Meet Mary, entrepreneur and disciple of Jesus - Part 1

Mary met us at the front gate with a hug and her warm, infectious smile. Grabbing Susan's hand, she ushered us across the small courtyard, calling out to the workers (probably local men in need of employment) a greeting and blessing as they repaired the broken concrete courtyard connecting several small buildings.

We ducked into one of the rooms off the courtyard. Upon entering we glanced about, taking in the bright sunlight shining through several windows and an open door on the other side of the room, where two ladies sat on the floor. This was a work room, of sorts, with an old, treadle sewing machine on a side table. One corner featured a long, make-shift bookshelf, lined with Bible study and story books with Swahili and English titles. 

Mary encouraged us to have a seat on the couch, and she found her place behind a desk stacked with small bags of colorful beads, long leather pieces, and her well-worn Bible. She excused herself and turned to address the two women. Speaking in the tribal Barabaig language, she instructed them regarding their work; then she turned her attention again to us, explaining that these women were working very hard for an upcoming craft sale.

Mary shared with us their names and explained that these very remote village women had come to her door, asking for money or food. She refused to give them handouts, but instructed them to come in and learn how to work. They sit on the floor near the sunny open doorway, laps draped with their current projects, making beautiful necklaces, bracelets, skirt wraps, etc. which they can sell to feed themselves  and their families. Today was the once-a-month village market day, with people arriving with their livestock, wares, and food from throughout the region.  They worked diligently, hoping to finish their projects so they could get money from Mary and still make important purchases before the end of the day.

While the women work, Mary likes to read to them from the Bible and teach them the ways of God. Mary knows that it is unlikely they will hear about God in their villages, since this tribe holds to very traditional ways, not permitting education or any variance from their historical customs. But Mary has great respect and history with them. They know she wants to help them, and that she will give them opportunities...and at the same time she tells Bible stories, cooks lunch for them, and blesses them.

Lake Basotu and the Datooga Bible

At the website of the American Bible Society (http://record.americanbible.org/content/around-world/celebration-generation?page=0,1) an article explains the painstaking work of developing audio scriptures for obscure languages of African tribes. The Datooga people, including the Barabaig sub-tribe (in the Mbulu and Manyara Regions where AIM is working in Tanzania) did not even have a written language! The ABS article states the challenge well: 

“The work of the Datooga Bible translation began at the very beginning — with the invention of a written Datooga alphabet. In 1985, the process of creating letters and words for what had only been spoken began. Working with Datooga locals, two missionaries from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania began the process. Later, in partnership with the Summer Institute of Linguistics and the United Bible Societies, a couple of translation consultants, trained in Hebrew and Greek, went to work. In all, some 20 Datooga men and women were involved in translating and testing the Datooga New Testament over the 24 years it took to complete.”

“One who lasted the whole stretch is the perpetually smiling Pastor Joseph Maho, 59. The day before the launch, sitting outdoors at a round wooden table under a thatched roof, Joseph, in a quiet but excited voice, spoke about his experience. “Being in the Word every day has been very powerful — to see the power of God at work,” he said.  The beginning work took place in a tiny, one room building on the grounds of Lake Basotu. That building was used until 2007, when the effects of El Niño caused a flood, rendering the building unusable.  Joseph picked up the work in another office in the village of Basuto.”

In November 2012, AIM traveled to Lake Basotu. We witnessed the changed landscape, as the lakeshore has intruded on the higher ground, tree stumps still litter the shallows, and abandoned buildings like the translation house now sit on a small island.

It was a humbling experience to walk among the buildings where the bulk of the translation work was done for the Datooga Bible. In 2010 we discovered that the work of translation was progressing, and we began to pray for the resource to be made available. Finally in 2012 we discovered that not only was the translation work completed, but audio-Scriptures were now available! 

AIM was delighted to be able to purchase 12 solar-powered units with the Gospels and Acts recorded in Datooga to deliver to Pastors and indigenous missionaries to share among the Barabaig tribe.

Those units are being put to good use among an illiterate tribe, allowing them to learn and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Barabaig people are coming to Christ, and churches are being planted among one of the most Christian-resistant tribes in the region.  God is at work, and we intend to continue partnering with Him in taking the message of salvation and discipleship to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people to the glory of His Name!

