Tanzania 2023 Mission Report

I am overjoyed that our team has completed this year’s mission trip to Tanzania! Our team experienced so much, and we are truly blessed to be used by God for His Kingdom. We are amazed by all that God has done in and through us, our faith has increased, and we are grateful for the new relationships we were able to form there. 

Even though our team was smaller than expected, Josh and I traveled to Tanzania to support our Global partner: the Living Water and Christ Labor’s Church. Our focus for this trip was to come alongside our partner to assist in door-to-door outreach, revivals, and equipping the church to continue the work of the ministry. This is our second trip to Tanzania and a continuation of the partnership that was established last year. I want to give a report and an update on our work and the opportunity we will have with future trips. 

Embarking On Mission Together

Our time was focused on two villages, Kisanga and Tallawanda. Christ Labor’s Church has now planted 20 churches in different villages to continue spreading the Gospel throughout the country. Pastor Vincent Komba is the pastor of the church and an excellent friend of mine. He is gifted in disciplining men and women and empowering them to serve in new church plants. Both Kisanga and Tallawanda have experienced difficulties and persecution over the last year. Both villages were without a pastor until about 6-8 months ago. Pastor Zion is serving faithfully in Kisanga, and Pastor N’Guga is in Tallawanda. These villages are among the hardest places to minister due to persecution and challenges. 

Kisanga

In Kisanga, we aimed to join the church and assist in door-to-door outreach and revival services in the evening. Josh and I joined church members and shared the Gospel with the homes that allowed us to share. There were 3 people who responded to the Gospel and put their faith in Jesus. That night, we were approached by Pastor N’Guga to help assist with a baptismal service. Initially, I thought they needed help organizing the service and assisting in the water. I soon found out they did not have a river, lake, or other water source, and we needed to devise a way to baptize the believers in the village. Together we dug the hole that would serve as the pool for the baptism, lined the hole with plastic to hold the water, and filled the pool with water from the village well.

The overwhelming religion of this village is witchcraft. The community leaders have barred the church and its members from using the well because of their faith in Jesus. Church members have to ask their friends to give them water to survive. When we started brainstorming how to accomplish the service, I asked how we would fill the pool with water if we were barred. Pastor N’Guga said we would ask the village leader to see what happens. The village leader not only allowed us to access the water but also gave us padding for the pool floor, let us borrow the buckets to transport the water, and did not charge us for the water we needed. The Lord blessed the entire process. I am amazed at the power of God to continue to open doors that seemly are shut. By asking the village leaders, we had the water necessary to baptize 14 new believers in Christ. 

Tallawanda

The second village we worked in was one I visited last year. They have grown considerably since I visited last, and spending more time with the church members was encouraging. We learned from the elders they have already started to mobilize and have outreach teams to neighboring villages. They are in talks of planting new churches in those villages so they do not have to travel far to attend church. I had the opportunity to teach the church members a lesson on sharing their faith while they engaged with the neighboring village. We walked them through the salvation bead bracelets. We told them we would leave all our supplies so they could be resourced after we returned home. While teaching, I saw 5 women stand in the back and write every word down so they could be prepared to share the Gospel. It was a sweet moment to see the church equipped to share their faith and be mobilized to expand the Kingdom of God! 

We also had the opportunity to play soccer with the men and older boys of the village as a way to engage them. Pastor N’Guga has worked to build relationships with them through sports ministry. What seemed to be a simple game had a significant impact. Getting Messi men to engage in church services is very challenging. N’Guga has used soccer as a way to continue to engage with them. We learned that no mission team had stayed in Tallwanda for over 2 hours. We were the first team to spend an entire day there. I was reminded of how important the ministry of presence is. By just showing up, we enhanced the work N’Guga was doing and watered those seeds that were planted. The father of half the men in the village came to watch the game. He allowed his sons to stop watching the cattle, attend church, and play soccer. 

Prayers

Please join me in praying for all of our brothers and sisters in Tanzania and the members of Christ Labors Church. Pray for Vincent and his family as they continue to lead and invest in their planted churches. Pray for the Potter Center, a discipleship school that sends out pastors to lead these newly planted churches. Pray for the countless people who continue to serve and support the ministry. Pray specifically for Pastor Zion, the Kisanga church, and Pastor N’Guga in Tallwanda. Pray they continue to be faithful and see fruit from their ministry. Many men and women have come to faith in Christ through the church and have faced persecution and violence. Women who have turned to Jesus are beaten, shamed, and dishonored by their husbands. There is also a significant presence of witch doctors who harass and bring additional opposition to the work of the ministry. Please pray the roots of the church will hold firm. Also, pray for the clarity of the Gospel message to penetrate the hearts of those who hear. Finally, pray against spiritual attacks from the enemy. 

What’s Next? 

Lord willing, we will continue to take teams to Tanzania next year and continue our partnership with Christ Labors Church and the Living Water. We plan to go in May/June 2024. There are a couple of different ways to participate in this trip. The first would be to teach various lessons in the Potter Center with the discipleship students. The second would be to visit villages, encourage the believers, join them with special projects, and participate in the door-to-door ministry of serving and loving the community. So please begin to pray as the Lord stirs your hearts to go on this trip next year.  

Thank you, church, for your prayers and partnership in sending our team to Tanzania! 

Testimonials

Josh – As I reflect on what the Lord showed me in Tanzania, I am reminded of several important truths. First, the kingdom and church of Jesus is much bigger and grander than we so often remember. We might be separated by thousands of miles, our cultures are different, we might speak different languages, our church buildings may even look much different, but the Gospel of Jesus unites believers greater than any worldly thing ever could. I was humbled by the Pastors and church members in Christ Laborers Church who passionately understood the Kingdom of Jesus is best served when every local body of believers is strong. They take time out of their services to pray for Calvary Baptist Church and eagerly ask what ways they can join us in prayer for our community. Their commitment to proclaim the Gospel to others was inspiring. Witnessing what the Lord is doing in the Christ Laborers Church network, celebrating, and serving alongside their teams was a gift. It grew my understanding of the Lord, His power, and His love. I look forward to returning to Tanzania soon.