The following letter is from a friend of mine who is in Tanzania with the International Mission Board. Be amazed as you read at what God is doing in Tanzania.
TO OUR PRAYER PARTNERS:
Tchenzema: Last week we storied the substitute sacrifice from Numbers. I usually do not give an invitation to accept Jesus since we are building to the coming of Christ. However, we had talked about the promise of God enough that many of them know where we are going. I could
see conviction on several faces when we talked about how God gives us a substitute to punish for our sins, so I gave an invitation to accept Jesus, explaining that the invitation was for a life of commitment and was in response to what they were feeling in their hearts. I told them that I knew they only had part of the story, but that God may be telling them now that all they had heard was truth and all they would hear would be truth. Seven came forward. We can see the beginnings of a core of believers and rejoice.
This week five of the seven came back (which is good, considering they are farmers and have needs in the fields). We storied the snakes in the desert, pointing to John 12:32 later on. They are beginning to ask good questions, questions that show they are thinking about the stories and knowing that the stories have to do with them.
Lualu: Last week we came back from Masalawe in time to story to the Village Officer and three other people in her office. This week we saw her inspecting road work as we came into the village. She was not there when we came back from Masalawe. Please pray that God will work
out the time for us to story to her. Our schedules seem to conflict.
Masalawe: God is at work in Masalawe. Around 100 people show up each time. They, too, are asking good questions. Last week we storied the fall of man and this week the flood. They can sit in the hot sun for two hours and listen. They have been talking about our meetings and want to move to a shady location in anticipation of the coming weather later this year. We can tell that
they are beginning to feel comfortable together. One of the more interested villagers caught a ride back to town with us. As we talked about our hopes for his village and about our desire that they eventually go out to other villages, he sat against the back of the front seat. When we finished,
he asked us to pray for him as he was feeling that God wanted him to be one who tells others the Good News.
Please pray that we will have discernment as to God's vision for these villages. As you know, we went in looking for a man of peace who would gather five people in his home. We were hoping for these five to teach five others who would teach five others, and so on. However, we have never been able to start with only five (which is not bad). That is why I am asking you to pray that God will have his church his way in the villages. He may have other plans that what we were looking for. We want to be obedient to know and do his will.
Mbete: School starts back this week. We went to visit with the Village chairman before school re-opened. We thought we had met him before since someone had introduced himself as such. It seems that person was the vice-chairman. The timing was good. It is important to meet with the village chairman for reasons of protocol. The village chariman has heard we were at the school
and wondered why we had not come to see him. He was happy that we did so and "welcomed us" to his village. This is important since the village is probably 90% or more Muslim. He is Muslim as well. We told him God had a plan to bring men back to him and wanted us to know the happiness of having heaven secured now. He took my number and said that he wanted to hear the plan. Please pray that God will make this appointment for us and will open his heart to receive truth.
Mgete: School will re-open July 14th. We still have not heard from the Catholic bishop. He is notorious for stalling. Pray that God will open this door. Without his permission to teach the Catholic children at Mgeta, we will only be able to story to non-Catholics. Also please pray for Teresa. Her back "went out" and she is in pain. She can only lie in bed or sit on the couch with pillows around her. We have said before and we will say again that we depend on your prayers.
We look forward to seeing you and thanking you personally this December.
In Christ alone-
Tim and Teresa
Tchenzema: Last week we storied the substitute sacrifice from Numbers. I usually do not give an invitation to accept Jesus since we are building to the coming of Christ. However, we had talked about the promise of God enough that many of them know where we are going. I could
see conviction on several faces when we talked about how God gives us a substitute to punish for our sins, so I gave an invitation to accept Jesus, explaining that the invitation was for a life of commitment and was in response to what they were feeling in their hearts. I told them that I knew they only had part of the story, but that God may be telling them now that all they had heard was truth and all they would hear would be truth. Seven came forward. We can see the beginnings of a core of believers and rejoice.
This week five of the seven came back (which is good, considering they are farmers and have needs in the fields). We storied the snakes in the desert, pointing to John 12:32 later on. They are beginning to ask good questions, questions that show they are thinking about the stories and knowing that the stories have to do with them.
Lualu: Last week we came back from Masalawe in time to story to the Village Officer and three other people in her office. This week we saw her inspecting road work as we came into the village. She was not there when we came back from Masalawe. Please pray that God will work
out the time for us to story to her. Our schedules seem to conflict.
Masalawe: God is at work in Masalawe. Around 100 people show up each time. They, too, are asking good questions. Last week we storied the fall of man and this week the flood. They can sit in the hot sun for two hours and listen. They have been talking about our meetings and want to move to a shady location in anticipation of the coming weather later this year. We can tell that
they are beginning to feel comfortable together. One of the more interested villagers caught a ride back to town with us. As we talked about our hopes for his village and about our desire that they eventually go out to other villages, he sat against the back of the front seat. When we finished,
he asked us to pray for him as he was feeling that God wanted him to be one who tells others the Good News.
Please pray that we will have discernment as to God's vision for these villages. As you know, we went in looking for a man of peace who would gather five people in his home. We were hoping for these five to teach five others who would teach five others, and so on. However, we have never been able to start with only five (which is not bad). That is why I am asking you to pray that God will have his church his way in the villages. He may have other plans that what we were looking for. We want to be obedient to know and do his will.
Mbete: School starts back this week. We went to visit with the Village chairman before school re-opened. We thought we had met him before since someone had introduced himself as such. It seems that person was the vice-chairman. The timing was good. It is important to meet with the village chairman for reasons of protocol. The village chariman has heard we were at the school
and wondered why we had not come to see him. He was happy that we did so and "welcomed us" to his village. This is important since the village is probably 90% or more Muslim. He is Muslim as well. We told him God had a plan to bring men back to him and wanted us to know the happiness of having heaven secured now. He took my number and said that he wanted to hear the plan. Please pray that God will make this appointment for us and will open his heart to receive truth.
Mgete: School will re-open July 14th. We still have not heard from the Catholic bishop. He is notorious for stalling. Pray that God will open this door. Without his permission to teach the Catholic children at Mgeta, we will only be able to story to non-Catholics. Also please pray for Teresa. Her back "went out" and she is in pain. She can only lie in bed or sit on the couch with pillows around her. We have said before and we will say again that we depend on your prayers.
We look forward to seeing you and thanking you personally this December.
In Christ alone-
Tim and Teresa
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