You Gotta Meet Philipo & Marta Siasi!

This energetic pastor has been making great use of the two of the tools we brought in June.  He has audio scriptures (from World Mission in Grandville, MI) in 2 languages--Iraqw and Datooga/Barabaig.

With just one of these units in the Iraqw language, Philipo has started 6 listening groups, in which they first hear a Scripture passage and then follow up with teaching or questions for further understanding and application.

That's right! Philipo travels every night to different areas to disciple these 6 groups!

As the pastor of a local Pentecostal church, he has also taken his church leaders (elders and group leaders) as well as other pastors through the Activation International Discipleship Class. And there is fruit!...

Petro Nehu (pictured here on the far right) was originally one of this church's evangelists; however, the church leadership has sent him to live among the tribespeople in a nearby Barabaig village. He has learned the language and has immersed himself there, where he is now utilizing the second audio unit as a kind of missionary tool to the usually-resistent Barabaig.

Petro's strategy is to take the audio Bible to places in the village where people gather, and there he begins to play it out loud. In no time at all, people begin to gather to listen. Oh, they do love a good story! Peter tells us that over time a few have begun to ask questions, leading some of them to convert to Christianity! Praise the Lord! God is beginning to build His church in this "unreached people group."

Though she is quiet and graceful, we came to see that Philipo's wife Marta is indeed a strong and capable partner for Philipo. She also has used the church's audio scriptures among some of the women in Dawari.

She was especially blessed with one of the gifts we brought to them in their home. In addition to a Christmas card bearing the group picture from the discipleship class, I brought in a small paper gift bag containing several pair of reading glasses. I asked whether either of them might benefit from them. The excitement in the room was vibrant!

Quite quickly, Philipo found a pair that would help him very well. Then hesitating, as if waiting for permission, Marta's eyes began to well up with tears. We welcomed her to try them, as well. After trying one pair after another, she finally set upon her specific strength: +2.75. With tears coming down her cheeks, she explained that we don't even understand what a blessing this is for her. She had gotten to the point of being almost unable to read her Bible, except in the very bright light outdoors. She and her husband had been praying earnestly for glasses; yet, out in the remote "bush," she knew that her dreams of ever receiving such a modern, urban blessing were almost impossible.

When we arrived with our seemingly-meager gift of a few pair of reading glasses from the Dollar Store, she knew that we were merely God's delivery service, meant to find her even in her home and give her God's answer to her prayer. She sat there for a few minutes, unable to speak and unable to contain the tears.

As we prayed together for their ministry, for their marriage and family, and for their church's outreach, the Holy Spirit bound our hearts together. Thus, as we were leaving, Marta asked Susan to wait just a moment, as she ran back into the house. One minute later, she emerged dressed in a different wrap, and she presented Susan with the gift of her own special, Barabaig shawl. This prayer shawl, carrying the tears of a true intercessor, is a real treasure to our team.  

Unity in Prayer!

Before we left Gendabi one morning, a small group of intercessory pray-ers walked us by way of a thin wisp of a footpath out to a plot of land where they plan to build a new building--a prayer house! These men are strong in prayer, having seen the effects and freedom in their lives and in others in the village.

A few of them have been to our teaching conferences and the growing movement toward unity in this region has been stirring them. Thus, they began meeting cross-denominationally, even house to house, praying together for healing, for blessing, for deliverance, for comfort, for direction. Over time, the group has grown in spiritual strength and in number. They share together the victories as well as the challenges, and spend concentrated time in prayer for each other. 

One pastor shared with the group a vision he had of finding a place where pray-ers of any denomination could go, any time of the day or night…a place dedicated solely to prayer. And of course, they prayed about it! Without much hesitation, they began to contribute money from their own pockets (not from the church's coffers!) to make the initial purchase of the land.

They were eager for us to see the plot, eager for us to join them in a prayer of blessing in this place. (Wow, there are very few pictures of me, aren't there? But I was there, really!) We walked its boundaries and dedicated this place to be a beacon within the community. God spoke to the group through a prophetic word, and confirmed it within the group through His Biblical Word. What a privilege it was to join them and be a part of the unity in prayer! In this village that has long struggled under the consequences of generations-held devotion to false gods, the churches in Gendabi are building a Godly stronghold in their community! May it be strategic in overcoming Satanic strongholds and may it usher in a season of spiritual harvest for the Kingdom!

