'Tamira Jehova', sung by the Celebration Choir, Zimbabwe

Having lived in Zimbabwe for many years and having a great love for, and empathy with, the Zimbabwean people, as well as an even greater love for God, I hope that you will enjoy worshipping with me as you listen to this energetic rendition of Tamira Jehova sung by the Celebration Choir in Zimbabwe.

Sarah: A rather special donkey . . .

When I lived in Zimbabwe in the 1980's --- I was there from 1972 until 1984 --- amongst the pets/livestock that we had probably the most dominant of all of them was my donkey, Sarah. One day I had been told about her needing a new home and so off I went to pass on the message that if we didn't give her a home then she might have to be put down. Okay, I admit that I was pushing the boundaries a little, but I only said 'might', and anyway, it worked and Sarah came to live with us.

From the outset she established herself as the boss, firstly chasing our two dogs around the garden to let them know that she had arrived and then chasing me around the garden, teeth bared! I quickly realised that capitulation and submission was the best thing if we were to live comfortably side by side, so to speak. Or at least, I determined that I'd let her think that.

I never let anyone ride upon her as I had been told that she had had a bad experience previously at the hands of an over-energetic child.

What a character she had! There are many stories of the things that she did, but two things come to mind in particular. The first is about her inseparable companion, which was a chicken called Mrs Hopitty. We kept hundreds of chickens over the years in order to supply eggs and meat in a local township, and when this chicken hatched out she had one leg which splayed to the side and was fairly useless to her. Because she was such a fighter I let her live and it was to my dismay that I later found the other leg splayed to the side following some sort of unknown altercation. However, she gamely carried on and so I ended up separating her from the others and pampering her somewhat. Once Sarah joined the family I found one day that Mrs Hopitty loved to be around her and soon this strange pairing had developed a bond of friendship that needed to be seen to be believed!

The other memorable occasion whilst Sarah was with us was when she managed to get out of the garden one day and decided to take a look around the neighbourhood. Matambo, the young chap who worked for me looking after the livestock, went after her with me. She led us a merry dance all around the neighbouring properties until, after about an hour, she allowed herself to be caught and led home. The triumphant glint in her eye said it all!

She was with us for almost four years until we found it was time to leave Zimbabwe behind and travel to fresh fields. We found Sarah a new home a couple of weeks before we left along with her companion Mrs Hoppity, but I still remember them both with much fondness. Over the years I have had many animal companions and often consider that life without them would be much the poorer. At present we have our little dog, Sam, of whom I have occasionally written, a guinea pig named Ffred, and two cats, Felix and Smokey, all four of whom improve the quality of our lives by their companionship.

Zimbabwe . . . What more is needed?

I like to post pictures on this blog that tell a story, and the one above certainly does that with a vengeance. Usually the pictures are able to brighten your day, but sometimes, as with the above, they are there to help you focus

That cholera is endemic in Zimbabwe is yet another crime that must be added to the list against Mugabe and his cronies. Not only against them but also against every African leader who openly or covertly supports his continuance in office, particularly when the wishes of the people to remove him have been so blatantly ignored.

Cholera is an acute, diarrhoeal illness caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Although the infection is quite often mild or even without symptoms, it can be severe, as is the case currently in Zimbabwe.

Cholera has been very rare in industrialized nations for the last 100 years; however, the disease is still common today in other parts of the world, including the Indian subcontinent and sub-Saharan Africa.

Although life-threatening, it's easily prevented and treated. In countries with advanced water and sanitation systems, cholera is not really a threat, but in parts of the world such as Zimbabwe where the water system is either antiquated or, as in many cases, non-existent, then the threat to human life is very real. Drawing water for consumption from stagnant pools or from rivers, streams and boreholes that have effluent seeping into them due to the lack of sewage disposal, will quickly create a problem that, although entirely preventable, quickly becomes an epidemic.

Anxious as always to move the focus away from his own gross mismanagement of the nation, Mugabe quickly blamed the UK for the cholera epidemic, saying through his Information Minister, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, that the outbreak was a "genocidal onslaught on the people of Zimbabwe by the British". In his comments to the assembled media in Harare, Ndlovu likened the appearance of cholera in Zimbabwe to a 'serious biological chemical weapon' used by the British, describing it as "a calculated, racist, terrorist attack on Zimbabwe".

On Thursday Mugabe said Zimbabwe has contained the cholera outbreak. At the same time both the UN and Save the Children, a UK charity, warned the deadly outbreak was getting worse. A spokesman from the charity said "If anything is certain in the chaos of Zimbabwe today it is that the cholera outbreak is not under control."

