Our Story
Before 2018
- Ronnie Madongwe was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. Since primary school, he knew he was gay. He committed his life to God. He prayed against the demon of gayism. But nothing changed.
- He ministered in school and church. Despite inner fighting, Ronnie ministered faithfully until he relocated to South Africa, where, for a short period, he joined a gay-centered life but soon felt the void compared to a Christ-centered life.
- He cried every time he saw young people living without considering their future due to the rejection of the church.
2018
- Douglas McFalls has been working and living in Africa for two decades. While visiting South Africa in 2018, Douglas was introduced to Ronnie, an economic exile from Zimbabwe.
- Seeing his deep faith and his burden for the suffering LGBTQI+ Christians, Douglas helped Ronnie see his ministry potential.
- Ronnie birthed the God Adores You ministry.
2019
- In 2019, Ronnie launched the God Adores You WhatsApp Group, which now reaches across Africa with encouraging words of faith and a place for helpful and safe conversation.
- God Adores You now includes workshops for pastors and parents and bible studies for LGBTQI+ believers.
2022
- Upon the invitation of Ronnie, Danny Cortez went to Zimbabwe to meet local church leaders, the LGBTQI+ community and their parents. He saw first hand the hardship it is to be LGBTQI+ in Zimbabwe.
- On the first day after a meeting, Danny was dropped off at his hotel. Later that evening, Ronnie and his partner, was assaulted, stabbed and received stiches on his body. Danny suggested that the next days meetings would be canceled so that Ronnie could recover, but Ronnie insisted that the programs should continue.
- Danny spent a week with them, knowing that there were multiple checkpoints throughout the city, where they could be stopped and harassed. Every time they got stopped, Danny held his breath and didn’t know what was going to happen.
- Danny felt his body was just worn down from even a short trip, exhausted mentally and spiritually about how traumatic his experience was in Zimbabwe. And yet, this was the normal pattern for LGBTQi+ people in most of Africa.
2023
Upon Danny’s return to the US, he met with Douglas to begin a US based non-profit that would support locally led ministries in Africa. In Feb 2023, Bridges In Africa was established.
- Thomas Igeme is a queer, Black immigrant originally from Uganda who grew up in Kenya.
- In his advocacy for LGBTQ+ Christians, Thomas is passionate about elevating the voices of those in communities where being queer is not just difficult - it is dangerous.
- Thomas believes deeply in the power of faith to bridge divides and envisions a global community where love, justice, and compassion transcend borders.
- Susie HoneyBee Searight advances mental health initiatives within fandom communities where insecurity, loneliness, anxiety, depression often crept into one’s vocabulary.
- She regularly supports Ronnie, whether he needs an ear to listen, arms to lift him up, or a heart to accept him for who he is, Susie offers a safe space free of judgment, where Ronnie can be himself and just be with people who understand and are there to help.
Amid a rise in anti-LGBTQI+ rhetoric and violence in Zimbabwe, primarily fueled by organizations influenced and funded by the American Christian Far Right, our ministry stands as a crucial refuge. In a devoutly religious country, our faith-based approach to advocating for inclusion and understanding from a theological perspective allows God Adores You to reach and change hearts in ways secular organizations cannot.