---

WORKING 5 TO 9 IN ZIMBABWE by Lee Gilliland Close Up: Alistair Bradley, Salisbury, Zimbabwe       New Zealander Alistair Bradley is very much at home in Salisbury, Zimbabwe. In fact he's spent nearly half his life in Africa. He met his American wife, Ann, when they both were missionaries in Nigeria. During his 10 years there he came into contact with Campus Crusade for Christ. "I’d always been keen to talk to people about the Lord," he says, "and the Nigerians are so open, so it changed my ministry."       In 1974 the couple went to the United States to join Campus Crusade staff. Their next stop was Nairobi, Kenya, where they attended and then taught in the East Africa Great Commission Training Center. Two years later they moved to Swaziland and began another center for training Africans in discipleship and evangelism.       A new venture began for the Bradleys in January 198I when they moved their family to Salisbury. Their objective was to start yet another training center that would help rebuild the moral fiber of this war-torn country. "I think there's a tremendous opportunity in this country right now," Alistair says. "People are eager for us to come and help them. Recently a pastor told me, 'My people have faith, but they don't know what their faith is in. They need teaching, and you people have the answer.'" 4:50 a.m.       Like every weekday, this Monday begins early for Alistair so that he can find time for personal devotions and then read the Bible and pray with Ann. After breakfast the couple has family devotions with their daughters, Ruth and Mary.       Shortly after 7 the girls are off to school and Alistair is catching the bus downtown to the Campus Crusade office. He usually rides the bus to save money (gasoline is now $3.65 per gallon) and to be with the people, but it bothers him that it takes so much of his time. 8:00 a.m.       The Campus Crusade staff team, minus a few of the wives, gathers at the office for 15 minutes of prayer before the day's activities take them in various directions.       Alistair and fellow staff member Aaron Muchengeti head out to one of the townships to meet with the Rev. Tapson Chimbvombvo. Tapson pastors two churches in Salisbury in the Shona language. He asked the men to show him materials that he could use to train his congregations in evangelism and discipleship. A tape series designed for small-group training especially interests Chimbvombvo.       Returning from the appointment, Alistair spends the rest of the morning dealing with items that need his attention. He looks through applications from Christians who want to attend the first training center cycle. Alistair is excited about the potential for training Zimbabwe's church leaders through the center. One applicant has been conducting Theological Education by Extension courses and his wife has been teaching since 1964. Men and women like this will play a key part in the fulfillment of Alistair's desire to see nationals take over leadership of the training center and the ministry in Zimbabwe. 12:30 p.m.       Alistair hurries to a nearby park to share a bag lunch with Ashok Jalalabi, a recent Hindu convert to Christianity. He and his wife are part of a class for new believers that the New Zealander teaches before church each Sunday. Alistair meets weekly for lunch with Ashok to encourage him and deepen their relationship. 2:00 p.m.       Alistair's pastor, Stan Hannan, drops by the office to see what Campus Crusade materials might be useful at the church. Stan first came in contact with the ministry while a pastor in South Africa. When the Bradleys joined Calvary Baptist Church, Stan was glad to put them to work.       At the time, the church needed help with its personal evangelism training program. "We had a group of 20, but little direction," Stan recalls. Soon he and Alistair developed a weekly evangelism night featuring devotions, a meal, Campus Crusade's basic training and then a time of witnessing in homes in the community.       "I'm a firm believer in programs that can give people a clear-cut goal," says Hannan. "That's what I like about Campus Crusade. It's silly for churches to try to develop a program by trial and error that expertise has already put together." 3:00 p.m.       Wrapping things up at the office, Alistair hikes to his daily Shona class. Although all his work can be done in English, he wants to be able to converse in the tribal language of the Shonas, the majority of Zimbabwe's seven million blacks. People appreciate the effort he's making and like to help him learn. When Alistair suggested they sing some Shona songs at their staff meetings, Killiana Muchengeti thanked him, saying, "Sometimes we get the feeling that God hears only English."       After class Alistair returns to help close the office. Then he hurries home to prepare his devotional for the staff meeting that evening and to enjoy some time with his family during dinner. 7:30 p.m.       The staff team of nine, including black and white Zimbabweans and Americans, gathers in one of the staff homes. During the weekly session group members share what's happening in their ministries and pray for each other. This week they are saying good-bye to one couple leaving for furlough and welcoming another who has just moved to Salisbury to join the team. After some refreshments everyone heads home. Because he gets up so early, Alistair likes to get to bed by 9, but, as is often the case, he doesn't make it tonight.