Note: I’m sorry that I am so far behind in getting the blog updated. We have had many electricity and internet problems while we have been in Tanzania. If you would like, you can fill out the email update form on this page and you will be sent an e-mail whenever I make a new post. This will save you from having to check the blog when nothing new has been posted. Thanks for following our trip and keeping the work in your prayers!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11).
Today we were scheduled to visit the Kajaido district, but that had to be cancelled because our leader there had to leave the country for a while. So we have had to rework our schedule and arrange to do other things instead. Yesterday I made plans with Pastor Malyi to visit a church in Marangu and the pastor and his wife in Himo.
In addition to that I also needed to make arrangements for a hall for our Pastoral conference next week. It has been a real pain to get this organized. In the past we have used the hall here, but they have some kind of government event here next week, so there are no halls available. Lucy, the lady in charge of special events here was very kind and took m
e to a school that she thought we might be able to use. We looked it over and it looked good, but when I went back this morning, they said that it was not available either. Pastor Malyi and I also looked at a community / government hall just a block from where we are staying, but the people there gave me a very high price, so I’m going to keep looking around town.
After working on the hall rental, Mike, Russ and I caught a ride to Maran
gu, where Pastor Malyi took us to visit an elderly pastor who serves a church not far from his. He is 68 years old and has built a very nice church on his own property. He has no son and is concerned that when he dies, his brothers will take it and give it to another church body. He would like to sell it to the CLC for $3,000 so that his brothers are not able to obtain
it. The church is worth far more than that. It is much different from most of our churches in Africa, with concrete walls, a finished and painted exterior, a cement floor and even real glass windows! But once again, we simply don’t have the money to be able to buy such a building and there are many other needs that are more dire at this time. It is our prayer that the Lord will give Pastor Jackson many more years that he may continue to use this church building to the glory of His name.
Pastor Jackson's church building in Marangu. Pastor Malyi, Gurath and I are heading in.
From Marangu we returned back to Himo to visit Pastor Davis Makundi and his wife. Pastor Makundi has been one of the central figures in the seminary building problem here. He is the pastor of the church at Himo, and the congregation is able to use half of the seminary building for worship while the case is in court. He and the congregation here have been right in the middle of this struggle and have suffered greatly. What’s more, Pastor Makundi and his wife just lost their first baby only a few weeks ago. May the Lord give them comfort in this time of earthly loss!
Pastor Davis Makundi and his wife at their home in Himo.
It was 4:00pm when I finally returned to our hotel. After some work in my room we came down for supper and I has an interesting conversation with a Belgium couple. I had met them earlier in the day and knew they were going to be leaving the next day, so I wanted to say goodbye. We ended up talking for over an hour about all kinds of topics. If this couple is typical, then Europeans are more liberal than I thought. They have traveled the world and have no real concept of God. They have been turned off by the Roman Catholic Church which is THE church of their small country. They believe that the Bible is not God’s Word (although it presents some good ideals) and that God is a vague thing which is different for each person. They have been together for 20 years, but are not married. While that is commendable, it is sad that the true God is not part of their marriage or life.
It was a sad discussion, and I tried my best to turn them away from Catholic teaching and to the truth of God’s Word with passages during our conversation. Who knows what will happen, but we have the Lord’s promise: “(My word) shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
In the service of Christ,
Nathanael
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