What a tremendously prosperous trip we had to Tanzania! God continues to open doors of opportunity and clarification as we continue to step out in faith “strengthening and encouraging the Body of Christ internationally…”.
Upon arrival our first 2 days were spent ministering in a church 5 hours north of Dar Es Salaam in an area called Tanga. There we held 3 meetings for a pastor who had never had a preacher from America minister in his church. We had 3 great meetings where the Spirit of God moved through the teaching of His Word. At the end of the last service the congregation began to come forward and shower us with gifts of beautiful fabric and jewelry. The pastor commented to us later that has never happened before to anyone guest minister and it was a sign that they respected us and received us as family! What a joy it was to minister to that congregation!
It is always a pleasure to minister in Pastor Andrew’s church. While we were back in the city of Dar Es Salaam we ministered 3 times in Victory Christian Center. They are such an attentive and welcoming congregation that Jessica and I always feel we are at home with family when we are there. Also on two different evenings we ministered on Pastor Andrew’s radio program with WAPA radio to 18.6 million listeners!
Radio is a HUGE avenue in which to teach or preach the Word of God as just about everyone in Tanzania has a radio or access to one. Many people come to know the Lord and are discipled through his radio program.
Pastor Andrew also took us during the mornings to his two preschools for a visit. One is strategically located in a neighborhood that is largely non christian and the other is in the slum area where the majority of people are alcoholics, prostitutes, and seemingly without hope. Theses preschools are strategically placed in neighborhoods where there is a big need for Jesus.
Parents of all religious backgrounds and economic standings will send their children to these preschools so that they can learn English. The teachers are trained to teach English by using the Bible hence the children are always hearing the Gospel. Parents do not have a problem with the teaching of Bible terms as long as their children are learning English. Most of these children, especially those in the slum area, do not get regular meals. The school does it’s best to feed them once during the school day but usually there are no funds to do so.
When we visited the preschools we took juice and cookies for the day and enough porridge for one meal a day for a week. The children were so thankful for the food. The one preschool you see here in the top photo is meeting under a vine in someone’s back yard. They will not be able to meet when the rainy season hits as they will all get drenched. To build a simple structure for them to have school in would only cost two thousand dollars ($2,000). To feed the children in either of the preschools one meal a day for a week would only cost one hundred dollars ($100). There are approximately 20-24 children in each preschool.
What seems like a little to us makes a big difference in these children’s lives.
We also visited four of eleven churches that Pastor Andrew oversees. Some of these locations meet in a home, others under a thatch roof, and others may have a cement building with a tin roof. All of them are at different levels of necessity depending on their circumstances. One of the church locations we visited was actually built by a congregant in Pastor Andrew’s church. They used their own money over time to build this church in a highly populated non-christian area.
Once the building was finished they took Pastor Andrew and Esther to the location, presented them with the building, and asked them to supply a pastor for this location. They asked if we would come and pray over and bless the building. When we arrived the small congregation was assembled together, singing to the top of their voices and asking us to share the Word of God with them. We were not dressed in preaching attire or “prepared” for the occasion as it was as surprise that morning as to where we were going but we gladly shared an encouraging message with these lovely people.
This couple runs the preschool you see above in their back yard as well as pastoring in the same location.
In summary, we came away for this Africa trip knowing that God has an intentional work for us to do there. We felt a great confirmation about the vision that Pastor Andrew has and our desire to help him fulfill it. We want to move forward in helping with preschool/church plants in unreached areas and assisting the pastors who are ready to grow a thriving congregation. You have seen some of the expenses that we mentioned above and now have an idea of some of the needs and costs. If you would like more information in any way or if you would like to partner with us financially, please contact us at WDM@williamdeagleministries.org or visit our website and go to our giving page.
*Additionally we have been offered the wonderful opportunity by a church who is willing to do a matching grant of up to $2,000 for any funds given. What that means is if you choose to give $50 towards helping, thanks to this church’s generosity, it will be as if you are giving a $100 contribution to the ministry. Thank you in advance for your generosity and for being a part of fulfilling the Great Commission in Tanzania.
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