A month in Tanzania....a report from Cliff Herd

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? Here am I
Isaiah 6:8

Cliff and Nancy Herd, members at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Chattanooga, have returned from a 4 week mission trip to the East of Lake Victoria Diocese of the Lutheran church of Tanzania in Mwanza, Tanzania. Cliff is a retired pastor (pastor emeritus) in the Mid-South District taught two courses (New Testament & Church History) to 34 men who were preparing to serve as deacons. This diocese is experiencing tremendous growth and there are only about 80 pastors to serve over 70,000 members.

Lay evangelists received 3 months of training and were commissioned as deacons to serve in Word & Sacrament ministry. Many of them have 4-5 congregations with one serving 8 congregations. Nancy and Cliff were honored to participate in the Palm Sunday service commissioning the deacons. It was a 5 ½ hour long service as the Bishop commissioned each deacon personally. It was most inspiring with 5 different choirs from area churches. Cliff had previously returned to the USA in November, 2009 from Indonesia. There he taught a 4 week intensive course on the Lutheran Confessions (Book of Concord) to 8 pastors who were chosen for their leadership skills and training as future leaders in their church body, Batok Lutheran Church of Indonesia.

Your God given gifts can also be used in Tanzania

Nancy Herd...report from her month in Tanzania....

Open my eyes Lord...I want to see Jesus....

 Nancy Herd, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Chattanooga, recently accompanied her husband Cliff, on a month long trip to Tanzania. While he was teaching a deacon class she worked at Nakato Clinic run by International Health Partners of  TZ  a partner of  the East of Lake Victoria Diocese  (ELVD) .

Nancy was given the task of sorting over 3,000 pairs of eyeglasses that had arrived in many boxes via a large shipping container.  She classified them according to male/female designs and by lens strength.  She used discarded cardboard boxes and arranged them so they could be easily dispensed.

She tested the vision of all the deacons and their wives and also saw another 200 people that came to the health center from the village.  Nancy brought a set of  5 “flippers” for vision testing  and trained a nurse who works full time at the health center to use the “flippers” and dispense the glasses.

“This was a most rewarding mission trip as we both felt we were serving our Lord and helping make more and better disciples for Jesus.  What a blessing to serve in this area of East Africa and see how the Lord is growing His Church,” said Pastor Herd.  

God can also use your gifts and talents in Tanzania.  Contact the District office to find out how your talents could be used.

   

Tanzanian prayer needs and upcoming trip 2010

   This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him.

    1 John 5:14-15

Four weeks from today the Tanzania Mission Group will be leaving for our trip of a life time to Tanzania.  We ask you prayers for us as we travel and as we reach out to the Sukuma People in the East of Lake Victoria Diocese of the Lutheran Church of Tanzania.  We plan to reach out to the area of Mwadui  and Kahama  3 to 6 hours  south and east of Mwanza.

Africa is a huge continent that is almost 3 times larger than the USA.

Tanzania has a total area of 364,900 square miles, it is slightly larger than twice the size of California. Tanzania is located on central east side of the Continent.

We ask that you pray that God uses our word and actions to bless those we contact. We ask that you pray for the hearts of those hearing the words be touched and drawn to Christ our Savior.   Consider making The ministry of the ELVD a priority in your giving outreach.

The mission group, from Memphis    Mike, Cindy, Cathleen and Cassie Jurgensen,  Kirk Neugebauer, Steve Owens,  From Arkansas, Laurie Gent, from Middle Tennessee,  Tom and Naomi Bolt, Bob And Susie Allen

• Pray for the continuing work of the Pastor and evangelist in the ELVD
•   Pray for the Church Planting Ministry (CPM) in the ELVD
•   Pray for the district mission trip to Tanzania in June of 2010
•   Pray for hearts to be stirred

Check out our new missions blog.   www.lcmsmidsouthdistrictmissions.blogspot.com

Bibi Marge report from Bariadi

Marge Beam, John Janssen and Karol Rader from Jackson Center, OH visited Bariadi in May 2009. This was Karol ‘s first trip, and John’s second trip with Marge her 7th trip. We saw much progress since our trip in '07. The three of us stayed in the orphanage and it was very comfortable. We discussed the opening of the orphanage for the children and hopefully it will open in October of this year. There are a number of things which need to be purchased for the orphanage. Cupboards need to be built for children to store their belongings. They need dishes, pots and pans and cooking vessels for the kitchen.

When we arrived in Bariadi, what a surprise to see the lawn so green and slowers growing along the walk ways. It was beautiful. They had had quite a bit of rain to make this possible.

On Friday our second day there we went to Luguru to dedicate the church there. This church building was started several years ago and finally they had enough money to put on the roof. They will have worship there each week even though they still need floor and benches. The church was full of people for the dedication and will continue to grow.

On Saturday we went to 3 sub-parishes. The first was in a very small church building which they have built making their own bricks. It was full of people and still growing week by week. The children recited the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The evangelists in the sub-parishes are taught by Pastor Mkaro on how to work with the people and children. Pastor Mkaro goes to the sub-parishes periodically to baptize and give communion as it is not possible for Pastor Mkaro to go each week. He has 10 sub-parishes. Bishop Gulle was with us and gave Bibles and mosquito nets to the people in the sub-parishes. The Bibles and nets were provided by Bob Allen from Tennessee. The people in this parish insisted we eat before we leave. So we did, delicious chicken, rice and soda.

