The Lion at Odzi

We arrived after a long, hot, bumpy, dusty journey to a little community northeast of Mashoko called Odzi. I had two distinct first impressions of Odzi, the beautiful young people and the story of the lion.

Let me start with the young people... To be honest, we didn’t know what to expect in our planning for this weekend meeting. We had decided to spend the first morning going over general Bible knowledge and assessing their exposure and spiritual maturity, then adapt our later sessions accordingly. You see, Odzi is a rural church tucked away off of any main roads, removed from the bustle of any town as well as its resources and distractions. 

Much to our delight, we found a couple of grounded Christian adults who had been pouring into the youth of their area church. When Darel took a poll, they only had two Bibles among them, yet these young people delighted in sharing Bible verses from memory, giving their testimony, and expounding on God’s Word. I kept thinking to myself, there are some really good potential preachers here. 

If you ever wondered if your mission’s dollars were well spent, let me tell you, Odzi is a beautiful example of fruit that has grown from seeds planted two generations ago. Darel would be humble to tell you, but the impact of his father, Dr. Denny Pruitt, is strongly felt to this day in many places in the world, in Zimbabwe, and at Odzi.

The second story coming out of our weekend at Odzi was about a lion. There is a stray lion roaming the hills of Odzi. It is probably an old male who has been kicked out of his pride by a younger more dominant male from the game reserve that borders that region of Zimbabwe. The preacher at Odzi had an oxen killed by the lion the night before we got there. There was a palpable fear among the people and much discussion about this lion.

I couldn’t help but think about the spiritual application when Peter warns us, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Saturday afternoon, we divided the children under fourteen into their group for a lesson and crafts with Mary, the Johnsons and my sister, Martha. Darel and I split the young people over fourteen into two separate groups. Darel talked to the young men and I talked to the young women about Christian living.

They were receptive and challenged at the same time to lead a life that pleases God. Pray for these dear young people at Odzi. Truly, there is a lion that does prowl around seeking to devour them, both literally and spiritually!

As a result of the weekend at Odzi, seventeen young people signed up to go to the national Christian Youth Conference in Zimbabwe over Easter Weekend. There were multiple confessions of faith and rededication of lives, both young and old on Sunday. And all were greatly encouraged in their faith, both us as American visitors, as well as the sweet and kind Christians, our brothers and sisters, at Odzi.

By Donna Burris Stroop