The Proclaimer

The Proclaimer is an audio player that allows people in countries all over the world to experience God’s Word in their own language. This remarkable creation contains a specially engineered speaker system, designed to let groups of up to 300 people listen to the audio Bible together. The digital quality creates a clear, audible sound without any distortion.
Nearly indestructible, the player is able to stand up to harsh climates and does not require any cassette tapes or CDs. Instead, the New Testament is recorded in the selected language, and then programmed on a microchip, which is embedded in the player. This microchip cannot be erased and will not wear out from frequent playing.
Many areas of the world have little or no access to electricity. The Proclaimer was created with solutions to this challenge. It can be charged from multiple power sources: solar, the dynamo hand-crank, or the AC/DC charger. It can also run on its rechargeable battery, which plays for 15 hours. The solar panel can be used to recharge the battery, creating opportunities for the entire New Testament to be played repeatedly. The compact size of the Proclaimer makes it possible to reach remote villages and secluded areas of the world with God’s Word. Its convenience and portability make it ideal for use in schools and churches.
(How does the Proclaimer work?)
An installed microchip contains Scriptures in the heart language; the chip will not erase or wear out from frequent playing. The battery will play for 15 hours and can be recharged enough times to play the entire New Testament more than 1,000 times. The Proclaimer has a built-in generator and solar panel to charge the battery. The solar panel, in addition to charging the battery, will run the Proclaimer even without battery power as long as there is sunlight.The sound is digital quality and loud enough to be heard clearly by groups as large as 300.
Quoting a well-known TV personality: “The Proclaimer is self-powered and can play the Bible in the jungle, desert or … even on the moon! ”

The Proclaimer sees to be the ideal tool for sharing the gospel messages in the villages of Tanzania. I envision an evangelist or pastor leaving the Proclaimer with a family group or small village for them to listen to and returning in a few days answer questions and share additional information. I you would like you purchase a proclaimer for the ELVD (east of lake Victoria diocese) send your check for $125 to the Mid-south district LCMS 1675 Wynne Rd Cordova, TN 38016 with the notation Proclaimer. We will see that Proclaimers are purchased and distributed.

New Bishop of Tanzania

Bishop-elect Andrew Petro Gulle of East of Lake Victoria Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) is among more than 200 scholars who graduated at a colourful ceremony held by the ELCT Tumaini University- Makumira University College (MUCo) on November 15, 2008. Thousands of people turned up for the 12th Graduation ceremony in which the ELCT Presiding Bishop, the Chancellor of Tumaini University, conferred degrees. Two students obtained PhD; 36 were bestowed Bachelor of Divinity in Theology; 53 students got Bachelor of Education with specialization in Languages; 93 students were awarded Laws Degree; 20 students including Rev. Gulle were awarded a Master of Theology Degree.

Rev. Gulle (45) has been a pastor in the East of Lake Victoria Diocese from May 26, 1996 having studied theology from 1991 -1995 at the then Makumira Lutheran Theological College. He re-joined MUCo for a Bachelor of Divinity from 2000 to 2004.

He served the Diocese in various capacities in Mwanza and Shinyanga Regions including being Parish Pastor in Imalaseko (Mwanza), Kahama, Mwadui (Shinyanga) and Sengerema (Mwanza) Parishes. He had been Bible knowledge teacher at Mwadui Lutheran Secondary School as well as being a coordinator of mission and training centres in the diocese.

Before his new position Rev. Gulle was Parish Pastor of Sengerema in Mwanza Region between July 15 and September 27, this year.

During the 10th General Assembly of the Diocese held in Bariadi, Shinyanga Region on 27th September, this year he was elected to lead the East of Lake Victoria Diocese to replace the late Bishop Nehemia Bomani who died last year. At the General Assembly of the Rev. Emmanuel Makala was elected Assistant to the Bishop

Ethiopia from Claude and Rhonda Houge, missionaries

From Claude and Rhoda Houge, on assignment in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) is made up of almost five million members. Their church is divided into synods, or districts. This was Claude’s first visit to the headquarters of the Central Ethiopian Synod, the largest one. He was also able to see classes in session at Hope of Life Training Center, where there is a two-year program for training evangelists for the church. Their buildings are overcrowded, which is a good problem since that means many people are being trained. But, it is also a challenge for this school.

“Claude had not been to Gambella in western Ethiopia for some time, so he was glad for the opportunity to meet with church leaders there. There are many Sudanese in this area, because of refugee camps, but many are starting to move back to Sudan. Besides discussions with church leaders and EECMY synodical leadership in that area, Claude enjoyed Sunday morning worship with more than 1,000 people. He was also able to give the church 144 Nuer-language Bibles for distribution into areas of Sudan where the church is being planted.