The seconc sub-parish was waiting for us at their unfinished church building. They have foundation and part of the walls up several feet. They still come there to worship each Sunday. The children sang and again recited the books of the Bible. Pastor Mkaro inttroducred a young boy about 9 or 10 who had been coming and singing in the choir. One Sunday he brought his mother to church and after attending the servicre decided she needed to join the church. Pastor Mkaro said this boy is and "evangelist". Bibles and nets were given to some of these people as well.

We arrived at the 3rd parish about 3 o'clock and they had been waiting for us since 10 o'clock. They have land for their church but do not have a buioding started yet. They meet under a tree. Pastor Mkaro introduced the council of the church as he had done in the other parishes. The same procedure here as in the other parishes. What a blessing to see so many people come to worship anytime during the day or week. They are a very happy people because they have the love of Jesus in their hearts.



On Sunday Pastor Mkaro was installed as District Pastor of Bariadi and the sub-parishes. This increases his load but does not increase his salary. Pray for him as he takes on the task of having thousands of people to shepherd.



For three days in Bariadi they had a Sunday School Seminar. Teachers came from sub-parishes as well as Bariadi to learn how to teach Sunday school. Karol from US taught them two songs in English. They loved it and wanted to sing the songs over and over. Marge gave a Bible story. She told them they had a very important service of teaching the children about Jesus.



The women of Bariadi church has organized a group call Pambazuko Women's Group to offer assistance to widows and orphans. At this time they have 40 orphans they work with giving them food, clothing and school supplies. Once a month they invite the children to Bariadi and provide a meal for them. They invited the children to Bariadi and provided a meal for them. The children were there while we were there. We gave them a cross necklace, pencils and beanie babies which came from someone in US who gave away their collection. The ladies also help young girl orphans to sew. They have two pedal sewing machines and the girls can make things to sell to make money for themselves.

One more story----- An older gentleman lost his wife through death in October. He was having a difficult time dealing with her death. The people of Bariadi Church came to his rescue. They helped during his mourning time. After a time he gave his heart to Jesus with the help of Pastor Mkaro and the Holy Spirit. Not only did he receive Christ but the rest of his family did also. Because of this a church as started and now since October they have 200 members and still growing.

Pray for all the work going on in Bariadi and May God continue to bless these people.

Casting Our Nets in Tanzania

Luke 5:4 Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch
Casting our nets in Tanzania……… This year’s Mid-South District mission trip took us to Ukerewe Island.

Ukerewe is the largest island in Lake Victoria, it is approximately 25 miles long and 10 miles wide with an area of about 200 square miles locate just (25 nautical miles) north of Mwanza It is linked by two ferry boats that carry everything that goes to or comes from the island. Each day at 8 and 8:30 the ferry boats leave the harbor in Nansio and head south to Mwanza. The arrival and departure of the ferry’s is a big event in the Nansio, the main town on Ukerewe. The road to the boat dock is lined with people selling all sorts of items, trucks loaded with product to ship are loaded on the ferrys.
The shoreline of Ukerewe Island is carved into numerous bays and it is surrounded by at least a dozen smaller islands. Each morning and evenings the shoreline on these little bays are covered with people coming to get water and to bathe. Each night the island is surrounded by hundreds of fishing boats lit by a lantern.
Fishing is an important industry in Ukerewe District and a lot of fishing boats, as well as canoes and traditional dhows, can be seen plying the narrow waters between the many smaller islands and villages. Ukerewe Island is a rocky island with small hills. The landscape varies between flat land, cassava and rice fields, plantations, rocks, rocky and sandy shores, and beautiful lakeshore. Most of the 150,000 inhabitants are living in the many traditional villages scattered around the island.
Petro Nakembetwa is the district pastor and MTC coordinator for Ukerewe Island and is located in Nansio. He pastors the congregation in Nansio as well as preaching regularly at each of the 13 sub-congregations with a Deacon and Evangelist. Once a month the 13 evangelists come to Nansio for 2 or 3 days for the monthly training. The MTC students are Sospeter Mafuru, Rovocautus Mwinula, Leonard Deogratius, Elisha Kamiali, Joyce Lwabuti, Emmanuel Kamalamo, Tito Makaranga, Alex Mkyama, Osward Manyaski, Winlight Kirenga, Eliasi Mchele, James Daudi, Christopher Terguli,
Each day we left our little motel in Nansio early to head out to a small village and the new congregation. The main road out of Nansio was tar and gravel for about 5 miles then it turned into a dirt road. We arrived at the villages each day with a great greeting from the congregation. We usually had a meeting where we signed their guest book and introduced ourselves. We then divided into teams to go out to individual homes to talk and share the gospel message. We invited the family to the church service and the movie.
We went back to the meeting area to prepare for the service. The meeting area could be under a Mango tree or in a government building of some sort. In the late afternoon, we had a worship service of singing, preaching and baptisms.
We would then eat dinner and wait for darkness when we could show the movie, (The Life of Christ) and have more baptisms.
We left the island with many new friends after preaching to over 2000 and visiting the homes of over 70 families and 489 were baptized.