Look closely at these prayer warriors. 

Pray with us for these spiritual pioneers who are taking new territory
for the Kingdom of the One True and Living God. 

Pray for their unity. 

Pray for strength and encouragement. 

Pray for discernment and wisdom. In Jesus' name.

Meet Gabriel Magang

Our dear friend Gabriel is a very busy man. He fulfills many roles in his community and indeed the entire region.

·   He is pastor of the Gendabi Village Lutheran Church, on the northern slopes of Mt. Hanang.

·   He is current chairman of the Unity Committee. In this position, he brings strong leadership to the association of ministry leaders in the area; but he also assists in the organization and development of Activation International's conferences and training classes.

·   He is overseer of 7 branches (church plants) which spread down into the valley. 

We had the joy of meeting with him and his wife in their home as they served us a generous meal. (They continuously offer us more food. They just can’t understand why we don’t eat more!)

We heard Gabriel's testimony of God's calling on his life even at an early age. Christianity was foreign to his family's pagan beliefs, and he faced serious trouble for his pursuit of God. However, he had experienced the One Who answers even the prayers of a child, and he was determined to know that God!

Though he had very little schooling, God opened up opportunities for him in leadership. While he never had to seek it out, he was often being pushed forward by friends and colleagues. As Gabriel was faithful, God paved the way for him; and now in his old age he is a true leader in his community, in his denomination, and even among fellow-ministers throughout the Manyara Region.

One morning during our visit to Gendabi, he invited us to his home for breakfast (More food!) He asked several local pastors to join us, and together we enjoyed sweet Christian fellowship. We had prepared ourselves to be there for just a short time, to visit and talk about what God is doing in this village. However, our "short breakfast meeting" turned into a 7 hour Bible study and prayer group, as we delved into the Word of God together! Bob had a particularly wonderful time sharing some of the new things that he has been studying. By the time our visit was done, we were exhausted...but they were energized and ACTIVATED!

Truly Gabriel's home is a place for cross-denominational fellowship, spiritual nurture, and discipleship. Every day, he had local church and village leaders stop in for chai. He helps to guide them in understanding the Word and Biblical principles. I'm convinced that his house should have a revolving door!

One God and Father of us all! (Eph.4:6)

We had the privilege of greeting the Dawari village Lutheran Church (one of seven daughter churches of the Gendabi village Lutheran Church, under the oversight of Gabriel Magang). What a heart-warming experience for us to join with the family of faith in this remote village! As we have worshipped with various denominations in the Mt. Hanang area, we have the privilege of experiencing the richness and diversity of worship styles. We can see some of the "customization" that each church has: different music styles, different backgrounds, different tribes. However, there is a certain sense of commonality when we realize that we (American, Iraqw, Barabaig, Gogo) are family--children of God.

Once again, during the service, a time of prayer was designated for the small bags of grain brought by the congregants. Because this is a subsistence farming area, every kernel and every seed represent the potential of food. These believers brought their potential to the church for prayers of blessing, since planting will begin in the coming days as the fall rains are anticipated.

(Sorry, I did not feel the freedom to take pictures in this church. Because it is a very remote village, even our presence as strange, white foreigners seemed to be enough of a distraction. We in no way wished to draw attention away from the service.)

The time of Sunday offerings is a very formal time in the Lutheran church here, with each person coming one at a time to bring their offering to the designated basket in the front. Many of these people do not deal with money in their day-to-day lives; thus, for those without money, an offering is still brought--mats woven from the grass plains, bags of beans or grain, even chickens and goats, presented to the Lord as an offering of their means.

When the service had finished, the congregation spilled out to the shade of the surrounding trees. Non-monetary items received in the offering were then presented in a sort of auction style, and anyone in need of these items had the opportunity to purchase the beans...or maize...or chicken. Money gathered in this manner was then added to the offering money, and the family in need was privileged with this special blessing.

Even I was able to purchase an intricately woven grass mat--my new prayer mat!. I met the elderly woman who made it. I thanked her for the detailed work and for her gift to the Lord. She felt honored to have given it to the Lord. I felt honored to be blessed with it. And the church was blessed to add to its offering.

Note: Neema, to whom I introduced you in the previous post, is one of two evangelists at this church.

