M y favourite snack is a meat pie.

If asked for my second choice, I will pick a

chicken pie. I simply love pies. For a proper meal I fancy rice mixed with peanut
butter and served with chicken stew.Ummm, I am already salivating yet dinner is still
miles away. As you can see I have done you a very big favour as you now know what to
cook the next time I visit your house! Today after lunch, my wife reminded me of a story
that happened a long time ago and I thought you would be interested in hearing it.

It was on one of my back-to-school trips to Gweru from Harare and was seated alone on
the bench for two enjoying all the space as the bus was not full. As the bus coasted
along the Harare-Gweru road I found myself unable to take my mind off my packed
lunch. My mother had packed some delicious sandwiches and a soft drink for the 4-hour
journey. I had been told not to open my lunchbox until after the bus had passed the half-
way mark of the trip so I had to be patient. I guess this was a precautionary measure for
one not to starve should there be a breakdown during the infancy of the trip.

A few seconds after passing the 137km peg (Half way mark); I began stealing food from
my own lunch box. I was generally not comfortable eating in public that is why I had to
eat as discreetly as possible. If someone was watching me they would only see me

Article n 10/2016. Written By: Simbarashe L Manyeruke. Published On: 5 April 2016.Layout Design: Ivanashe Photography
chewing something without seeing its source. While in the middle of this exciting
activity, I was suddenly interrupted by certain man clad in a uniform of one of the bus
companies. He wanted us to share the seat.

As a person who loved travelling I found it a great privilege to sit and talk to a bus crew
member. I guess that is why I wanted to work as a bus conductor while awaiting my
Form 6 results. In hindsight, I thank God this dream failed. Perhaps handling large sums
of money at that age could have led me astray.

My new neighbour was a very sociable soft spoken fellow. He shared a lot of stories
about his work including the places he had been to while on duty. From time to time he
would shout something to the bus conductor and the thought of being friends with
someone well known in the bus industry made me feel special. Working as a bus crew
member came with some advantages that included free bus rides and free meals at
some designated points along the route. Could these be the other reasons I found the
job enticing? Mimicking my son I can safely say, I don know!

Well, when we were somewhere between Kadoma and KweKwe my new friend, Robby
(fictitious name) came up with one of the best propositions I had ever heard. He said,
Mfana (young man) give me those sandwiches and when we get into KweKwe I will
buy for both of us some hot meat pies. I did not have to think twice about it and I
quickly handed him the whole lunch box which he did not take time to clean up.

After a couple of minutes he continued, That Coke of yours is almost warm; let me
have it now so that when we get into town we just buy two ice-cold ones plus the hot
pies! I quickly delivered the about-to-be-warm beverage to my new friend. After all, this
was to my advantage as we were now close to reaching the City of KweKwe.

He emptied the bottle in a single gulp and when he was done he returned the empty
and began pushing his way towards the exit door. Being right at the door when the bus
stops was one of the strategies employed by most people in order to gain more time
outside the bus to buy something or visit the WC. As he was going to get us some hot
pies and Antarctica-cold drinks he obviously needed more time outside which explains
why he was the first to alight from the bus when it came to a halt in the city centre rank.

Article n 10/2016. Written By: Simbarashe L Manyeruke. Published On: 5 April 2016.Layout Design: Ivanashe Photography
Almost 3 minutes passed but Robby was still not yet back. From my window position I
could not locate him. Maybe he first went to the bathroom I thought silently. There was
yet another feint feeling that something was not right but I quickly discarded it. He could
not possibly steal from me as he was known by the bus crew and was actually wearing
a uniform of one of the popular bus companies. He was obviously not a thief. But where
is he now? My mind kept racing. While still entangled in confusion he suddenly
knocked on my window from outside. In order to for us to converse effectively, I opened
the small window and stuck my head out.

They dont have change can you give me two dollars! He shouted and feeling a bit
uncomfortable I told him I only had a dollar which I reluctantly handed to him. He
immediately vanished into the multitude to buy us the hot snacks. When the bus driver
began to rev the engine that is when I began to panic. He will definitely appear from
somewhere and catch the bus. I comforted myself. Suddenly the bus began negotiating
its way out of the bus rank. I started sweating and could no longer sit down. I looked in
all directions but could not see any sign of my friend Robby.

I even changed seats hoping to spot him in the crowd in order to warn him that the bus
was leaving but still he was nowhere to be found. As soon as the coach was back on
the highway, it finally dawned on me that I had been robbed. Robby had robbed me of
my drink, sandwiches and money.

