The Mission is Growing
- William
- 31 minutes ago
- 5 min read
The Mission is Growing
Dear Friends,
One of the joys of ministry is watching something that began as a simple step of obedience grow far beyond what we could have imagined.
This quarter, we have seen that happening in several areas of William Deagle Ministries. A soccer ministry that began as a vision several years ago is now carrying the Gospel across national borders. A 90-day evangelistic mission in Dodoma has developed into a new church where believers need continued discipleship. A preschool continues to give children opportunities their families could never provide on their own. And Jessica and I are preparing for a new chapter in our marriage ministry through pilgrimage and shared adventure.
We want to share some of what God is doing - and thank you for being part of it.
From Tanzania to Uganda: Sharing Christ Through Soccer
Four years ago, while Pastor Andrew was staying with us in the United States, God placed an unusual idea on his heart: start a soccer team.
There were those who questioned the idea, but Pastor Andrew believed God was showing him a way to reach people who might never walk into a church. His conviction became simple:
“Change the method, not the message.”
That vision became the Maranatha Soccer Team.
Today, the team has gained recognition not only in Tanzania but across East Africa. But winning soccer matches has never been the ultimate goal. Pastor Andrew uses the platform created through sports to share the Gospel - including preaching during halftime.
This August, Maranatha was invited to Uganda for a 10-day mission and series of friendly competitions from August 20-31. Pastor Andrew described their purpose this way: to “share Christ's love through sports.”
The trip also opened doors beyond the soccer field. Pastor Andrew was invited onto live television in Uganda to talk about Maranatha, its visit to the country, and the ministry behind the team.
What began with one man obeying an unconventional idea from God is now opening doors for the Gospel in another nation.
Dodoma for Jesus: From Outreach to Discipleship
In our Q2 newsletter, we introduced you to Pastor Andrew's “Dodoma for Jesus” mission - a 90-day step of faith into Tanzania's capital city.
That 90-day outreach did not end when the original mission period ended.
A church has been planted.
New believers are being discipled.
Pastor Andrew says his time in Dodoma has changed him personally:
“Dodoma has inspired me to dream bigger, plan better, and create new churches and ministry opportunities.”
He recently told us that the experience stretched his faith, transformed his character, and taught him to guard both his calling and his time. Through all of it, he has repeatedly thanked those who have prayed for and encouraged him because those prayers remind him that he is not walking this journey alone.
Now the next step is discipleship.
Pastor Andrew and Esther are preparing to return to Dodoma together in September to invest in the believers and help establish this young congregation.
When we learned what would be needed to make that possible, we identified approximately $4,000 in housing and living expenses for their time there.
Before we ever needed to make that need public, one donor stepped forward and committed to cover the entire amount.
We are deeply grateful.
That is what partnership in ministry looks like. One person goes. Another prays. Another gives. And together, we participate in what God is doing.
Building Toward Sustainability
We also received an encouraging update concerning another investment that supporters have helped make possible in Tanzania.
A hostel was built on the church property with the goal of creating ongoing income for the local ministry rather than creating continual dependence upon outside support.
Pastor Andrew recently reported that the hostel rental income is now helping pay:
wages for four church workers
the church's electricity and water bills
maintenance and servicing of the church truck
This is an important part of our philosophy of ministry. We want to help meet immediate needs, but whenever possible, we also want to invest in solutions that enable ministries to become stronger and increasingly sustainable within their own communities. The hostel is beginning to do exactly that.
Giving Children an Opportunity They Wouldn't Otherwise Have
Another ministry especially close to our hearts is the preschool in Tanzania overseen by Pastor Andrew and Esther's daughter, Hope.
The families served by this school cannot afford to pay tuition. Without this ministry, many of these children simply would not have access to the same educational opportunities.
Through the preschool, they receive much more than classroom instruction.
Ministry support helps provide Hope's salary, an assistant teacher, transportation through a rented bus, a bus driver, fuel, school materials, uniforms, and meals for the children.
And sometimes it provides something much simpler - but equally meaningful: the opportunity to experience childhood.
This picture shows the children on a recent field trip. For many of them, opportunities to go places and experience things outside their normal surroundings are extremely limited. Through the school, they are not only learning - they are getting to see and experience a little more of the world around them.
Help Us Finish the Preschool Year
We currently need $5,000 to fund the preschool from September through December and finish 2026 strong.
Every gift toward this need helps us continue providing education, transportation, meals, staffing, uniforms, materials, and experiences for children whose families simply cannot provide these things themselves.
If God places this ministry on your heart, we invite you to help us meet this $5,000 goal.
Looking Ahead: Marriage Land Adventures
There is also something new growing within William Deagle Ministries here at home.
For many years, Jessica and I have ministered to couples through marriage conferences, retreats, teaching, and personal ministry. Next year, we are beginning a new expression of that calling: Marriage Land Adventures.
The idea is bigger than simply taking couples on a trip.
Marriage Land Adventures exists to strengthen marriages through immersive experiences that foster spiritual formation, relational connection, emotional well-being, intentional community, and sacred rhythm.
Our foundational experience will be a guided pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
Jessica and I walked the Camino ourselves this past June. There is something unique about stepping away from the normal pace and distractions of life, walking together day after day, having time to talk, pray, reflect, laugh, struggle, and simply be present.
We began to see how powerful that environment could be when intentionally designed for married couples.
Our vision is to create transformational experiences where couples encounter God, one another, and a supportive community through pilgrimage and shared adventure.
The Camino will be the beginning - not the end.
Our long-term vision is to develop a sustainable ministry that strengthens marriages, equips future host couples, and creates opportunities to extend marriage enrichment to couples in different places and through different kinds of shared adventures. We are excited about where God may take this.
Thank You for Walking With Us
When we look at everything represented in this newsletter, the ministries may appear very different.
A soccer field in Uganda.
A young church in Dodoma.
A hostel generating income for ministry.
A classroom filled with preschool children.
A centuries-old pilgrimage trail across Spain.
But there is a common thread running through all of them:
People. Relationships. Discipleship. Transformation.
William Deagle Ministries exists to strengthen and encourage the Body of Christ, nationally and internationally, across denominational lines. Sometimes that happens behind a pulpit. Sometimes it happens in a classroom. Sometimes it happens on a soccer field. And sometimes it may happen while two people walk mile after mile together on an ancient path.
The method may change. The message and the mission do not.
Thank you for praying. Thank you for giving. Thank you for believing in what God has called us to do. We couldn't do this without you.
With gratitude,
William & Jessica
William Deagle Ministries
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