The Zimbabwe Day Of Prayer I wrote to you was successful. Before the day of prayer came, as you remember, we had asked the President (who is a Catholic) to come and read a "National Prayer Declaration" before God in the stadium, covering acknowledgement of the nation's sins and repentance, pledging dependence on God, inviting Jesus Christ to lift up his righteousness in the nation and take over the guidance of the nation, and announce forgiveness and reconciliation. When the day came, he and the First Lady came and I led a team of heads of churches/bishops to brief him about the event, and his role on the program. He then gladly accepted, and further requested that I allow him to expand on our (written) prayer with his own words because he felt that we had omitted some of the nation's sins that must be mentioned to God for forgiveness. We permitted him to do so, prayed, and went into the stadium arena to join thousands that were already praying. When the President's prayer slot came (after all prayers for the nation's domains and before prayers for Africa and the world), I then asked him to take his stand. He did so and conducted a short background speech in which he announced reconciliation and proposed to ask the Cabinet and parliament to allow him to declare the day of prayer as a national holiday of the Zimbabwe National Day Of Prayer whereby no one will go to work but pray only.

Yesterday when he was speaking at the burial of one government minister, he made an appeal to church leaders to guide all the nation's politicians. There he also repeated that he will ask the Cabinet to back his call for a Zimbabwe National Day Of Prayer holiday on the calendar. We are also formally (as church leaders) meeting leaders of opposition parties. Today, on different platforms I spoke to two leaders of different opposition parties who had called on me.

Now that the main day of prayer is over, we are extending the same to all provinces. During the 21-24 National Restoration Conference, we will also include the Masvingo provincial day of prayer alongside the conference. The Durban apostolic conference I mentioned earlier is on from 3-5 July. I am attending it for networking purposes on my way from Manzini, Swaziland where I am ministering this Sunday, then I return to Harare 6 July due to the pressing tasks here. Given that I already have the one way ticket for PE (from last time, I am proposing to you that I self finance the other one way then come there to beef up the local church and leaders from 14-17 July then depart 18 July at 12.30pm.

Alexander Chisango