Meet Neema, a Woman of Influence

Neema is a wonderful woman of God whom we have known for several years; however, we were blessed to become even more acquainted with her this summer at the Discipleship Class in Katesh. She brings an energy and joy to the room; and her spiritual hunger for God is evident as soon as we begin teaching, as she leans forward in her chair and prepares to absolutely absorb the teaching like a sponge.

In her church, Neema holds the position of Evangelist, but in the village of Dawari she is known and respected as the Chairwoman. It is in this position that she advocates to regional authorities for the needs of the village and assists the villagers in obtaining land and settling disputes.  How fortunate for these people to have a godly woman as a leader in their community!

Neema has a strong heart to help the Barabaig within her district. Because the government has recently built a school in a bordering Barabaig village, she has been encouraging families and their children to prepare for their future by allowing their children to be educated. (These will be some of the first educated and literate Barabaig children!) She loves them and wants to see them survive and THRIVE as a people-group that is loved by God. So though she is happy to be involved with many responsibilities both in her church and in her village, she prays for a time when some of those burdens may be released so that she can pursue God's work among the Barabaig tribe more whole-heartedly.

As she served us a generous meal in her home, her husband Petro (obviously proud of his wife) regaled us with stories of her ministry and influence: how she has been a help to so many, how even the village men appealed to the area government to ask for her to be the local chairperson. She is a wonderful leader and also a wonderful wife and mother. Together, Neema and Petro possess a great deal of wisdom and a strong understanding of practical and Godly ways to help meet needs and to teach new ways that will assist their personal and collective economy.

Please pray for their daughter Rachel (pictured here between Bayo and her sister Upendo), who is faced with special challenges in life because she is unable to hear. Although she is deaf and has had no benefit of education, she is quick, has spunk, and has a sweet disposition. Susan played ball with her in the yard for a few minutes, and Rachel took to her quite quickly!

Before we left, we took a few minutes to pray for healing for Rachel's ears and for quick development to "catch up" to others. Please join us in this prayer as we seek God for the health and future of this beautiful young woman.

Tire Trouble *sigh*

This week we were blessed to be able to borrow Paul's car to travel to the areas of Dawari, Gendabi, and Basotu.  What a blessing it was for us!  We packed our food and belongings and all crawled (or, quite honestly squeezed) into the little Escudo. The roads to the more remote villages can be kind of fun...and can be a bit of a challenge at times.

The morning after we arrived in Gendabi, we went outside to find that a rear tire of the car was flat.  It took most of the day to discover that this particular kind of tire was not able to be repaired locally, nor was there a new tire to be purchased for at least 50 kilometers! Though we had a spare that we could put on the car temporarily, the conditions of the bush roads warrant that one should never travel without a spare!

In the end, our dear friend and ministry partner Bayo climbed onto the back of a motorcycle (a village taxi). Then, carrying the flat tire behind him also (just imagine it--2 people and a car tire on a 125! Wish I could have gotten a picture of that!), Bayo rode to another town where he worked to figured out how to repair the tire and returned it to us by evening. 

A New Arrival in Paul's Home

Bob got a chance to help Paul install his new Sawyer water filter. Paul had been hearing from others about this filter, but until now he was unable to acquire one for himself.

This $50 filter will save lots of time and money for his family. They will no longer have to wait for the sediments to "settle out" after bringing water to the house. They will no longer have to gather extra firewood each day for the fire (or worse yet, pay an extra $22 per month for a large bag of charcoal), nor will Paul's wife have to boil the water thoroughly in order to kill parasites and bacteria. They do not have to wait for the water to cool before they can drink it. All in all, this filter will pay for itself in just 3 months, and that's only the financial savings! The labor that is saved is significant, especially to a very busy family like theirs. 

If many more people owned a filter, Tanzania would save many trees from being cut down. The air quality would be spared from the smoke produced from charcoal and heat. Many babies would not die from contaminated water, the leading cause of infant mortality throughout Africa. Within minutes, pure, fresh, good-tasting water is available. The filter is easily back-flushed to clean it; and with no moving parts, the filter will continue for years to come!

Nevertheless, the initial price tag for a filter is too steep a climb for half the pastors, however convinced they are of the benefits.

Meet Paul Mlayda

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.)