Mugabe has stated that the Western powers were plotting to use cholera as an excuse to invade and overthrow him, adding that "Now that there is no cholera there is no cause for war."

Whatever the political rhetoric, the fact of the matter remains that the epidemic is worsening. Once again the Zimbabwean people are dying in their hundreds while their despotic, tyrannical leader, clinging on to power through a mixture of lies and bullying, gets fatter in his palatial surroundings. Not for him the need to draw water from wells where open sewers spill out and infect the water.

If only the world would be more caring about the plight of these people and actually do something more positive than political posturing. It's time that this tyrant was removed, not just from office but from the face of the earth. He has created hell on earth for his beleaguered people. Why not let him now enjoy hell for eternity.

Mugabe runs true to form . . .

Stories are filtering through into the world's Press about the way that the despotic tyrant Mugabe has attempted to foist junior positions on Morgan Tsvangarai's MDC in the so-called 'Unified Government' deal brokered by Thabo Mbeki recently as a way forward from the horrors that Mugabe has persistently inflicted on the beleaguered people of Zimbabwe.

Well, here's one observer who is not the least surprised by Mugabe's double-dealing. No matter what he says or promises, no matter what pieces of paper he puts his name to, at the end of the day he is what he is --- a liar. The only truth he recognises is that which he makes up in order to cling to power. This clown of a leader knows only one form of rule, and that does not include sharing power with anyone at all. Mugabe's belief is that he is the only one who knows best, and when it comes to the things that keep him clinging to power he's quite right!

I have stated before, and reiterate now, that the only thing that will get Mugabe out of Office is his demise. When that happens, hopefully sooner rather than later for the good of Zimbabweans and of that once-proud nation, then I for one will shed no tears of sorrow. No, my tears are reserved for the countless thousands who have been slaughtered and/or tortured at this despot's direct command.

Maybe Tsvangarai offers a better future. One thing is for certain, it could hardly be worse. Only time will tell. I hope and pray that Zimbabweans may come soon to a time of renewed hope and of faith in living. May God bless them and deliver them from the murderous hands of Mugabe soon.

Please

Do not stop praying for the freedom of the Zimbabwean people!

Please don't forget Zimbabwe!

Even though there is little in the news media about Zimbabwe, please keep the people of that beleaguered nation in your prayers. Despite all of the tyrant Mugabe's best efforts to destroy the people's spirit they are an increasingly strong people of faith. There are many miracles taking place every day when it comes to them getting enough food to eat, and they constantly praise God for all of His goodness towards them.

If they, in all their poverty, and despite the constant and horrific treatment meted out to them by Mugabe and his thugs, can pray, praise and grow in faith, then how much more can we?

Please help to ensure that these people are not forgotten by praying for them every day in your private prayer time and by drawing attention to their needs through your churches. One of the ways that God supplies their needs is by drawing our attention to them and through our prayers for their relief.

One place you can find out about the plight of these people and also some of the ways that work is going on to help alleviate that plight, is by visiting the Barnabus Fund website.

Please don't forget Zimbabwe!

The news about Zimbabwe no longer dominates the Press, does it? Sadly, the fact that there is less in the media about the atrocities perpetrated by Mugabe and his henchmen, it doesn't mean that they are taking a rest from beating, torturing and killing innocent Zimbabweans. That continues on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, despite the threat of sanctions from many nations, Mugabe's evil regime is being propped up by those nations and leaders who either tacitly offer their support or who resolutely sit on the fence. Of course, if you are the leader of a nation yourself, and have a bad record on the violation of human rights in your own country, it might be considered inauspicious to throw stones whilst sitting in the proverbial glasshouse!

One of the images that sickened me recently was that of Mugabe holding up a Bible whilst he was sworn in for another term of office following the sham elections that he engineered. How he can hold a Bible at all is beyond me! I wonder whether it burned the skin on his hands.

He now swans about once more, surrounded by his sycophantic thugs whose task it is to protect him. Perhaps from amongst their ranks there will emerge a 'Brutus'? We can only hope!

All this apart, the major factor for concern is not the sham democracy that exists in Zimbabwe today, but the needs of the Zimbabwean people. So once again I urge you to hold them before God in your prayers.

• Pray that they might be released from the fears that grip them.
• Pray that they might obtain the food that they need to live.
• Pray that they might have the medical resources available to them.
• Pray that they might have freedom of religion.
• Pray that the leaders of the world might unite in their favour.
• Pray that they can be set FREE from the grip of this tyrannical despot.
• Above all, pray for peace in their lives and the means to live a fruitful and rewarding existence in their land.
• PRAY FOR MUGABE'S DOWNFALL. He has challenged God Himself, and so we can pray that God will deal with this totally Godless tyrant.

