Summer Short Report

 

Grace and Peace to you friends. Today, I’d like to share some highlights from this summer’s travels in Tanzania. The theme of this update is finding a healthy balance between providing help and encouraging independence in young, growing congregations. The church is a global body, interconnected in so many beautiful ways. Yet, it can sometimes be challenging to know how to help in a way that fosters maturity rather than unintentionally hindering it. Our experiences this summer offered some wonderful examples of how that balance can be achieved. Tabora: A Church Plant Gaining Ground One encouraging example comes from our visit with brethren at the Tabora church. One of our ACSOP graduates, Shadrack, has been working diligently to plant a congregation there, and it’s experiencing healthy growth. In an impressive show of personal commitment, Shadrack purchased a piece of land with his own funds and donated it to the church. (You can see a photo of this land in the side column.) Thanks to the support of generous donors in the U.S., we will soon be able to construct a church building on that land—a wonderful step forward for this young congregation. Nyama Koma: Local Initiative Bearing Fruit We also witnessed a powerful example of self-driven progress from our brothers at the Nyama Koma church in Misungwi. These Christians have been working together and pooling their limited resources for some time. Despite the economic challenges they face, they have managed to lay a foundation and build the walls for their own church building! Their determination is truly inspiring. (Their efforts are pictured in the side column as well.) They still need about $5,500 to complete the building—with a roof, floor, windows, and doors. Would any of you like to reward their initiative and sacrifice by helping them cross the finish line? Tanga: Generational Growth in the Gospel In Tanga, we saw another exciting form of growth. Meet Amos and Dennis Kuchizi—a father and son who represent two generations of ACSOP students. Years ago, Amos graduated from ACSOP and has since done tremendous work for the Lord in Tanga. Now, his son Dennis is halfway through his senior year at the school. I’m proud of this faithful family—and even more encouraged by what their story represents: a maturing church in East Africa where second-generation preachers are now rising to carry on the work! Simiyu: A Church in Its Infancy At the other end of the spectrum, we visited a brand-new congregation in the remote village of Simiyu, where our ACSOP student Sylvester Bugota is laboring tirelessly. Despite his significant mobility challenges, Sylvester is undeterred. He is passionately advocating for the gospel and working to establish the Lord’s church in his home village. Please keep him and this young congregation in your prayers as they take their first steps in faith. These stories have been a great encouragement to me, and I hope they are to you as well. So much becomes possible when God’s people work hand in hand. May He be glorified through every effort. Please continue to keep the church in East Africa in your faithful prayers! Till all have heard, Daniel Gaines Mission Coordinator Tanzania Missions

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