We had originally met this gifted leader at the Discipleship
class in June, and he has absolutely RUN with it! By August we were already
beginning to hear stories about his progress. Now, because of his excellent
English and his heart for the ministry, we were able to work with him for a few
weeks in November while Bayo was unavailable. As we sat and visited with him
and his dear wife, we could see how his countenance lights up when we begin to
talk about God and how He is at work.
He showed
strong leadership potential even at an early age; and by the time he was in his
20's, he was employed with the Tanzanian national farms. Though he
was not yet a Christian, he was a faithful worker, and his strengths and
natural abilities gained him favor in the workplace. However, he had a serious
weakness in his life prior to his conversion: alcohol.
As he rose to
management level with the government farms, there were some of his coworkers
who became jealous of his success. Knowing his habit of going to the local bar,
they devised a plan to slip poison into his drink. The slow, agonizing effects
of that poison were horrible, but Paul remarks that this was when God got ahold
of his life. His debilitation led him to seek out a local Lutheran pastor he
knew, Gabriel Magang (you will meet him soon!). Gabriel came to his bedside at
the hospital and spent much time praying for him. As the Lord healed his body,
he found his mind becoming transformed as well, and his attraction to alcohol
was broken.
Paul's face
brightens as he recalls that God's healing of his body was only the beginning
of Paul's life transformation! --body, soul, and spirit! From that same year,
he began evangelizing everyone he could talk to!
Today, Paul is
a strong community leader in Katesh. He has a multi-pronged approach to his
ministry efforts, however.
- He knows and understands the need for ministry leadership training. Thus, several years ago, he committed to unity with others in Katesh to organize a cross-denominational intercessory prayer group, where an average of 40-50 people meet for training and prayer 3 nights a week. He says that very strong leadership is growing out of that prayer group, and it is out of that prayer group that many very strong evangelists have emerged.
- Three years ago, Paul and these other evangelists began open-air evangelistic meetings. These have become very fruitful, at times gathering up to 1500 people in villages and towns around Manyara Region to listen to the Gospel! During these rallies, the evangelism team meets each morning to pray for the preaching team and for the people who will attend. By mid-morning, all the pastors of the local churches are encouraged to join together for a bit of training and some preparation for any who may be making commitments to Christ during the meetings. Around 4pm, lively Christian music begins to alert the community, and people come from every direction to participate and listen to the teaching.
Results vary from community to community, but Paul is thrilled that so many give their lives to Christ in every place! He even reported 46 conversions in one evening rally this September!
(I can't wait to tell you more stories; but for now, I must move on.)