We left seized with amazement over the catch that had been taken. Luke 5:9

Bishop Gulle

To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
-- Philippians 4:20

New Bishop in Tanzania
“Our Missionary in East Africa” Claude Houge and Africa Regional Director Dr. Mike Rodewald were able to be actively involved in the consecration of Bishop Andrew Gulle and Assistant Bishop Emmanuel Makala. Both men are our friends and previous leaders of the Mission Training Program in East of Lake Victoria Diocese, so we are happy to have leaders who are already good friends with LCMS World Mission.
We are leaving for Tanzania on May 17 to spent time with Bishop Gulle and Assistant Bishop Makala.

Trip to Viet Nam

For the sixth time in more than 10 years, a group of members from Bella Vista Lutheran Church of Bella Vista, Ark. visited Vietnam from February 8-19, led by retired pastor Ron Pfluger.

In addition to such yearly activities as visiting LCMS World Mission project sites in Phu Tho province and universities in Hanoi and Phu Tho where LCMS volunteers teach English, the Bella Vista group brought with them four eyeglass kits as gifts for the elderly in two communes of Phu Tho province. These elderly people are no longer able to read, sew, and do precise work solely because they cannot afford to buy reading glasses.

The eyeglass kits are a project of a Humanitarian Initiative of Rotary District 6110. Each eyeglass kit contains the tools, parts and instructions to make 314 pairs of reading glasses. However, a question arose: how were these eyeglasses going to be tested, constructed, and sent to those in need?

As always, the Lord provided an answer!

The health officials in health stations built or upgraded with the support of LCMS World Mission at the designated communes will do the eye testing, note what strengths of glasses are needed, and send the “orders” on to the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN). Volunteers will then make the glasses to fill the orders. These volunteers are retired friends of the LCMS-NIN project manager. The manager visited several projects in Arkansas where work was being done by retired people and noticed that this volunteer work gave immeasurable purpose, meaning and fulfillment to these volunteers’ lives, but also those whom they serve.

As a result, not only will the recipients of the glasses be able to read again, but the retired volunteers will gain a sense of purpose as well as an opportunity to provide meaningful service for others.

“It was a thrill to see the smiles on the faces of those who received glasses at the two communes we visited in Phu Tho province. One elderly man with tears running down his cheek even gave me a hug. The people who didn’t receive glasses that day carried big smiles on their faces because they knew their glasses would be coming soon.” –Pastor Ron Pfluger

Will you come?

WE ARE WITNESSES OF THESE THINGS, AND SO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN TO THOSE WHO OBEY HIM.
-- ACTS 5:32

Susie and I are anxious to again see the working of the Holy Spirit touch peoples lives in the ELVD. We are tentatively leaving the USA on may 17 for Tanzania. Three of us from this area will meet up with 3 more folks in Detroit.
I have heard from some of you who cannot go this year. If you are thinking about it and have not committed, give it some thought and get back to me this week.

Close your eyes and picture 10, 20 or 100 Sukuma people lined up to be baptized.



VERSE:
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.
-- Acts 5:32

THOUGHT:
Of all the many gifts God gives, the gift of his presence in us through his Holy Spirit is among the most precious. The Spirit's presence makes us God's temple (1 Cor. 6:19). The Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God when we pray (Rom. 8:26-27).
The Spirit helps us overcome the pull of our flesh (Rom. 8:13-14).
The Spirit gives us strength in our inner being (Eph. 3:16). In other words, the Spirit is at work to transform us to the character of Christ. Let's thank God for his holy presence in us through the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER:
Father, thank you so much for your Holy Spirit who even now is interceding for me as I pray. Please strengthen me through your Spirit as I seek to live a holy life dedicated to you. Dear Father, it is my heart's desire for you to transform me by your Spirit to be more like your Son in character and compassion. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Mungu awabariki

We visited the villages of Lyalu, Nyangokolwa, Ngulyati, Gambosi, and Sanungu. All of these are the sub-congregations of Pastor Mkaro and are ministered to mainly by resident evangelists that were trained by the Diocese. We baptized people in each village we visited.

With the combined team’s donations that we brought with us, we were able to purchase 113 Lutheran Hymnals, 180 Bibles, 167 mosquito nets, $200 each to 4 congregations to put towards roofs for the churches they are building, $200 to the women’s group of Nyangokolwa for various pots, dishes, and cooking rings for food preparation for large groups, $100 for a new tire for Pastor Mkaro’s motorbike, and $70 towards a new bike that was stolen from an evangelist while he was working with us.

I was able to share so many things (Bible stories, songs, crafts) with the many new friends I made and also learned many things (Sukuma & Masai culture, hospitality, and joy in the Lord). We are so much alike and at the same time so different.
Come and join us on this year’s trip. In May or June

Praise and thanksgiving to our God who has done marvelous things!!!!!!!!

Mungu awabariki(God bless you),