In financial terms it was not much but it was painful to absorb that a person like him
could do that to a student in school uniform. I felt I had been taken advantage of by
someone who should have been more exemplary. How could he do that to a school
boy like me? Was it wrong to help someone? Was it a mistake to share food with others
on the bus? Maybe my love for pies is to blame. But no, who would have turned down
the prospect of noshing up a freshly baked meat pie and washing it down with an ice-
cold Coke? Maybe I should have ignored him in the first place. Perhaps I was just too
gullible. But no, we had conversed and he also talked to the bus crew. He could have
been trusted just about by anybody on the planet. Maybe he genuinely missed the bus.
I tormented myself with all these thoughts as the sped off towards Gweru.

Article n 10/2016. Written By: Simbarashe L Manyeruke. Published On: 5 April 2016.Layout Design: Ivanashe Photography
The more I thought about it the more I became distressed. After a while I came to
realize that Robby did not have any luggage with him. It was just he, himself and his
empty stomach. This was the official confirmation that I had been robbed. Unfortunately
I do not remember officially reporting the incident to the police or the bus company.

This encounter spoiled my trip not because I was hungry or out of cash but just that the
feeling of being swindled was tough to bear. I could not share the story with my friends
at school for obvious reasons; the whole school would laugh at me .After that fateful day
I travelled several times on that route and each time I would look for Robby but he was
never to be seen again.

As I write this story today, I am glad that the pain is finally gone even though it took
years. God somehow managed to replace that which the enemy stole from me. Not only
do I now afford to buy myself freshly baked pies and cool drinks but God gave me
something much better. He gave me a wife that loves baking and if I want to eat a pie
tonight, I can just pick up my phone and for dinner there will be a giant home-made pie
with more meat than those air-filled pies sold on the street. I am talking about a real
meat pie not those that drip some soup-like material once you puncture them with your
canines. God has finally wiped away the pain and more than restored that which I lost!

If God could more than replace what Robby too away from me then He can also restore
that which you lost. Maybe your honeymoon was the last time you ever felt loved and it
has been years since. Though you have faithfully poured love but your hubby has not
returned it. Heartbroken has become your middle name. Just surrender everything
unto Him and I assure you that God will restore all that you lost and you will smile again.

God can restore that good healthy body that you had before you were told you had HIV,
cancer or diabetes. Yes He can! He is the Chief Physician. He is more than a healer; He
is the one who molded you in your mothers womb. God is the same yesterday, today
and tomorrow. The God who restored Naaman s leprosy-riddled skin with a brand new
baby-like smooth skin can restore your health to better than before with zero
blemishes(2 Kings 5).Believe and Trust Him with your life and He will restore good health
to your body!

Article n 10/2016. Written By: Simbarashe L Manyeruke. Published On: 5 April 2016.Layout Design: Ivanashe Photography
Your relationship with your son has been broken for years now and you do not see each
other eye to eye because of what you did to his mother in the past. Pray about the
relationship and invite him for lunch or his favourite sport. Before you know it you will be
enjoying a BBQ and drinks together. The relations with your cousins have deteriorated
ever since they failed to attend your bridal shower. Before long you will be having cake
and tea at your cousins place talking and laughing as if nothing ever happened. Dont
you want that? Of course you do! Commit all to God and He will restore everything.

You were once a devout Christian. You loved studying the Bible and sharing the word
with others. Due to circumstances you had somehow retreated to your old self. God can
restore all that. God is able. God is in control. Cry to Him right now that you want to
come back home and like in the story of the prodigal son God is waiting for you with
open arms. There is a welcome-back-home party already prepared for you. With a
simple prayer talk to God, rededicate your life to Christ. If necessary you can share your
decision with your pastor and begin to walk with other believers. God can restore that
appetite that you had for His word. Trust Him and all will be just fine.

My friend, dont be too concerned with the period the problem has been part of your life.
God is not limited by time and space. The clock is in his hands. He at one point after a
request from Joshua stopped time (the sun) at its position until Joshua was done with
the task at hand (Joshua 10:13). To Him a thousand years is like a single day. Time is
never a factor to Him for even when Lazarus had been dead for 4 days, Jesus still
managed to wake the guy up (John 11:44). No problem is too old for God to fix!

What are you waiting for! Surrender everything to God and put all your trust in Him. He
will open a new page in your life, a chapter free from the agony of the past, a life full of
peace and joy. Do not delay, go before Him in prayer right now and pour your heart out.
If God could wipe away my tears and give me more than that which I lost on that bus,
surely He can also restore all that you lost. Before long, all that pain will be replaced
with an ear to ear smile as your life witnesses a new dawn.

God is faithful. Believe in Him and He will erase all the pain and wipe away your tears.

To God be all the Glory and Honour.Amen.

Article n 10/2016. Written By: Simbarashe L Manyeruke. Published On: 5 April 2016.Layout Design: Ivanashe Photography