Nico Zhomwa
I grew up Catholic in Zimbabwe, where I spent the first 24 years of my life. My parents would always remind us, “Remember who you belong to.” I knew they meant Jesus, but for a long time, I was mostly coasting in my faith. I went to Mass and prayed, but my relationship with Jesus wasn’t really my own yet.
In the years around COVID, many of my friends from church left Zimbabwe to study overseas, while life itself slowed down. Sports stopped, friendships changed, and many of the things I had found my identity in – being the best athlete, son, brother, or friend – weren’t there in the same way.
In that stillness, I realized how much I had been relying on those things to tell me who I was. So I prayed, “God, I don’t know who I am. Show me who I am.”
That prayer awakened a deep desire to be present to the Lord. I wanted to go to Mass, encounter Jesus, receive Him in the Eucharist, and let Him consume my life.
Coming out of that period, I saw a need in my church. With many of the older youth having left, there was a void in youth leadership. It didn’t come naturally to me, but I stepped in – organizing events and serving younger youth because I wanted them to experience the joy and freedom I was discovering in following Christ. I wanted to know Him and serve Him.
Then I left Zimbabwe for Canada to pursue my Master’s degree. My parents worried my faith might suffer, but being away from my family and familiar Catholic community gave me the opportunity to make my faith truly my own.
That’s where I discovered Catholic Christian Outreach. Through CCO, I went from student, to leader, to missionary. The missionaries on my campus saw something in me that I hadn’t fully seen in myself, and at Rise Up, I received a deeper confirmation of my call to missionary work. I’ve since moved on from CCO and am now serving in my second ministry position with FacetoFace Ministries.
Today, my faith still isn’t perfect. I still want to be the best athlete, student, son, brother, or friend. But those things no longer have to define me. I can offer them back to God because I know who I belong to.
I belong to Christ.
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