Zimbabwe Election Result Delayed!

It was announced yesterday that the results of the Zimbabwean 'sham' election have been delayed, and that they will probably be available on Sunday (today). I suppose that the problem has to be that those responsible for the counting didn't have enough fingers to count the minimal number of votes that resulted from the thankfully poor turnout. Either that or the clown himself is trying to add up beyond 20!

The surprise will be one of great shock when the results are announced if, in this one-candidate poll, the winner is anyone other than that one candidate. Mugabe's actions in this fiasco must surely discredit him further --- if that's possible --- and raise the question of his very questionable sanity level. Surely, not even a child would take this sham seriously!

If it were not for the serious implications that it has for the impoverished Zimbabwean people then we could enjoy the spectacle of this strange series of events. After all, why bother to call an election at all. Mugabe was so obviously set on holding on to power at all costs that there never was any chance that he might be democratically removed from office. Why, therefore, can he not do as other dictatorships and simply declare himself as president for life, and state that he means for the entirety of his life. I think that the answer is a psychological one. It's obvious that Mugabe needs to believe that he has the entire nation supporting him, thereby demonstrating that he is the much-loved and revered leader that he aspires to be. It's unfortunate that he's made mistakes along the path of his 28-year rule that refute any suggestion that he is loved by all. After all, the thousands of Zimbabweans who have died as a result of his orders all have many thousand more relatives and friends who certainly have good reason to hate this despot. For those who lie buried in the mass graves in Matabeleland though, it's possible that they got the best from Mugabe, for those who he didn't order slaughtered by gun, knife and machete, he has systematically starved over the ensuing years.

You choose then. Which is the better choice --- to die relatively quickly or to take a long time to starve to death, the latter taking several years?

Watching this debacle unfold in the media does not tell you very much about the Zimbabwean people. Sadly, after a while it's easy to become so used to the news reports that one almost ignores them, and that's something that tyrants like Mugabe rely on to continue their murderous regime. So, let me share with you that the Zimbabwean people are a wonderfully warm, friendly people with a great love for God. Unlike the majority of people in the West, they are a people who are not only God-fearing but who can also claim the title 'Christian' without reprisal. Despite their poverty, they have, even in the face of the most horrific leadership, a dignity about them that stems from the generosity of their nature.

This is why I write so much about the situation in Zimbabwe. Having lived with these people for twelve years that stretched from the days of Rhodesia through the Zimbabwe-Rhodesia period and into the current Zimbabwe, I learned to love them as a people and respect them as a Nation. Apart from that, as a Christian I cannot stand idly by and say nothing whilst they are subjugated to a point of death, forced to face atrocity on a daily basis.

Please pray for the Zimbabwean Nation on a daily basis, praying that God will release them from Mugabe's stranglehold before it's too late.

Zimbabwe's Sham Election is Today!

Democracy means that you have freedom of choice, and this is as true in Zimbabwe as anywhere else. The tyrannical despot Mugabe guarantees the people of that beleaguered nation a choice in today's sham election. The people have been told that they must vote.

The choice is a simple one:

Either you vote to re-elect Mugabe or you opt to be beheaded.

Couldn't be simpler, really, could it.

I'll spell it out.

If you want to remain alive (albeit only for the national average of 37 for men or 34 if you are a woman), then you must vote to keep in power the very despot who is directly responsible for all of your nation's downfall. If you decide that you want change then you'll get the greatest change of all by not voting, because you will have chosen to die.

Of course there will be those in the country who see death as the preferable option.

The best result would be if the entire nation refrained from voting, although of course Mugabe's thugs will vote for him at all costs because they fear the retribution that will ultimately follow when this despot if finally toppled from power.

Please don't let up from PRAYING for the Zimbabwean people.

PRAY for:

• God to intervene
• Mugabe's rule to be destroyed
• Freedom from suffering for the people
• The restoration of the Nation

Zimbabwe: Well, that's one job done!

FINALLY, the UK Government has stripped the despotic tyrant, Robert Gabriel Mugabe, of his honorary knighthood! That's a piece of good news, but he still retains his other title of Ambassador for the Prince of Darkness.

Keep on PRAYING! Don't let up for a moment from seeking God's intervention in this dreadful affair. We must continue until Mugabe has been destroyed altogether! He has boasted that he refuses to leave until God ousts him, so let's pray that that happens soon, thereby freeing the people to receive international aid and assistance to start to re-build their ravaged country.