“After returning to Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, Claude went to Awassa, about five hours south, and visited the leadership at a Tabor congregation. These people are serious about outreach, and the LCMS has helped support Mission Training Centers in this area. They have planted more than 20 churches in an area that is heavily Muslim. Their main church is very large, and they are in the process of building a bigger building (without asking for financial help from our mission).”

By Pastor John D Juhl

Lutherans for Life

Fully Human From Conception

Month 0

At the moment of conception a unique human being begins his or her earthly existence. Only one cell, yet fully human, with a unique set of DNA. This is how our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world.

While His conception was unique from all other humans, Jesus was fully human, beginning as one cell, just like each of us. He found His first earthly home in the safety of Mary’s womb for about nine months. See Matthew 1:18

Month 1

During this first amazing month of human life, Jesus grew to 10,000 times His size at conception. He was totally dependent on His mother just as every other human being at this stage of life. By week three, the Savior’s heart had begun to pump the blood which would one day be shed for the sins of the world.

Matthew 1:20b, 21

Months 2 and 3

Now a fetus (Latin for little one) the rapidly developing body of Jesus has teeth, fingers, toes and a functioning central nervous system. His ears, lips, and tongue can be clearly seen. By eight weeks all body systems are present.

John 1:14 and John 20:26b, 27

Month 4 and 5

Jesus’ brain has begun maturing-a process that will continue until He is about 14 years old. REMs (rapid eye movements) have begun-a sign of dreaming. Fine hair has begun to grow on His head along with eyebrows and eyelashes. Nutrients consumed by His mother, Mary, are passed on to nourish Jesus’ body within an hour or two. Three hundred quarts (75 gallons) of fluid a day are sent through His umbilical cord.

John 4:13, 14 and Luke 2:41, 42, 44

Month 6 and 7

Oil and sweat glands are functioning: these help regulate body temperature. Baby Jesus can now respond to sound. His lungs are fairly well developed. Babies born at this stage of development today are often able to survive.

Luke 1:35-37 and Luke1:46, 47, 50

Month 8

Baby Jesus is developing a layer of fat that will keep Him warm after He is born. In the ninth month He will shift to a head down position, preparing for birth. His lungs are now fully developed and capable of making the transition to breathing air. After birth, Jesus will continue the human growth process for many years to come.

Luke 2:4-5

Month 9

“And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manager”

Luke 2:10-12

Piki Piki Preachers

Motorbike Preachers

Pastor Amos Klimba a pastor with multiple congregations in the East of Lake Victoria Diocese is visiting the congregation of Nyamigamba in the Mwanza District of Tanzania . Piki Piki, the Swahili word for motorbike, is the main means of transportation for those pastors fortunate enough to have a Piki Piki.

It is hard for us in the United States to understand the difficulties of travel in other countries because we can easily drive anywhere at any time with one of our family vehicles. However, travel within the East of Lake Victoria Diocese of the Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELVD) can be tough at times and extremely tough during the rainy season. The ELVD is spread over a large area of Tanzania located primarily east and south of Lake Victoria. The land area of the diocese is similar in size as the area of the combined states of Tennessee and Arkansas. The size of the area is one travel issue but the other issue is the roads that must be traveled. The ELVD is reaching out to approximately 8 million Sukuma tribes’ people in this area with 40 ordained pastors assisted by a number of evangelists. Approximately 20 % of this population is non- Christian which means there is lots of work to do.

Many of these parish pastors have a home congregation and 8 to 13 sub parishes in the areas adjacent to their home congregations. Serving these sub parishes is very difficult and time consuming. The parish pastor in Barida has a congregation and 11 sub-congregation and the pastor in Sengrema has 10 sub-parishes. Some of the congregations are more than 40 miles away from their home church. It is difficult to serve each parish in normal times but in the rainy season it is almost impossible. An hour commute in the dry season can be a 3 hour trip on motorbike during the rainy season. Just imagine planning for an 8 am worship service in Bariadi and an 11 am service at a church at the other edge of the district. You might arrive at 11 or at 2.

The pastors may travel between these villages by walking, by bicycle or a motorbike. Often the evangelists walk between 20 to 25 miles a day to villages to share the message of Salvation. The travel between villages takes up much of their time.

The Mid-South District LCMS has help to support transportation issues during the last few years but we need to continue to help provide pastors and evangelist with transportation help so they can effectively serve those in their districts. This help includes motorbikes and bicycles and upkeep (money for tires and supplies) to they can keep them running. Think about how your congregation can support the transportation of the Pastors and Evangelists in the ELVD.

