Masiyiwa: 'God will heal Zimbabwe in his time'

Masiyiwa: 'God will heal Zimbabwe in his time'

I HAVE A DREAM: Masiyiwa has positive message for Zimbabweans

• Econet bosses held on forex charges

• Econet Wireless' 3G coming slowly

• Altech buys 50 percent stake in Econet

• Jonathan Moyo's bizarre bid to shut down Econet

• Court strikes down telecoms law

• Mugabe in bid to close Econet

• Strive Masiyiwa, building of empire

• Africa's Bill Gates

• Masiyiwa's wings clipped in Nigeria

By Strive Masiyiwa

SOME are thinking of running away from Zimbabwe, its true, but ask yourself: did God say that you should leave?

Things will get better uri ipapo (while you are there). Yes, there in Zimbabwe! Read the book of Ruth, just 4 chapters and see what happened to Naomi and her family.

They ran away from famine in Bethlehem to Moab, (Zimbabwe to London) but she had to go back again to Bethlehem just her and Ruth, all the others died in Moab, she lost everything and had to start all over again.Had she heard from God the first time?! Why then did she go back???

London, USA or Canada hakuna kumboipa kuenda asi nyaya ndeyekuti wanzwa Mwari here?

You can go there but instead you lose everything maybe not your life or any member of the family maybe not die but you may have to give up your peace, joy, morals, love, husband, wife, children or good job.

Watch and pray, God can never forget Zimbabwe!! He Loves us and will heal our land in HIS TIME. My own addition to this message "Hope deferred makes the heart sick but when desire cometh it is a tree of life (Proverbs13:12)."

I have often had to deal with hope deferred in my Christian walk. I have shared with some of you how time and time again we believed over five years that one event or another would lead to the final release of the Econet licence. Often it was a court decision which we would wait for, for a whole year, only to have our hope deffered. Many people were hoping that the elections would bring relief in their lives from the economic and social pressures of the last few years.

One of the earliest scriptures the Lord gave me when we began that long struggle was Luke22:31: "Simon Simon behold Satan has desired to sift you as wheat but I have prayed that your faith faileth not and when you have converted strenghten thy brethren."

It is interesting to note that the Lord did not say I have rebuked him, which he could have done. But instead he says I have prayed for your faith. If you allow your faith to fail there is nothing the Lord can do for you. Many of you are filled with thoughts to leave the country and yet others are full of hate and anger, and some are just totally despondent.

I have heard many Christians saying things like "God has abandoned us". In 1997 when Telecel was licenced it was really a low point as I have often shared with some of you. Here we were, after nearly 4 years...with no more money to pay lawyers or salaries. Both Telecel and Net One already had licences. The police were sent to arrest me. The newspaper headlines said "Masiyiwa's dream crumbles."

"For the first time in two years I have began to think about my imminent return to Zimbabwe"

STRIVE MASIYIWA

Brethren it is easy to pray and to fast but it is only at a time like this that you find out whether or not you have faith. On the morning I saw that headline in the Financial Gazette which had been at our side I could easily have concluded that I had not really heard from God. Indeed some of my closest brethren actually came to me and said you have fought a good fight but perhaps this was God's plan after all. I remember that morning looking at the two newspapers both the Herald and Financial Gazette had headlines on Econet. I knew that I must not allow my faith to fail and that of those around me. So I decided to do something prophetic. I called some of my most senior members of staff and I said to them we must go around Harare and find the perfect place to build the Econet headquarters! Yes we got into our cars believers and none believers and drove around Harare looking for a place to locate our heaquarters. At first it seemed a little unreal but as we drove round and around we began to enjoy it as the Lord gave us grace and we treated it very seriously.

Even then I still had my lows and I remember not long after that I got to the office and found we were front page again. This time the Minister Joyce Mujuru said the Cabinet had decided there would not be a 3rd licence for Econet. I felt dispondent and my heart was sick.

Suddenly as I sat at my desk almost in tears a big American man brushed past my secretary and stood in front of me. He said he was looking for a cellular phone! I pointed to him the newspaper article and he pushed it aside saying it didn't mean anything to him because he believed only in God's report.He said he wanted to pay for a year's service!

He just kept pushing me and in the end to just get rid of him I sent him to Zac Wazara who told him how much it would cost to get service when Econet launched its service.He went away and came back with $10 000 and poured
it out on my desk. He then said to me I want to go to all your friends who are Christians and ask them to pay for thier service NOW! That man's name
was Pastor Jerry Backus and he is the one who prepares the good news sent to all our customers every morning. Jesus sent Jerry Barkus that morning to raise up my faith. It was these prophetic actions that helped me to get out of this difficult situation when it seemed that my hope and faith had been deferred.

If you have been affected negatively by the outcome of the elections in Zimbabwe I want you to start praying and acting prophetically. It is time to prepare for that glorious future you have been believing God for. Yes go and look for the house and the car. Prepare for the Christmas holiday because it is the best you are ever going to have. If you have some money buy land or shares. Do whatever you have to do to remind yourself that you are a child of God and he has good plans for you and your family!

For the first time in two years I have began to think about my imminent return to Zimbabwe. I have plans to see friends and family and I have plans to worship with some of you and thank God for his enduring faithfulness. When people have invited me even for weddings I have been careful not to say NO if I know I could be available.
Strive Masiyiwa lives in self-imposed exile ion South Africa and is the chief executive of Econet Wireless. He is also owner of the banned Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe - publishers of the Daily News and Daily News on Sunday. Here he was writing to friends and Econet workers.
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