CATCHING UP WITH...ZAMA MOYO (SOUTH AFRICA)
CATCHING UP… is a series of blog posts ‘catching up’ with current or former Redeemer members who are now elsewhere. Please continue to pray for them! Some are studying for a year and coming back, others have moved on permanently.
Zama Moyo was part of Redeemer from the very early days and left us in September 2016 to return to his home in South Africa. Below he gives us an update on what’s been going on in his life.
Redeemer gang, hello from Johannesburg!
Although my time with you guys was relatively short, I consider you all an important and beautiful part of my journey and, more importantly, such a clear picture of how God’s kingdom traverses cultural, national, and denominational boundaries.
So what have I been up to since leaving Colchester in September 2016?
I must admit that the question is a bit difficult to answer because it feels like I’ve had my fingers in many a cookie jar. The main thing vocationally- and this is how I’m actually earning a living- is that I’ve been doing a lot of writing. Particularly, I’ve been ghost-writing for a woman who’s an executive in one of the big mining companies. This crazy opportunity came about when I spoke to a man at church about exploring the career opportunities available to me. I wanted to pick his brain about what I was thinking, and how I could use my qualification and interests. He in turn introduced me to his colleague, with whom I spoke about my writing. As it turns out, she had been looking for a ghost-writer for her memoir, and the rest, as they say, is history.
I’ve also been in touch for some months- probably approaching a year- with a publisher in Cape Town which has expressed interest in publishing my debut novel. That’s been a long process filled with all sorts of emotions, but mostly very encouraging. I’m in the final stages of reworking the intial manuscript, and then will send it off and once again cross fingers.
On the policy stuff, which is what my academic background is in, I’ve written my first full length feature article which was a published in a quarterly magazine called The Thinker. Other than that, I’m still exploring avenues of being involved in the policymaking space. It’s turning out to need a lot of patience.
Another development, as some of you may have seen from my social media, is that I’ve developed a keen interest in ‘wellness’, particularly the movement and nutrition side of things. It was born initially from my struggles with insomnia. As I was working on improving my sleep quality, it became clear that this was related a lot of other areas, including stress management, exercise, and the whats and whens of my eating. I’m currently working towards a certification in Nutrition Coaching, and am planning to start seeing clients in March. Of late, though, I’ve been battling with eczema, which I’ve had on and off from when I was a toddler. If I’m honest it’s been a humbling experience; I think I’d gotten to a point where I think I knew it all!
Ministry
I continue to play piano and/or drums in the worship team at my church, Lyndhurst Baptist. However my involvement is minimal, and I play mostly to give some of the other musicians a break or if there’s a shortage of personnel. For a time I was co-leading the Young Adults ministry as well with my good friend Justice Mahlatji. At the moment the youth structure is in transition, and I’ve sensed that it was time to pull back and attend to some other things God has been doing/calling me to.
What takes up most of my time and energy is an interdenominational, nation-wide programme called Journey (formerly known as Living Waters). It’s a discipleship setup that deals with issues of addiction and relational brokenness. I had been involved as a participant in 2014, then kind of lost contact with the people after I’d finished my courses. When I got back to SA, I got involved on team via a friend who was still involved in the leadership. So for the whole of last year, that’s what I’ve been busy with, and God has been doing reconstructive surgery on my heart week after week. It’s also been a great (and somewhat intense) honour to walk with other men in their own journeys through crisis and to be trusted with their stories. The sense of community there has blessed me in ways I can’t quite speak, and it’s the most authentic and raw thing I’ve ever been a part of.
I will continue my involvement with Journey this year and the foreseeable future.
So that’s me in a snapshot, gang. The thought of you guys still brings a smile to my face. God be with you as you continue to fulfil His mandate in Colchester.
Cheers!