From THE VINE AND BRANCHES JUNE 2011 

The Principles of the Doctrine of Christ

Presented in Madungulu Village, Tanzania

And the hand of the Lord was
with them… (Acts 11:21)

Returning to Madungulu less than five months after our last mission, I scarcely recognized the place. We departed in November from a parched dusty land with barely a hint of green. We returned in April to a landscape so lush it was swallowing up familiar footpaths. The meadows were adorned with flowers, and butterflies danced in the breeze. There was grass for the cattle and, as a result, plenty of milk for both calves and people. The land further "flowed with milk" through the teaching of The Principles of the Doctrine of Christ, which presents the sincere milk of the Word.

This was my first time through Rev. Sullivan’s seminar The Principles of the Doctrine of Christ, though I have read the book upon which it is based. I can say, without qualification, that this is Tim’s finest work and a vital message to the church. Its brevity in no way detracts from the completeness of the message. If you do not yet have a copy of the book, get one. If you have the book and haven’t read it, please do so carefully, prayerfully and with a heart open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I am sure we will soon host this seminar in our area. We will get out the word when the planning is complete so those who wish may attend.

In the closing minutes of the seminar, the Holy Spirit fell on the place where we were gathered. As one man later observed, the tears fell as rain. After the teaching, singing and praying were over nobody moved from their seats for a time, reverently submitting to God’s holy presence. Truly, the place was shaken where we were assembled (Acts 4:31). After a time we departed in peace, with many testifying to the grace of God they had seen. As Tim said, it is the kind of thing you wish you could bottle. Many have stumbled trying to recreate what God did at a special moment in time. The Lord had his purpose in doing a mighty work among us that day. Our responsibility is to be about the Master’s business. This, I pray, is what we did in Tanzania and what we will continue to do on future missions to Madungulu.

In advance of our journey, we posed questions for discussion with the elders of ITO (Workers Together With Him, Tanzania), HIMWA and KORDUNI, the women’s prayer group. This meeting was held shortly after our arrival and we were treated to thoughtful discussion and well-considered answers to our questions. The essence of our inquiries was what, in their thinking, is the purpose of our mission with the Maasai of Madungulu. Their answers may be summarized as follows:

1. Through the work of WTWH, they now have unity in the village, with Christians of all denominations worshipping together as one. It was noted that this is a clear fulfillment of a prophecy given by the late Yohana Ole N’gekee well before they had met us.

2. They would like to learn more and more of the Word of God through our teaching.

3. They will work with us to complete the partially-finished N’gekee Center building where Bible teaching for all may continue and where a place for Maasai culture, history and education can be maintained.

Tim and I again sojourned in the home of the parents of Evelyn Paraboy Kaney, where hospitality was shown us in every way. We feel undeserving of such kindness and yet appreciate very much the love and self-sacrifice shown in caring for us during our stay. I would also like to acknowledge the tireless work that Evelyn has done on our behalf. I don’t know if these missions could be attempted without her efforts. They certainly would not be as effective. Again, Paulo Kurupashi put his heart and soul into interpreting the teachings as well as many conversations.