Britain's Shame

Want to take a peek inside the opulent palace that is Mugabe's main home in Zimbabwe? Take a look at this report.

Want to see what hanging on to power is really about? You can forget all the diatribe about looking after the people --- that's all so much hogwash! No, it's all about how deep you can get your nose into the trough and how much you can steal on your pillaging trips around your own country. Mugabe is an expert at many things:

• Violence
• Murder
• Corruption
• Rigging elections
• Grand theft
• Torture

The list is fairly endless. Looking to find someone who is an expert at Genocide? look no further than Robert Gabriel Mugabe. And you know what is especially sickening? He's actually proud of all that he's achieved during the years of his despotic, tyrannical rule!

Look at his major achievements:

• He's reduced the average life span to 37 for men and 34 for women; almost half of the average when he came to power in 1980.
• He's presided over the almost complete economic destruction of Zimbabwe during his years of tyranny, turning the 'Bread Basket of Africa' into an empty beggar's bowl.
• He has grown richer as his people have grown poorer. Easy to understand because he's done it at their expense.
• He has systematically destroyed the average Zimbabweans work-expectancy by ensuring that there is virtually no employment beyond his armed forces. Current unemployment stands at around 85%.

One 'achievement was to be Knighted by the Queen at the behest of Prime Minister John Major thirteen years ago. Accordingly he is entitled to refer to himself, and be referred to, as Sir Robert Gabriel Mugabe KCB (Knight Commander of the order of the Bath).

I have TWO burning questions for the current British Prime Minister and his government:

1. "Why have you not stripped this murdering tyrant of this title already?"
2. "When do NOW propose to do it?"

As long as he still officially holds this title then he brings the British Nation into disrepute. Remember the quote that 'when good men do nothing then evil flourishes.'

For too long this government, and many others like it, have stood by and let Mugabe prove the truth of that saying. We can know that men, therefore, will do nothing about the situation, so

It's time to get on your knees and pray to God that He will do something about it!

A CRUCIAL Week

This coming week is a crucial time for Zimbabwe as preparations continue for the election run-off. News came through last night that the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, is considering pulling out in order to prevent the further bloodshed and brutality against his supporters. I wonder whether this is a political ploy in order to rally support from other African leaders. The problem is, as I see it, considering things from a long experience of Zimbabwe and also of that nation's politics, that whatever decision Tsvangirai takes there will still be wholesale bloodshed by Mugabe's henchmen. If Tsvangirai pulls out then his supporters will still be punished for daring to support the opposition, whilst if he stands, then the bloodshed will continue right up to the run-off and probably for a while after that. I believe that he must stand for if he doesn't then the fate of the nation may well be irrevocably sealed. Mugabe will be able once again to prance about like the demented lunatic that he is and claim that he has been democratically elected to power by the people. The problem is that there will be those who choose to believe him, despite the facts.

Tomorrow I will be preaching at Bethel Presbyterian Church in Garden Village, Wrexham, and I will lead the congregation in prayer for Zimbabwe and its people. If you can join me there you will be welcome to do so, but if not --- and of course I realise that you, dear reader, will most probably not be able to be there --- then I do hope that you will heed this Call to Prayer and stand in prayer in your own church or your own home to pray for God to intervene.

Remember that if you do this for Christ's people then you do it as unto Him (Matthew 25: 31-40)

Zimbabwe: the latest atrocities

Desperate to hold on to power at any cost, despite the wishes of the great majority of the Zimbabwean people, Mugabe continues his murderous campaign of violence against the people whom he claims have 'democratically' placed him in power. The truth is that this tyrant has a history of violence that goes back decades, long even before he came to power. He fought tooth and nail in a long and bloody campaign of orchestrated violence in order to win the prize that he ultimately did --- the country that he has persistently raped and pillaged until today it is a mere vestige of the once-great nation that it was. He came to power by the sword and he has remained in power by the sword, no more so than he does today.

The fate of the Zimbabwean people is unimaginable. Their life expectancy, should they survive his brutality, is one of the shortest in the world as a direct result of the manner in which he has consistently stripped the country bare to line his own pockets and fill his own larder, thereby depriving 'his' people of both adequate food and medical supplies. Not that he cares for one minute. As long as he and his murderous band of thugs can surround themselves with all the things denied to 99% pf the population then Mugabe considers that everything is fine.

His despotic regime has been constantly propped up by other African leaders, many of whom, although not so blatant as Mugabe, have their own crimes to answer for, but no greater support has come than that from Thabo Mbeki, South Africa's president, who is the sad excuse for a leader whose record of supporting Mugabe's regime is such that he must be tarred with the same brush. After all, if you are not against Mugabe and his tyrannical rule then you are for it. There is no excuse, and there is no fence to perch upon.

