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Son thanks those with a heart of Gold, over UK's Grace Makombe's body repatriation

by Ryton Dzimiri
30 Dec 2014 at 01:29hrs | Views
When the grieving son says Thank You, the words are not quite loud. Each one of us have just one mother. When a mother dies, the sun sets in the life of her children. What is even more distressing is when the mother dies so far away across Oceans where the children cannot even influence the funeral arrangements.

Grace Makombe passed away in Coventry UK on the 24th of November after a long illness. She came to UK in 2001 with hope that she would work for a few years and go back home to look after her son, Chris Qhobolwakhe Ndebele in 2005.

Like many Zimbabweans now settled in UK, economic meltdown in 2005 proved to be worse than it had been in 2001 when she left home. Grace faced a choice between going back home to watch her son suffer in Rural poverty or hang on longer in UK until such a time that things normalised. Each and every one of thousands of Zimbabweans preferred sending money back home to care for children. Just a few parents went back home and those who had the right papers at the right time brought their children to UK.

Grace worked, lived and devoted her life to doing what was in the best interest of her son and remained in UK sending money to care for her son in Zimbabwe. Grace's health begun to suffer in 2011. She was on off hospital since then.

Grace, a devout Christian who learnt from the bible that a human being was put on Earth for a short trial period, knew that death is awaiting everyone. While she lived, she was astute, she never wasted an opportunity to pray and converse with God the creator to prepare for her eternal place in Heaven.

Grace used to take a lot of interest when NASA Scientists sent rockets to space and she used to like the amazing and sometimes frightening pictures of Galaxies, Planets, Comets, Spirals, Black holes showing some colours that are rare on Earth. She did not doubt that somewhere, sometime, God had a plan and a place for her soul. Grace always said only the short sighted doubted God after all the real Scientific pictures we see. As scholar viewing things from scientific realities, she found the definition of the infinite Universe frightening and only saving to confirm that there is a living God to take comfort in for everything.

She is still comfortable with God's unknown programme now.

Grace loved human beings and trusted them. She understood that human beings, some of whose names she would never know, helped her mother to board a bus in her Masvingo Rural areas to go to hospital to deliver Grace forty years ago. Grace loved the randomness of human beings who helped change her napkins when she was a few days old. Grace cherished and loved the random human spirit where strangers would help her cross swollen rivers on her way to school when she was a little girl. She loved those naughty boys in her class thirty years ago who pulled a chair she tried to sit on for a laugh. She also did things consistent with age and humanly regretted.

Grace acknowledged and cherished that all human beings have a spiritual connection of some nature which is all Engineered in Heaven. As a devout Christian who has tested God's power many times, Grace knew that if she prayed for something, God would send a human being to deliver what has been asked. Grace knew that God would never deliver £2,00 if she asked for it, but God would never fail to get that £2,00 delivered by a human hand.

God pushes the impossibles and makes them possible!!

When Grace died in November 2014, she had spent all her money on medically related issues but she was still a happy and comforted girl. She died peacefully and knowingly that the God whom she believed in, would gather all the resources that were related with her burial in Zimbabwe.

To trust God is everything!

Everyone panicked on hearing that the repatriation of her body from London to Harare would be £2 550.00. Just as Grace had been helped by strangers and relatives and friends in during her living days, Strangers, friends and relatives did not vacate Grace in her hour of need.

While neighbour was asking neighbour what to do in UK with the funeral? the Makombe family nucleus were communicating and planning. The Ndebele from Silobela and their nucleus were exchanging E-Mails, WhatsApps in and beyond Zimbabwe to collect donations. Grace Makombe's Church, in UK were collecting donations and doing what Grace has learnt about God and his people, TO HELP OUT!

Random Zimbabweans living in Diaspora in the UK, South Africa and Australia were also queuing to pledge their donations. This paper, Bulawayo24, carried an article asking Zimbabweans to help and God does not fail.

Grace's son, Chris Qhobolwakhe Ndebele, can't help, but say  "bantu bakaJehova, ngiyabonga umusa wenu ongaka"/ "Vanhu vaJehova, ndinotenda tsitsi dzenyu dzakadayi"

He says some donations came from people who did not even know Grace, they did not ask who she was? If she was good? Or if she ever gave the needy? They just opened their tender hearts, suspending their budgets and just giving.

Chris Qhobolwakhe, in the prayer he was taught by his God fearing mother, is asking God to bless the hands that gave and increase their barns in year 2014.

It is standard procedure that if you collect charity money from the general public, you also have the obligation to give all stake-holders a credible feedback.Stake holders are those people who failed to buy bread but chose to donate the little they had to help the funeral process. With this in mind and for the sake of transparency and accountability, each and every hand that helped this process become a reality is individually thanked below.

If you contributed your money with the aim of helping Grace Makombe and your name does not appear on the list below, please lodge your complaint by email to rytondzimiri@googlemail.com. Or WhatApp  0044 78655 68143 (Do not arrange contributions to this contact)  We will investigate and update your contribution even if it is a small amount.

It is against the Law in the United to collect charitable money from the unsuspecting public and divert the funds for other unrelated purposes. We therefor apply legal tools if such practice surfaces.

Thank you:....

KwaNdebele Funeral Fund (Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Australia)

(S. Gula $105), (Dr Nick $100), (Thabo $50),(Vusi Sonk $50),(Dr Nkonzo $40),(Tata Cyril $33),( Lawrence $31), (Godknows $25), (Thabani J $22), (B Thabiso $21), (Anele £20),(Albert $20), (Zodwa $20), ( B Njabulo $20), (Dalisizwe $20), (Sakhile $20), (Mtha $15), (Alester $11), (Nozie $11),

(Xholani $11), (Xolisani $11), (Thabiso $10.60), (Arnold $10).

(United Kingdom)
(Nhairi £100), (Sithembile £30), (R Dzimiri £30)(Uncle Ishmael £30),(A Dlamini £20), (Langelihle £10)

A total of £793.10 of the Kwandebele Funeral Fund was paid at C.J Reilly by S. Ndebele on the 27/12/14. Please confirm with Jill Reilly Tel 020 8859 1414. Or e-mail her at cjreillyfunerals@aol.com

The amount below is held on family accounts in Leeds (UK)awaiting transfer t C.J. Reilley Funeral Directors soon. Thank you :-

(Thenjiwe Nkala - £25.00),(Alice - £10.00),(Sheila - £10.00),(Terry Mlewa - £50.00),(Marcia - £35.00)
(Omega Mugweni - £30.00),(Mr & Mrs Mapundu - £50.00),(Talent Nyatsanza - £20.00),

(Linda Mafuba - £20.00),(Simangaliso Moyo - £10.00),(T Ncube - £30.00),(Terri - £100.00)

(Roseline -£100.00),(Rose - £100.00)

God did not fail Grace Makombe while she was alive, God is not failing Grace now. Grace's Church (I will post an updated article in a few days) has contributed money. They have confirmed that they will pay off the remaining balance at C.J Reilleys once all money collected from the public, friends and relatives has been submitted at C.J Reilleys.

The Church looks beyond the funeral, as a Church, they look farther than I have a right to publish.

To each and every hand that gave, a simply and human word "Thank You" is all I can say. Just as the Church, God has his own way to acknowledge your generosity, he is composing to fulfil your 2015 plan.

God bless you.

Source - Ryton Dzimiri