase we could easily grab and walk out the door. The SDA Tanzanian headquarters also heard about it and offered to reassign me to a new mission post in a different country.

“Thank you!” I told them, “But I’m innocent of all of their charges. I feel no fear of physical attack. So, leave me here unless things get worse.”

We claimed the promise that God would keep us in perfect peace and rested on His promise. I confess that my mind was not 100% peaceful. But I did have full trust that God would look after us and went about my business as usual. In spite of Peter’s agitation, we finished the year in fine fettle. The next year we had a furlough, and I returned to the States to finish my graduate degree. I have always looked back on that experience with deep thanks to God for seeing us through.

 

Thank You, Lord, for preparing us for future trials and for your assurance that You will keep us in peace through those!

 

 

---

[1] Idi Amin. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Mo1M-BEyOxPfcg9a4jFxEGDOTnh-Mw55wJXlxa4rhSh22GP9s5O32RFalXWRmcCENQLbDovbrtq3USvU9krxT-e1KeW1A7eGk50GdTj1IQ0KwePwz6HsRifhc0HQl0O7I0QqsrgYaw/s1600/Idi+Amin+Dada%252C+dictator%252C+Uganda.jpg

Loyal Friends

[i]

Job 6:14 

Good News Translation (GNT)

¹⁴ In trouble like this I need loyal friends—whether I've forsaken God or not.

In 1954 Dad was sent to Solusi, a ten-grade school in Zimbabwe, to make it into a four-year college. Naturally the Trans African Division of Seventh-day Adventists didn’t have all the money it was going to require. Raising funds was part of his assignment. Besides, Solusi had only a minimal amount of water available in its dams on seasonal streams. It was certainly not enough to support a college with many more students. Consequently, Dad built a new dam and enlarged an already existing one. He brought the government geologists on campus to search for good spots to drill for water. They marked out three sites, and he drilled at all of them. He even got a local water diviner to explore for water. This man pointed out another spot, and Dad drilled a well there, paying for it out of his own pocket. Interestingly, he got more water from that well than from all three geologist-located wells combined—but it still was not enough for a burgeoning college. Finally, the government built a very large dam on a larger, near-by river, and they brought water from there.

Many other major problems, such as housing and collapsing latrines, took much of his time to overcome. In 1956 Dad returned to the U.S. on a working furlough. He visited several retired church leaders and persuaded them to donate their libraries to Solusi. He visited John Fetzer, a radio-TV mogul, whom most people know as the owner of the Detroit Tigers from 1961-1983. He and John had been good friends and business partners before Dad went to Africa in the mid-1930s. When they parted, Dad became a devoted missionary, and John spent his skill and time becoming financially successful. John became very interested in Dad’s project to lift the educational level of Africans to that of world leaders. He and his wife, Ria, visited Solusi to see what Dad was doing and thereafter contributed toward the efforts to make it a working college.

Solusi University has grown and prospered over the years. During the terrible financial crisis Zimbabwe went through, it was the only university to remain open in the country. The number of students at that time was over 5,000. Currently 2,892 are enrolled there.[ii]

We are grateful, Lord, that You provide us with friends who can help us in times of need.

---

[i] https://www.facebook.com/Solusi-University-441288199368674/

[ii] http://www.solusi.ac.zw/