So what can be done? One of the greatest weapons that Christians around the world have is prayer. The power of prayer is immense. Prayer changes things and brings about change in a manner which man alone --- especially when so distant from the land in question --- cannot.

A short while ago in my blog I pointed people towards a website that spoke of the Stand Up for Zimbabwe campaign, and so today I do so again. Click on the link and read the latest comments.

But more than anything else I urge you to call upon your leaders, both those in the church and in national and local government, to ask God to intervene and save the Zimbabwean people from further tyranny. Pray that God will remove this despot altogether. Pray that the murder and violence against the Zimbabwean people will cease. Pray for sufficient supplies of food and medication will be made available for the people.

PRAY FOR GOD'S INTERVENTION!

• PRAY FOR CHANGE!
• PRAY FOR PEACE!
• PRAY FOR THE ZIMBABWEAN NATION!
• HOLD THE NATION AND THE PEOPLE BEFORE GOD IN PRAYER CONSTANTLY!
• PLEASE, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE FOR THOUSANDS OR EVEN MILLIONS MORE.
• PRAY THAT GOD WILL FREE THEM FROM THIS RULE OF TYRANNY!

The following comment was left on this blog yesterday:
Just found you via the Zimbabwe Prayer Vigil link - Is this happening right now, or was it in the past? I felt to organise prayer for Zimbabwe, and have emailed quite wide to ministries in America etc. In Ipswich Australia, we held a day of Prayer and Fasting yesterday for Zimbabwe for God to move. Let me know of anything you are aware of. There is going to be a rally in Perth Australia tomorrow, led by Morgan's daughter, who lives there. I believe in prayer, and am keen to help in any way possible. Ruth Booij Ipswich Australia

Use the comment section on this blog to share your prayers for this once-beautiful and proud nation and for the millions of God's people who are being subjected to the unspeakably depraved acts of a madman. If you add your voice in prayer for this people then I thank you. If you don't then I would ask you to question why not.

So, What's the Problem then?

On Wednesday the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, rejected calls to strip the tyrannical despot Mugabe of his honorary knighthood, a title that was conferred on him in 1994 during the sojourn of John Major's government. Brown warned that stripping Mugabe of this honorary title --- (strange to use the word 'honorary' in connection with Mugabe!) --- would undermine efforts to force Mugabe to end human rights abuses.

On the same day the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, when speaking of the illegal detention of Zimbabwe's Opposition Leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, said: "The history of violence and intimidation against the opposition is a stain on Zimbabwe."

This morning's news carried an item in which Miliband made the idiotic statement to the effect that democracy meant that if the people wanted change then all they had to do was vote Mugabe out.

WHAT PLANET DO THESE PEOPLE LIVE ON!

In the recent elections in which people DID vote Mugabe out of power even after he did all he could to rig the results he still refused to leave. Now this week the world's attention has been drawn to this prancing madman as he took centre stage in Portugal as a GUEST of the UN for the Food Programme Forum.

When will the world act? When will world compassion kick in and rescue the people of Zimbabwe from the clutches of this megalomaniac? Please lobby your Political Representative, whether Senator or Member of Parliament, depending where you live.

And one more thing . . .

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE

The UN is Guilty by Association!

Yesterday the leading African Despot, Robert Gabriel Mugabe --- you know the one; the creature that believes the best way to stay in power is by starving and beating your people into submission, and if that fails, by killing them off --- was officially granted a platform to speak by the United Nations at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation HQ in Rome, addressing the delegates who were either too fat, too bored, or thinking about ways to enrich themselves even more at the expense of the masses, in one of his normal diatribes.

This time it was to tell the world that the people of Zimbabwe were starving because 'the UK has mobilised their friends and allies in order to impose illegal sanctions against his nation in order to cripple the economy and thereby effect illegal regime change in Zimbabwe.'

Well! There was me, like the rest of the civilised world, convinced that the reason that Zimbabwe was 'enjoying' inflation at 165000 per cent, along with the devastation that exists in this once beautiful land, was all down to the tyrannical rule of this megalomaniac of a dictator. Whoops! There I go again. he can't be a dictator can he? After all, he was elected by a massive majority, not once but time and time again. We all know that this man would never stoop so low as to rig the voting in his favour, and the stories about voters being 'persuaded' by Mugabe's blood-crazed henchmen couldn't be true, could they? After all, everyone knows that Mugabe is the true saviour of Zimbabwe don't they!

