Called to Nurture

When Matlidah Dondo left Zimbabwe to seek her Master of Divinity at Garrett, she felt sure that she simply wanted to deepen her pastoral counseling skills so she could better serve students at the school where she served as a music teacher and administrator. “No, I definitely don’t feel a call to ministry,” she told her supervisor. God sure loves a chuckle at our confident intentions. Three years later, as she receives her diploma, she is pursuing ordination as an elder in the United Methodist Church—a dramatic transformation not only from her Roman Catholic upbringing, but also to her vocation and sense of self. This kind of change is not uncommon in seminary, but it speaks to how spiritual formation both connects students to God’s voice and illuminates the gifts that they possess.

Once you learn about Dondo’s teaching experiences in Africa, this shift toward ministry might not be a surprise. As an early-career teacher, she saw how many students lacked programming and structure after the school day ended, particularly those who didn’t want to play sports. To meet this need, she created a music club to give them an outlet for passions and creativity that might otherwise land them in trouble. “Our school became vibrant in music, well known in the community, and we even won some music competitions,” she says with delight. “I became quite popular and was placed in charge of the school’s elementary department.” In this new position, Dondo was now responsible to care for students’ and families’ emotional health, offering care to whoever arrived at her office in crisis. “I didn’t know how to help them except to read the Bible and pray,” she says. “I consoled children and their parents, but I realized I was just using my own biblical knowledge, and that wasn’t enough. I needed to get those skills.”

When she arrived on Garrett’s campus, ready to learn more about care and counseling, she began looking for a new church home. “Someone told me, ‘You should try First United Methodist Church,’” she remembers. “When first I saw Pastor Grace preach, I was amazed—coming from a Catholic background.” After some time attending worship, she was talking with Rev. Grace Imathiu and expressed doubts about her own ability to pursue ministry. “Grace said, ‘No, you can do this,’” Dondo recalls. “It’s not too late.” With renewed confidence, Dondo began considering a call to ministry, but to step into the pulpit herself still seemed daunting.

“The first time I preached I was shaking,” she confesses. “I wondered, ‘Who is going to listen to this? Am I doing the right thing?’” Experiences in Dr. Brooks’ preaching classrooms, however, offered the skills and conviction she needed. “The way I read and understand the gospel totally changed,” she says. “Learning to exegete the scripture, write a good script, even instruction on which voices we should use as we speak to God’s people.” As she moved through her internship, she discovered that where she once felt anxiety she now brimmed with confidence. “Now, I feel the Spirit float, flowing through my body,” she shares. “It’s hard to explain, just this overwhelming presence. I preached last month and thought I was delivering a simple message, but then people started crying, people began to confess. God was moving in that place.”

This comfort in Dondo’s preaching reflects a broader spiritual formation she experienced in her Garrett years. “Spiritually I am growing. Back home, there was little room for Bible studies, this program has changed the way that I pray, the way I practice my faith,” she observes. “I’m no longer the same.” She also received education to expand the pastoral care skills that brought her to Garrett in the first place. Classes like pre-marital counseling or dying and suffering offered opportunities to pair academic study to practical concerns. “If I had not taken that class, honestly I wouldn’t have known what to do if someone came and said, ‘Pastor, I only have two weeks to live,’” she shares. “Now, I know how I can help someone navigate that process, to understand their condition and embrace death in life.” As she moves into the world, Dondo seeks to marry her longstanding desire to care for people with her newfound ministry. “I’m called to nurture,” she says simply. “That’s the most important role I play.”