Simberashe Nyamutora grew up in Zimbabwe, where his parents served with Steve and Linda Whitmer during their missionary service in the country. When it was time for college, Simberashe knew he wanted to work in ministry, and he knew Johnson–where the Whitmers led the intercultural studies program–was the place for him.
Simba graduated from Johnson in 2018 with a degree in cross-cultural media communication and today serves as a video production coordinator at Brookside Community Church/Brookside Community Development Corporation in Indianapolis. His wife, Amanda, who graduated from Johnson with a double major in intercultural studies and English as a Second Language education, works as an ESL teacher at Crispus Attucks High School in the Indianapolis public schools.
“We believe mission work starts by serving our local community,” Simberashe says. “Brookside’s mission is creating opportunities for renewal and transformation for people in the neighborhood. Brookside carries out this mission by helping individuals reenter society from incarceration, reversing the effects of trauma through a play-based program for kids, and providing stable housing for those experiencing generational poverty. In my role, I love sharing the stories of how God has transformed people’s lives. By sharing our stories of restoration with each other, we can create a unified, diverse community that our city desperately needs.”
The Nyamutoras also believe in living intentionally in their neighborhood, value they gained from their experience in Johnson’s Urban Plunge program. They live in an apartment complex where many refugees have been placed by the local refugee resettlement agency. Along with their close friends, they have enjoyed serving this community by coordinating a children’s VBS and family movie nights.
“We hope to someday serve overseas,” Amanda says. “But for now, we are blessed to serve the city of Indianapolis.”