To utilise a favourite expression when I lived in that far-off land (in better days!), Tough Tackies! if you are stupid enough to believe that Mugabe is anything other than a cruel, vindictive, despotic megalomaniac, hell-bent on amassing wealth at the expense of Zimbabwe; a man who has systematically raped the land and, albeit generally metaphorically, the people.

For the UN to afford this creature a platform to perform one of his well-practised rants tars the UN with the same brush. I accuse them of being guilty of the starvation, torture and killing of Zimbabweans, by association. To remove this slur all they need to do is what they should have officially done a long time ago, and that is to denounce Mugabe and his rule for what he and it is. He recently lost the election yet still refuses to hand over power, no doubt fearful of the retribution which will eventually come. How fortunate he is that he can count the UN amongst his minuscule circle of friends. What volumes it continues to speak about that Organisation if they persistently refuse to condemn Mugabe and insist that he be brought to International trial for crimes against humanity.

Stand Up for Zimbabwe

I thought I'd let you know about an initiative that is being taken this weekend in support of the people of Zimbabwe. I realise it’s very short notice – but things are often done at very short notice in Africa!

This Sunday is Africa Day, and civil society groups from across Africa have called for actions of solidarity with Zimbabwe. Amongst other things they are asking church leaders to take a moment in their services this Sunday to ask their congregations to stand together in a show of solidarity and to pray for God's intervention in the situation in Zimbabwe. Please do all that you can to get your church leaders to do this.

It’s a great opportunity to join in prayer for the situation in Zimbabwe. Remember, what you do for others in the name of Jesus Christ you are doing for Him. (Matthew 25: 35 - 46)

There is a website with further information if you’re interested

Whilst their back is turned . . .

Judging by the lack of comment in the papers it would be easy for some people to think that the Zimbabwean election problem has been resolved, and that Mugabe has finally been ousted, but if that's the case then think again. All that has happened is that the world media has found new toys to play with and new stories to tickle their readers with. The reality is that, whilst the Media's back is turned away for a moment, Mugabe's thugs are sowing a harvest of pain as they torture anyone known to be a supporter of the MDC. This torture has a two-fold effect, for not only does it serve to 'punish' those who have dared to oppose this tyrannical despot, but it warns others too against such future opposition.

If Mugabe is successful in what he is attempting to achieve with this brutality then there will be an opportunity for him to win the next round of voting because he will have instilled sufficient fear into the voters. There will be the usual sycophants who stand up and declare that 'the voting has been fair', and then Mugabe will declare that he is the winner because he is the 'popular choice'.

If this is the case then, apart from voices such as mine and the few who are prepared to shout a little louder than others via the Media, a blind eye will once again be turned when it comes to the dreadful things that have occurred and continue to occur, in this once beautiful land that was known as the bread-basket of Africa.

No Christian should stand by and let this horrendous despot continue in power without at the very least making protest through their elected representative in order to ensure that Mugabe is ostracized as much as possible by civilized society, and that governments around the world do all within their power to destroy this terrible despotic rule that Mugabe is perpetuating. Thankfully he is now 84 years old, which means that, at the very worst, he will die soon and go to the Hell that he so richly deserves, there to pay for ever for his tyranny.

Unfortunately, if we have to wait for him to die of natural causes before his rule ends, then it means that millions of people will continue to either live in a state of constant deprivation and suffering, facing death every day either due to starvation or their opposition to this emissary of the devil. I, for one, pledge that I will not let this matter go. I will do all that I can to uphold the people of Zimbabwe in prayer and to support them through the raising of my voice above the parapet of apathy that exists simply because so many think that this is not their problem. Once again we are in a position of seeing evil exist because the good are standing by and turning their backs.

Pray Mugabe Away!

Mugabe has proven to the whole world that you can call an election, you can let the people express their will at the Ballot Box, and then, when the tide turns against you, you can argue and procrastinate endlessly whilst you seek for a means to rig the result. If all else fails you can simply refuse to publish the result and ponce about like some inane monkey on a stick until you get another idea to subjugate the masses. Be warned however! Mugabe may look like a clown and dress like a clown when he prances about before the rallied masses, but he is no clown when it comes dealing his enemies the swift death blows that clear his path!

Lowering the life expectancy of the people by means of continual deprivation and near-starvation is not enough for this tyrannical despot. Now he plans, having lost the election totally and without question --- despite his attempts to rig the election by having non-existent people and dead people vote --- to annihilate any further opposition at the point of a gun. His intention is that anyone who dares to oppose him will have a dose of lead poisoning.

It would appear that there is nothing to be done, but is this really the case? Mugabe is, after all, only a man. Admittedly, he's not much of one, but that's what he is at the end of the day. What power has he got that can stand up to the might of the power that can be unleashed through prayer? NONE AT ALL!!!