Bob Allen

Mid-South District

World Mission Coordinator

615-672-0923

rjallen@prodigy.net

I love to tell the story part two

I love to tell the story, ‘Twill be my theme in Glory,

To tell the old, old, story of Jesus and His Love.

Entry into Jerusalem, Jesus Calms the Storm, and the Holy Spirit Descends Like a Dove

Gambosi

After a long, bumpy, dusty, one hour drive from Bariadi we entered Gambosi and were greeted by a group of about 50 children(and 1 very tall evangelist) running toward our vehicle waving tree branches and singing! I can’t remember EVER being greeted like that anywhere!! We got out of the truck and joined them as they led us to our meeting place under a tree on the edge of town. We were given the usual “places” of honor, chairs, and proceeded to introduce ourselves. Behind us there were several men from the village who were not as “happy” to see us as the children were. One man was drunk and they were making unkind remarks as we talked. Pastor Mkaro and the evangelist were a little concerned and tried to get the men to stop. We continued on.

My partner Francie, Mimii our interpreter, and myself gathered the children and we moved to a place apart from the adults to share our message with them. We must have told 5 Bible stories(they loved it) and sang and taught them several songs. It was a little tricky in the beginning because our English was translated into Swahili by Mimii then the Swahili translated into Sukuma by a village boy. You had to use short, simple sentences. Well, who do you think was sitting on a rock behind the group of children? The drunken man who was making lewd comments! Except this time, he was quiet, calm, and listening to the stories we told. Because Gambosi was in an area where much witchcraft was practiced, Pastor Mkaro did not want us to stay after dark for the showing of the Jesus movie. We were taken back to Baradi and Pastor Mkaro stayed with the evangelist.

The next morning at breakfast, Pastor Mkaro told us that the drunken man who caused so much trouble wanted to repent and be baptized. Praise the Lord!!

Mungu awabariki(God bless you)

Nancy Allen

“Let me tell you what he has done for me”

Psalm 66:16

I Love to tell the Story

Let me tell you what He has done for me.” – Psalm 66:16

I Love to Tell the Story

I love to tell the story; ‘tis pleasant to repeat

What seems each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet

I love to tell the story for some have never heard

The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.

My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I bring you greetings from our host congregation of Bariadi Lutheran Church in Tanzania and their pastor, Rev. Harold Mikaro. It was a very busy week for our team and the Holy Spirit was present everywhere we went. I have many stories that I’ll be sharing with you in future articles but I wanted to use this month to give some stats about what was accomplished.

We visited the villages of Lyaul, Nyangokola, Ngulyati, Gambosi, and Sanugu. All of these are the sub-congregations of Pastor Mkaro and are ministered to mainly by resident evangelists that were trained by the Diocese.

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 Nyangokoloa 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. We baptized over 150 people (I’ll have to get the exact number to you later).

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, joy in the Lord). We are so much alike and at the same time so different.

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

Mungu awabariki(God bless you),

Nancy Allen

Pastor Brandt's Robes

KUITWA NI KUTUWA is the Swahili phase that means To be Called is to be Sent. In June a group of eight members of congregations in the Mid-south district Lutheran Church Missouri Synod went on a 10 day mission trip to Tanzania. Only one in the group was a formally called, the rest of us were individuals who felt a desire to visit Tanzania and see how we could help in ministering to the Sukuma Tribe. The Mid-South District has worked in partnership with the East of lake Victoria diocese for the last 3 or 4 years and recently began a Church Plant ministry with a goal to reach 1 million Sukuma tribes people in the next 10 years.

The team was divided into two groups. A medical team that worked with the medical clinic in Mwanza and looked into the AIDS issue in Tanzania. The second group went into the villages and into the home of Sukuma people in the district of Sengerema. We accepted the warm hospitality offered and shared a simple gospel message with those individuals we met. During this short time in Sengerema we baptized 667 men, women and children. We have many stories to tell you about our visit, one of these is about Pastor Brandt’s robes.

Pastor Rudy Brandt served the Lord for sixty years in the ministry of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Although he retired as a full time pastor at Holy Trinity in Bowling Green he continued to serve area congregations as a fill in pastor. He help start up congregations throughout the area, was successful in calling on the sick and shut-ins, and was a great Bible study leader. In fact, he continued to lead these classes until just a few months before he passed away when he became too weak to teach, but he still made sure we had the right material and gave us direction how to proceed without him.

