“God, I Have Come to Thee”

Everjoyce and Never Chikunguwo of Mutare had four children. They longed to be sealed together as a family; however, the closest temple was 1,127 kilometers (700 miles) away, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The visa offices were 286 kilometers (178 miles) away, in Harare. Never made the journey alone to reduce the expense. He arrived at the visa offices at 5:00 a.m. and joined a long queue. In line he learned that a new law prohibited anyone from applying for a visa on behalf of anyone else, even their spouse. Never began to pray fervently. While waiting in the queue, the worker distributing forms denied any requests for more than one, reiterating that no one could obtain a visa for another person. Never prayed silently, “O God, I have come to thee. Let thy will be done.”

When the man got to Never’s place in the line, he looked at Never, read the district missionary badge on his jacket, and then smiled and gave him two forms.

Bystanders warned Never that even if he had two forms, the officers would not allow him to collect the visa on behalf of his wife. When Never’s name was called, he went up and collected his passport. Then he stood in line again.

When Everjoyce’s name was called, Never presented himself again. “Are you Everjoyce?” the officer asked. Never smiled and explained that Everjoyce, his wife, was at home preparing for their trip to the temple. “I then flashed my temple recommend and my wife’s recommend,” he recounted. “She looked at me, read my district missionary’s badge which was on my jacket, then she stamped the visa and then the passport.”

Next came the journey to Johannesburg in April 1993. The family packed bags of food and some cookies. They rode the bus all day. On arriving at the border, they found that because of civil unrest in South Africa, their connecting bus had been diverted to help carry people fleeing the country.

The family was stranded but did not have enough money to book a hotel. Never kept watch as his family slept in the open. Finally, on the evening of the next day, they boarded a bus to Johannesburg.

They arrived at 4:00 a.m. and found a city in turmoil. After checking into a hotel, in the afternoon the family hurried to the temple and were sealed. They did not linger to do additional temple ordinances but left the following day. At Johannesburg’s central Park Station they witnessed rioting and killings but reached home safely.

Later that year, the Chikunguwos set out for the temple again, accompanied by two other families going for the first time. This time the journey was without hardship.

“The two families I came with got sealed,” Never said. “It was really a wonderful experience when I saw my wife enter the baptismal font, redeeming her ancestors and mine.”