Join the call to pray for Zimbabwe's freedom from tyranny, and pray that God will intervene in the situation to bring about a prosperous peace to this beleagured nation. Lte's help to see an end to this despotic rule of this embittered man, who has engineered the death of so many of his people. Pray at 8am; 1pm; or at 8pm, for just one minute. Experience the power of prayer as you become part of this great spiritual movement, and you will see God at work.

Mugabe is just one little man!

You may be one person alone, but joined with God through prayer you become an army!!!

ZIMBABWE: 24-hour Solidarity Vigil

I received the following by e-mail today. Many of you dear readers will know that I spent 12 years in Zimbabwe, living through a turbulent time in that nation's history. Arriving in 1972 when the country was named Rhodesia, living through the transitional period of it being named Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, and finally living under the name Zimbabwe until 1984. It is a land that is very dear to my heart, and I carry a great burden for its people, for the vastness of their suffering and deprivation under the brutal regime of the despotic dictator Robert Gabriel Mugabe.

Human life beyond his immediate circle holds no value for him, and his tyranny has extended to genocide on a massive scale. When he is finally toppled, either by force or by death, then the world will gasp as the true horrors that the Zimbabwean people have had to face become known.

Evil can only flourish when good people stand by and let it! Are you prepared to do nothing? Are you prepared to shrug at the awfulness of the situation and then ask, "But what can I alone do?"

You are being asked in the following paragraphs to pray for the salvation of Zimbabwe and its people; just to commit to praying for ONE MINUTE each day at an appointed time. Together we can make a difference! One man alone may be weak, but one man standing with God is the most powerful army that can exist.

If you will commit to ONE MINUTE of prayer each day for the Nation of Zimbabwe, please add a comment to this post. Your comment need only be a word or two, but it will serve to seal your promise of commitment.

The following is a letter from the people organising the Prayer Vigil, plus a letter from a 16 year old Zimbabwean.

Dear Friend,

In World War II, while Hitler was brutally taking over the world, there was an advisor to Churchill who organised a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at a prescribed time to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and for peace. Things drastically changed, and the rest is history. God is the answer, and prayer is the only way for Zimbabwe! In view of the current state of affairs in Zimbabwe we are organising a daily one minute prayer time at 8 am; 1 pm, or 8 pm. At any one of these times please stop whatever you are doing, and spend that one minute praying that God will intervene in the affairs of Zimbabwe. Someone once said that if Christians really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer we would be speechless. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Together we can make a difference.

If you know of any Christian brother or sister who would like to participate in this powerful prayer exercise, please pass this message on to them.
ZIMBABWE 24-hour Solidarity Vigil

This message came from Margaret Kriel's Morning Mirror. Please try and pass it on to as many people as you can,
Many thanks

Dear World,
I am a 16 year old person living in Zimbabwe. I think the time has come for a more direct appeal, and so I am writing to you, the world.Maybe, just maybe, there might be someone out there who can help us...It's tough here now. The inflation rate is so high that if you don't change money within 6 hours you could get half the amount of foreign currency that you would have originally received.We're starving now; people die around us. In the last year alone at least ten people associated personally with my family have died despite the fact that they were only middle-aged. Other people don't make it to middle age. They don't even make it past childhood.Our once-proud nation is on it's knees. We flee or die. This beautiful, bountiful once-rich land has become a living hell. We have dealt with it until now; we have made a plan. That was the Zimbabwean motto: "MAKE A PLAN".
But now we can't make a plan. We're too tired, too broken, too bankrupt. We can't afford life, and life does not cost much, not really. We cannot afford to eat, we cannot afford to drink, and we cannot afford to make mistakes, because if we do we die. We don't have the capital to support ourselves, and those few who do, have to deal with the horror of watching their friends and family fall into absolute poverty as they cannot afford to help them.We're waiting desperately for a great hand to pick us up out of the dirt because at the moment we are outnumbered by Fate herself, and so we close our eyes and pray. We have fought for too long, and have been brought to breaking point. We simply stand, heads down, and bear it. Our spirit has gone; we are defeated. After a valiant struggle of over fifteen years, we have been broken.

