Mission
Outreach in the New South East of Lake Victoria Diocese
Paved
roads in the United States are never so appreciated as when we come home to
Tennessee. This year we were on paved road for 6 hours out of a 7 day mission
trip. The roads we traveled were or gravel and dirt and rutted and bumpy.
Twice we had to drive thru a river because a bridge was no longer functioning.
What
we did appreciate was the work of the Pastors, Deacons and Evangelists and
interpreters in each village. Despite weather or conditions, they are
workers with a heart to serve and bring the good news of the gospel to
the villages.
Each
day the pastors accompanied us in our Land Rover as we drove
approximately 45 minutes to a new village or sub parish. The
American teams were divided up and matched with
Pastors/interpreters and a local evangelist. After prayer we all went off
led by the local member of the Parish who knew the location of
homes we were to visit. This is essential since we are
traveling in areas with no street addresses , road signs, only a narrow path to
a home in a remote location,
Moving
from home to home, we shared the simple gospel message using the
evangecube. Sometimes it was to 1 person or 20 people. Sometimes the
people were of another faith such as Catholic, or Muslim or African
Inland Church but sometimes they were unchurched. 60% of the
Sukuma people are not part of an organized religion, but call themselves pagans
or traditional believers. We were welcomed in every home and they
wanted us to tell them the story regardless of their affiliation.
They
were very interested in learning about Jesus . Some hearing about Him for
the first time and how He took their sins with him to the cross and died for
them making peace between them and God by his precious blood. These pastors,
evangelists and interrupters took time from their busy schedules and families
to make our trip as effective.
At
the end of the Week, we had many new friends and over a 1000 new brothers and
sisters in Christ in the Bariadi district whose sins had been wash away
in their Baptism were welcomed into the Kingdom.
Come join us in 2014 and see for yourself.
