Changing Oversight

Grace and peace to you friends and brethren,       I have a very exciting announcement to share with you today.  After reading it, please contact me with any questions or comments that you might have.  Also, let me know if you would like for me to visit with you or your congregation in person about the work. In Christ, Daniel Gaines An important announcement regarding Tanzania Missions:      The elders of the Bear Valley church of Christ and the administration of the Bear Valley Bible Institute are excited to announce a transition of Tanzania Missions (formerly known as TZ2000) and the Andrew Connally School of Preaching to the oversight of the elders of the Hoover church of Christ near Birmingham, Alabama.      The Bear Valley Bible Institute will continue to operate the school of preaching per the request of the elders of the Hoover congregation.  We are excited to team up with our brethren at Hoover to maximize the good work being done in Arusha and throughout East Africa.      Beginning August 1, all support should be sent and made payable to:             Hoover church of Christ 3248 Lorna Road Hoover, AL 35216        As always we are grateful for your prayers and support of this fine work. Serving Him, Donnie Bates for the Bear Valley elders Denny Petrillo, President, Bear Valley Bible Institute From the Hoover Church of Christ:      For many years now the Hoover Church of Christ has loved the Lord’s work and people in Tanzania, and we have been privileged to work alongside our brothers and sisters associated with the Bear Valley Church of Christ. After taking our first trip to Tanzania in 2007, our congregation made visiting Tanzania a priority each year since then. During those thirteen years, we have worshiped with and been encouraged by so many Tanzanians.      We have also become quite familiar with the work that Bear Valley does in Tanzania and in other parts of the world—particularly through their establishment of and leadership in their preaching schools. We have full confidence in the faithfulness of Bear Valley and the good work that they have done and are continuing to do.      As we assume oversight of the work in northern Tanzania, we know that we are just building on the foundation that others by God’s grace have already established. We truly are standing on the shoulders of giants. Continued partnerships with brothers and sisters in Tanzania, as well as throughout the United States are vital to the ongoing success of this work.      A crucial part of this transition is Bear Valley’s interest in continuing to be involved in the work in Tanzania as they provide the curriculum and instruction in the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. Because they have been involved in schools of preaching for years and have an unrivaled level of expertise—and because of their unquestioned loyalty to the cause of Christ—we eagerly join hands with them in this good work. We trust their faithfulness to Jesus Christ, their commitment to training preachers, and their willingness to work with us in Tanzania.      We are fully committed to seeing the Tanzanian work continue to grow and prosper. As the population in East Africa continues to boom, we envision millions of souls there that need to be reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This mission is as important now as ever! We hope that you will continue to support God’s work there. You have our promise of our full engagement in the work and dedication to ongoing faithfulness.  We look forward to remaining partners with you for years to come.      Please pray that God will bless this transition with his grace, and that he will empower us to continue with the faithful work that began in Tanzania so many years ago.      Thank you for your faithfulness and for your love of Jesus and His church. May God continue to bless you in every way. Till all have heard! The Hoover leadership

Short Report 6/5

Grace and Peace to you friends.  I hope that you are well despite these challenging times. Today I'm glad to be able to bring you positive news.  The Tanzania government is allowing schools to resume, and the Andrew Connally School of Preaching is all set to bring our students back at the beginning of July.  They will have time to finish their second quarter of study, and be right back on track for the fall!  Travel has opened back up, and I have tickets purchased for my next trip.  We pray that conditions remain stable and that there will not be any more significant disruptions to our schedule.     The work of evangelism has marched on.  In the past couple of weeks, our brethren have shared news of at least 11 baptisms.  One of which was Anthony Francis.  Anthony was a student of World Video Bible School.  They contacted us to find a local evangelist to help teach Anthony further.  I reached out to David Bayi who continued working with Anthony, and recently baptized him into Christ.  The picture above shows this joyous event!   Student Spotlight:  Shadrack Mkombwe. Shadrack was born to Efrem and Franziska Mkombwe on August 25, 1987  in the village of Isimani in the Iringa region.  Together with his wife, Mariam, he has one child, Samuel.  He has been a member of the Lord's church since 2011 and came to ACSOP in search of a better understanding of God's word.  After he completes his studies, Shadrack hopes to go back to his home congregation to preach and teach.   Shadrack wanted to tell you this: "I would like to thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I also thank all the donors for the donation you are making for this School. We know for sure that without you I could not have an ability to afford the expenses of get this education. May the God of love bless you so much, and we still keep on praying for you." Let me join with Shadrack in thanking you for your support and prayers.  Also, as your congregation begins to have assemblies again, let me know if you would like an in-person visit and presentation about the great work in Tanzania.  I am happy to make that happen!   Till all have heard, Daniel Gaines Director Tanzania Missions

