I am back from a two week mission trip to Tanzania led by my
husband Bob Allen. This is his ninth trip to this country. There were 10 in
this group ranging in age from 32 to 73. Six of the ten had been to Tanzania on
mission trips before and the other four were newbies....a good combination as
they all accepted the challenges in good spirits. We learned to laugh at the
inconveniences faced each day that we take for granted at home, like water, hot
water, electricity, bathrooms and how long it takes to receive your food after
ordering.
Our mission trip each
year is focused on evangelism and church planting in Tanzania. Our denomination
is Lutheran Church Missouri Synod but Christians of other denominations has
joined us over the years. Most people
assume we are going to do a work project such as build a school, clinic, or dig
a well. While we are also open to such things on other trips, our goal is focused
on spreading the gospel to the area that is home to the Sukuma tribe, a
largely unchurched people group. We currently have a partnership with the
Southeast of Lake Victoria Lutheran Church of Tanzania. This partnership means
that pastors, evangelists and deacons from Tanzania work side by side with some
long term American missionaries in Tanzania. I heard a comment several years
ago by one of the Tanzanian pastors that struck me. He said in ten years these
people will be Muslim or Christian. If you think your faith is good, why not
spread it? Many Christians in America
say they will go on a mission trip to perform a project but not to evangelize.
In an area that still has many problems with witchcraft, why are we opposed to
sharing the gospel? What better work is there?
To give you an example of the work; each day the group
splits up into teams comprised of an American who has done this before with a
newbie, a translator and someone who is familiar with the village and knows
where everyone lives. We also have a local person who acts as a scribe.
Sometimes we need two interpreters to take us from English, to Swahili to
Sukuma. It is often a long drive to get
to the designated area each day.
We walk with our guides into the areas and as we enter the
boma (small groups of huts) we say Hodie...which means can I come in. People
sit in the common area outside their small huts for most activities and use the
huts for sleeping. As they respond with Karibu (welcome) they are scurrying to
find some place in the shadow (shade) for the guests to sit. We may sit on a
tarp spread on the ground, small wooden handmade stools, overturned buckets
etc. Tanzanians are known for their hospitality. After a brief introduction, we use the EvangeCube
to present the simple gospel message. Many have never heard the name of
Jesus. They listen with great interest as
they receive the message and if they respond positively, they are asked if they
would receive baptism. Water along with a bowl is brought for this. This is the
point where a scribe comes in. They record the name of the person being
baptized and the Christian name they select for their baptism. This is
important for follow up by the local evangelist and the church planting team.
We pray for their needs and a blessing over the boma as we leave. They may be
invited to an evening service being held in that area.
The church
planting people of that area often start holding services in whatever facility
they can find or simply under a mango tree. They eventually purchase a plot of
land, clear it and build the church using hand tools. This labor is done by
men, women and children. The bricks are made by them and the only thing
purchased is the tin roof. This is truly
their church built by their hands and they are very proud of it. They are led
by trained pastors, deacons and evangelists assigned to that area. The
challenge is getting enough trained to serve this fast growing population. It
is not unusual for an ordained pastor have several sub congregations that he is
overseeing. It is very encouraging to stop and visit areas evangelized in
previous years and see the established churches and greet old friends.
The people that go on the short term mission trip come home reporting
that they are the ones blessed by the experience and the relationships established. They eagerly discuss the planning of the next
trip. The team members return home with many stories that touched them and a
fresh interest in the work of evangelism.
Susie Allen
