Mission Report: Tanzania, February 2014
March 5, 2014
I am happy to report that the February 2014 mission to Matebete Village in Tanzania was a good success, and I am very sure these Maasai Christians are now well-equipped to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to their fellow tribespeople in other villages.
Our success was very much the result of a combined effort. Evangelist Patric Ole Kinana, the chairman of ITO (WTWH-TZ) was the chief overseer of the event, organizing students for the class. Reverend Paulo Ole Kurupashi and Irene Lobara were my interpreters. They all did a wonderful job, which of course made my portion of the work easier. I would also like to thank my hosts, Philipo Kaney and his wife, Serena.
I taught for two weeks from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM. At the end of each day's lessons, the students met in five small groups led by Patric, Irene, Teten Ole Oyee, George Ole Oripu, and Monica Lobara. The group leaders reviewed the day's teachings and handled most of the questions that came up.
The second class in the series, In the Power of His Might, is designed to give Christians doctrinal and practical instruction in the use of the spiritual gifts. Because I don't speak Maasai or Swahili, I had been reluctant to try to lead the students into the gift of the interpretation of tongues. But after I helped the group leaders receive the gifts, they in turn helped me lead the people in their groups into the gifts as well. The inspired messages led to many tears of joy.
At the end of the five classes, I held a private graduation ceremony with just the students, and pronounced the Blessing of the Lord over them. Afterwards we had a public celebration with invited guests. Once again the people marveled how the Lord had broken down the denominational walls that had once divided the Maasai Christians.
Here a link to the photo page for this mission.
I was very happy to bring to the village the newly printed book Kanuni Za Mafundisho Ya Kristo, the Swahili translation of my book "The Principles of the Doctrine of Christ." This translation was written by Reverend George Ole Oripu, and the cover illustration by Teten Ole Oyee. I thank Evelyn Kaney for her help in typing George's manuscript, and Paulo and Irene for their help in proofreading the book. You can preview the book at Lulu.com.
The next event in Matebete Village will be held in May. This will be a series of teachings by the pastor of my church, Reverend Evan Pyle. It has been a few years since Evan has been to Africa, and I am sure that both he and the Maasai are joyfully anticipating their reunion.
While Evan is in Matebete, I will be ministering in the first towns I ever taught in Africa, in Kyela and Tukuyu, Tanzania. Reverend Clement Mwaitebele - the man who first invited me to Africa after hearing about WTWH on a ferryboat in Switzerland - is organizing this event.
But BEFORE that, I have two exciting missions set before me. From April 22 to 25, I will be teaching "The Prosperity of the Lord's Servant" and "The Week of Millenniums" in Thassos, Greece. This event is being hosted by Reverend Dimitris Pelidis, pastor of Thassos Christian Fellowship. Here is a link to their page on Facebook (Facebook links are only accessible to Facebook members). If you are interested in attending this event, please write to Reverend Pelidis here.
And before THAT... in just a few days I am flying to Uganda to present my Ministers' Training Series at the Church of God in Kireka, a work pastored by Mary Kyaligamba. This is the same church that hosted my seminar last September. I will be teaching from March 10 to 22. This event is being organized by Goodman Mugisha, pastor of Christ the Answer Church. Here is a link to their page on Facebook. I am glad to say that my sister Kei Sullivan will be joining me on this mission.
It is easy to get so caught up in the busyness of life that you forget to include the Lord in your day's plans. This is a particular danger in ministry; we are tempted to believe that the Lord is automatically involved in church work. Of course this is far from true. We are to follow the Lord; he does not follow us! So once again I solicit your prayers for the success of this mission, thanking you in advance for this invaluable contribution.
Thanks again for your interest, love, and support,
In the service of His Majesty, the King of kings,
Tim
P.S. My good friend Reverend Jay Pearson is in the process of developing a web page that he calls thevoicebehindyou.com. Jay is the author of the book and seminar, "Questions Seldom Ask and Answers Seldom Heard," and he has written many wonderful sermons that are published on the WTWH website. Bookmark his page and keep checking back for new developments!
Links mentioned on this page:
Photos from the February 2014 mission to Matebete Village
KANUNI ZA MAFUNDISHO YA KRISTO
Thassos Christian Fellowship Facebook page
Christ The Answer Facebook page
Reverend Jay Pearson's webpage
Your comments are welcome! Click here to write an email to Tim.
© Workers Together With Him, Inc.