The writer Os Guinness; says” we are called to be before we are called to do and our calling both to be and do is fulfilled only in being called to Christ.”
Although Pastor Brandt took his final call in 2006 to be with the Father his robes and stoles are still serving the Lord in Tanzania. Just before the mission trip left the US, Joyce Brandt, Pastors wife donated them to be used in Tanzania. In the attached photos , Pastor Yohana Nzelu, is shown wearing Pastor Brandt’s robe, Pastor Ernest Ambarang’u, and Ezrom Ng’weshemi are shown with two of the donated stoles. A number of other stoles were given to Bishop Bomani to be given to needy pastors in the East of Lake Victoria Diocese.

Pastor Yohana is a man cut from the same cloth as Pastor Brandt. He shepards the Church in Sengerema but also serves 14 other sub parishes. Each Sunday, he preaches at three churches that are reached via a two-and-a-halfhour motorbike ride over roads we would consider too rough for travel.The smiles on their faces tell the story as they proudly pose for pictures. Upon receiving the stoles,broke into a song of praise about “BaBa,” which means Father.
This gift is an example of a way that we in the Mid-South District can support the church in Tanzania. To accomplish our goal to reach out to 1 million Sukuma people in the next 10 years, we need support. Each gift, large or small, means salvation for a Tanzanian brother or sister.
We can report that there is no apathy in the church in Tanzania. During our time in these villages we saw people eager for the message,asking for Bibles as opposed to material things.Hunger for the Word is strong but it is difficult for
these people to purchase anything but essentials. The typical family income is $1 per day. Bibles in the Sukuma and Swahili language cost $6 each. Motorcycles are $3,000, plus another $1,500 for tires and fuel.
Please pray about what God would have you do to reach these people.

The Tale of Two Mission Trips

By John Hall

First allow me to explain who we are. Our group is called Trinity/HOPE and our purpose is to raise funds and administer programs which provide a noon meal for the hungry and malnourished children who attend our schools in Haiti. At the end of the 2007-2008 school year we were providing a daily meal of beans, rice and a sauce to over 8000 children, teachers and cooks in 52 schools and are looking forward to being a blessing to these and others in the coming year. But this article is about two mission trips to Central Plateau which is one of the poorest areas of Haiti; the people there regularly buy and eat dirt cakes just to reduce the hunger pangs. (Picture—Caption—Dirt cakes being prepared for sale in the markets.)

We had attempted to start programs in this area before but for several reasons: funding, commitment of the local leadership, availability of the internet necessary for electronic fund transfers, email communications, etc. had all been factors in not being able to do so. In March of 2007 Alan Honea and I went to this area with one expressed purpose: To determine “once and for all” if we could start programs here, should continue to consider it as a viable area for the future or simply remove it from our list of areas to be considered.

When we arrived at the Lutheran School in Thomassique we found that internet service to the area had been established and the local leadership was now committed. But the real story was the children. We went from school room to school room and observed signs of malnutrition everywhere, children with vacant stares, thin emaciated bodies, rust colored hair and such a lack of energy and hunger that the children often slept or just silently cried. (Picture—Caption—Hungry and hurting children.)

But we also found these poor, improvised children had great faith. They had been told that the schools in the area were being considered for possible feeding programs. If they were to get one in the future that the parents and community would be expected to furnish the kettles, bowls for cooking and serving the food and water and wood for the food’s preparation. We were amazed to see that these children were coming to school carrying sticks of wood.

Alan and I looked at each other and we both thought of Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” We knew these children were going to be fed. We came home and Trinity/HOPE started raising the additional $40,000 needed to feed the four Lutheran Schools in the area. By the time school started, we had raised $21,000, trusted God for the remainder and started feeding the children. God not only blessed us with the funds needed; He provided enough so a fifth school could be added during the school year.

In March of 2008 Frankie Coleman and I returned. What a difference. All signs of malnutrition were gone. In fact the four schools had been a part of a Body Mass Index study by Bunny Pozehl, Ph.D. on our board of directors with some amazing results. At the beginning of the school year 40% of the children 4-6 year old were in the “at risk” percentile. After ten months of school and the daily meal provided by our feeding programs, the number of “at risk” children as determined by BMI had been reduced to approximately 10%. This is an awesome physical impact. (Picture—Caption—Healthy children enjoying their noon meal.)

The spiritual impact is fully as impressive. Our churches and their schools are doing an incredible job of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to their communities in Haiti. And while only 35% of the population in Haiti is Christian, about 90 to 95% of the children in our schools believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior and they tell us that now 60 to 70% of their parents do as well.

This is not only a tale of two trips; it is a story of changed lives. We thank those of you who are already supporters of our work to feed and FEED the children and invite those who are not yet a part to become involved. 100% of all funds we receive go to feed the children. Trinity/HOPE, 2366 Cairo Bend Road, Lebanon, TN.