Tragedy in Zimbabwe and Gary Leaves
1987 Thanksgiving Day was a devastating day for Bob and Terry, and the rest of KCF because after Bob returned home from the inner city, they were given the news by Noel Alexander that most of their friends in the Christian community in Zimbabwe had been massacred by those claiming to be dissidents and Communist insurgents. The entire fellowship was devastated by the news. They were axed to death including Deborah. One little boy, Matthew, escaped. The terrorists made Laura another young girl on the farms, only 11 at the time, watch as the terrorists killed her family and friends with axes. The terrorists then gave her a message to give to the government of Zimbabwe and sent her on away, walking towards a nearby town to report on this horrendous crime. As she was walking away the little boy, Matthew, who escaped came up to Laura and said to her, “I guess you are my mother now.” This was a profoundly sad event for everyone back in Kansas City… including Pat and Cheryl. But no one from the USA or Kansas City was there when it happened. The last family that lived there from Kansas City was Bill Corum and his family, and they had left three weeks before this happened. Bob and Terry had now been back in Kansas City for several months. The Hartley’s were especially devastated because they had become so very close friends to all the people on the two farms in Zimbabwe. They were both interviewed by the Kansas City Star and USA Today, the day after the story broke. Brenda Johnson (Casey) at the time lived with them and greatly helped them in their time of grief. Gary Kroeze was celebrating Thanksgiving in KC at the time with the Gutshalls.
Bob Scott, Noel, Gary, and Mike gathered at the KCF office building. They were overwhelmed and grieved by what had happened. There was a large Memorial Service held for the Community of Reconciliation at the KCF auditorium in which Bob Hartley and Noel shared, and the local media were in attendance. The Community were celebrated and honored as genuine martyrs for their faith.
Gary and Bob Scott returned to Zimbabwe to attend the funeral service there for their friends. It was an especially agonizing and devastating for Bob Scott, who when he got to Zimbabwe was confronted by many angry and confused white farmers in the region and was compelled to see the corpses of all his old friends who had been axed to death. The farmers had no real clue why the community of reconciliation existed in the first place. Bob was shaken to his core along with the friends and family members of the community of Reconciliation. Bob Scott soon returned home. As for Gary after this time, he stopped being involved in KCF. Gary over the years significantly influenced KCF. He motivated people in seeking and trusting God and His ways; and taught on value of humility before God.
But the results of Gary’s influence seemed mixed and opinions on him were very diverse. He was more diligent and sought God harder than probably any other man I know of. He shared a lot on the ways of God and carefully explained them to people, but some Fellowship’s Leaders seemed to see a thread of legalism mixed in.