Copyright © 2020 Bear Valley Bible Institute International, All rights reserved. Donations Can Be Made Out To: "Bear Valley Bible Institute International" - be sure to mention TANZANIA MISSIONS in the Memo line and  Send To: Bear Valley Bible Institute International 2707 S. Lamar Street Denver, CO 80227

COVID Relief for Tanzania

Grace and peace to you friends.  Some of you may have been wondering about the situation being created by COVID-19 in Tanzania.  You know it is creating hard times all over the globe.  Travel and gathering restrictions are causing people not to be able to work, as people in America have become well familiar.  However, some countries are not set up as well for telecommuting and government aid.   Tanzania has had to essentially close its boarders and has prohibited all gatherings of more than 10 people.  The exception to this restriction at this point is for church services.  Churches are still allowed a one-hour gathering for worship only.  Between the health care system of a developing nation, and the fragile economy that will suffer devastation from protective shutdowns, there are hard times coming for many of our Tanzanian brothers and sisters. Things are hard everywhere, so I won't request much from you today.  I'm asking you to consider a small additional gift of just $10 to buy food for some of the Tanzanian churches to distribute to needy individuals who have not been able to work due to COVID restrictions.  If 100 of you send $10, then we'll be able to buy $1,000 worth of basic foods to help keep meals on the table for these families.  Every penny collected in this drive will go towards relief for these congregations, whether we collect $100 or $10,000.    You can make your donation HERE. Thank you friend.  May God be with you. Till all have heard, Daniel Gaines Director Tanzania Missions

Short Report 4/7

Grace and Peace to you friends.       So much of our world is gripped in fear, and countless lives have been disrupted.  People are confused about where they can go for help, or at least for accurate information about what's going on.   At least one bible student in the Kioga area has been delaying the baptism that he needs because of his fear that COVID-19 might be waterborne.  Fear is a powerful thing, and this current climate presents a great many challenges for us all to face..  However, there are also wonderful opportunities for the gospel.  The evangelists that we work with in Tanzania have reported no less than 31 baptisms this month!      People need Jesus as much as ever, and the opportunities are there if our eyes are open to them.  For example, our brother Kashumba went to Mwanza to teach an agriculture program that he does to help various communities.  While there, the uncooperative weather extended his trip.  So, of course, he used the extra rain-delay time for evangelism, baptizing 3 people.  While he was at it, he helped establish a new congregation in the village of Kalebezo in the Sengerema district.  That congregation is up to 10 members now, and is meeting in a member's home.  You can see Kashumba and the new Christians in the picture below.      Sometimes I tell you about efforts that are being made to reach the children in various areas.  This week a story from brother Yusuph illustrates why that matters.  For the past year, a 5-year old little girl has been attending bible class at the Ushirombo church.  The little girl continually invited her mother to come along with her.  Finally, the mother acquiesced and has been attending worship for the past 3 months.  I received word just the other day that this mother has now been baptized!         We pray that the Lord of harvest will continue to send great fruit, along with the reapers needed to do the work.  Speaking of workers, let me close by sharing the spotlight with another one of our students at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching (BVBII-Arusha):   STUDENT SPOTLIGHT:  Luka Lubange        "I am Luka Lubange, student of ACSOP, second year. It is my prayers that God helps us to graduate at the end of this year. I was born in 1985 to a Christian family where both of my parents are members of the Lord’s church. My father’s name is Lusekelo Lubange,a Preacher at Chimala/Mbeya since 1986. I and my wife are members of Airport church of Christ in Mbeya Town. I have two children.      "The main reason for me to be trained to ACSOP is to get the knowledge of preaching and teaching the  Bible to other people, so to fulfill the great commission of Jesus Christ (Mk 16:15-16;Matt.28:18-20). And I think this school provides the knowledge I need that comes from God.      "My goal after graduating is to go back to the congregation where I came from to preach the Gospel and to help the Mbeya Bible school which is under our congregation. In the Mbeya Bible school we provide God’s knowledge to all kind of people whether Christians or not, and it has only two teachers. So I will join with them to teach. I will do my best to work in God’s field with all my strength as God will grant to me.      "Thanks a lot to all sponsors who donate in this school.  May God our Lord bless them so that they may continue contributing because in doing this they also fulfill the command of Jesus to spread the Gospel to every creature.   Thank you very much and it is my prayer to God to live according to His law so that one day we may meet to heaven." Let me join Luka in saying thank you for your support, your interest, and for your prayers.  May God be with us all as we serve Him together.  Till all have heard, Daniel Gaines Director Tanzania Missions