There is no will left, no spirit. Like a horse that has been beaten until it cannot fight anymore; we are the same, and, like that horse, we stand dusty, scarred and alone, with dried blood on our sides and lash marks along our flanks. Our ribs too stand out; our hide is also dull.
Our eyes are glazed, our throats are parched, and our knees struggle to support us so that we stand with splayed legs to bear the brunt of the next beating, too dejected even to whimper...This is my plea. The thought of picking ourselves up again is sickening; one can only take so many blows before oblivion is reached, and we are teetering on the rim of the bottomless void. One more push will be the end of us all...There must be someone out there who can do something. There must be someone out there who cares! We are a destroyed nation, and the world sits back and watches, pretending they cannot hear our cries.
I appeal to you all...HELP US!
A 16 YEAR OLD ZIMBABWEAN......

Let's help to get rid of Mugabe!

Note the crazed look on Mugabe's face. It is the face of one of the world's worst and most evil despots, a man who is responsible for murder on a massive scale; and a man who is determined by every foul means possible, to deny the beleaguered people of Zimbabwe the right to have their votes taken seriously. the only reason that this moron has allowed elections over the years of his despotic and evil rule is because he has always been able to rig the results to make it appear that he is still the popular choice.

He has systematically destroyed what was a beautiful country when he came to power, until today there is nothing left for those outside of his inner circle but an early death and a life of fear and starvation.

There are those who try to say that he has been corrupted by power. this is not truly the case. Certainly, the absolute power that he has wielded over the past twenty-eight years has made him more corrupt, but the truth is that his rule is exactly what he intended it to be. He was corrupt from his early childhood, and the evil that he has done has flourished because the world has stood by and let it. Every African leader who has paid him lip-service must to share his guilt, for they have been party to his corrupt rule, his grand theft, his murdering and torturous rule, simply by verbally offering support rather than condemnation. The attitudes of these African leaders has been one of sycophanticism with no concern for the millions of hard-working Zimbabweans who have been Mugabe's whipping posts.

Needless to say, this horrendous and evil man has had support from the Western leaders as well, for, even whilst paying lip-service to sanctions of one sort or another, they have allowed him, his vain wife and his hobble of henchmen, to travel to their countries with impunity. Obviously filling the coffers of the West's shop-keepers with the spoils of his systematic looting of Zimbabwean resources must be considered acceptable by the Western leaders. In this then, they too must share in Mugabe's guilt.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the reason that this tyrant has persistently refused to announce the results of the recent elections is because he and Zanu-PF have well and truly lost the election. Even their traditional threats to the voters finally had insufficient effect. Now his dogs have been turned once more on the people in order to offer them the opportunity to vote for Mugabe in a run-off or be destroyed totally. No doubt he intends to invite specially selected 'International Observers' from amongst his cronies once again, in order that they can state that the election run-off has been free-and-fair. The problem is that when it comes to the words free-and-fair these observers will not even know the meaning of the words. To them it's simply an invitation to 'earn' large payouts from Mugabe's slush fund for telling lies.

It is time for us to make a difference. We must not allow this man to destroy Zimbabwe even further, (as if that's possible!). Please contact your elected representative and get them to raise the matter in government, asking your government to make their protest known. Mugabe can only stay in power if he continues to receive the support of the South African government and the tacit support (often marked as support by their silence) of other world leaders.

Edmund Burke said that evil flourishes when good men do nothing. Urge your governments not to be counted amongst those 'good men who do nothing', but rather to be seen as excellent people who are determined to do something.

You can help to make life better for the Zimbabwean people. please, I beg you, do it today.

Will Mugabe FINALLY go?

I'm watching the current news items about the Zimbabwean election results with great interest, for, as some of you know, I lived in that country for many years, finally leaving in 1984 when I could see what damage Mugabe and his henchmen were wreaking on it. Over the 28 years of his despotic rule I have watched as he plunged the country into deeper and deeper crisis. Inflation is estimated to be running at 200 000 percent, which is unimaginable. In Zimbabwean money I am a millionaire, with about one and a half million dollars to my name over there --- the results of dividend payments on some shares I own. However, before any of you get excited enough to write letters that seek to relieve me of my wealth, let me explain that last weekend the price of a loaf of bread was Z$25 million!

I pray that Mugabe will finally be removed from office and that the new President, Morgan Tsvangarai, will rule with more wisdom and in the interests of the country and people as a whole. I also pray that Mugabe will be brought to trial for the heinous crimes that he has been responsible for or personally committed since coming to power. As far back as the early 1980's he was responsible for the genocide of thousands of Sindebele people in Matabeleland, and that's only scratching the surface where his crimes are concerned.

One thing is for certain, and that is that should he barter a deal that lets him off the hook, perhaps to go and live in exile at the invitation of one of his dictatorial cronies, then there is one punishment that he can never evade, and that is facing God on the Day of Judgment.

Let us all pray that finally Zimbabwe will start to recover, and that God will bless the wonderful people of that nation, just as He has in the past.