Emmanuel Makala Selected as Bishop of the Southeast of Lake Victoria diocese

Pastor  Emmanuel Makala was elected to be the first  bishop of the new Southeast of Lake Victoria Diocese (SELVD)  on Wednesday evening by the delegates of the new diocese.  Trafaina Nkya was also elected to the position of  assistant to bishop. Both men have been friends for years  and have actively worked with visitors from the Mid-South District for many years.

The decision to divide the ELVD was made over three years ago.  Having experienced rapid growth, the ELVD became the largest diocese  in  the Lutheran Church in Tanzania. The office of the East of Lake Victoria Diocese (ELVD) will remain in Mwanza  and  the new diocese will be housed in Shinyanga which is  three  hours southeast of Mwanza.

Emmanuel has been serving  since 2009 as the Assistant Bishop of the East  of Lake Victoria Diocese (ELVD) and Dean of the Cathedral and District Pastor. He also  has also been studying  for  a PHD in Ministry at Concordia Seminary -Fort Wayne through  the support of the Mid-South District, LCMS and Concordia Fort Wayne.  .  He previously received his Bachelor and Masters degree from Makumira University in Arusha, Tanzania.

Emmanuel is married to Lillian and has 3 children Mercy, Mary and Meshach

How did Lutherans come to Tanzania

Lutherans in Tanzania

Some of you have me asked how Lutherans came to Tanzania.   I saw this little clip recently on Pastor Al Collver’s blog 

 “ Lutherans first arrived in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania in 1836, sent by the Leipzig Mission Society. Around the this time in the 19th century, European Churches typically did not send missionaries from the State church. As a result pious lay people and pastors formed mission societies to send “missionaries” to the heathen. Bible Societies also formed during this period."

In fact, the LCMS was built in part by the mission society efforts of Wilhelm Loehe. Article VI of the Missouri Synod’s Constitution prohibits work with “heterodox tract and mission societies.” The first and immediate context of this for Dr. C.F.W. Walther would have been mission societies like the Leipzig Mission Society

Kidia Parish in Old Moshi

Stella Hirji , owner of African Trails travel agency in Arusha Tanzania ,   a friend who has helped  us make travel arrangements for the last 10 years told me that   the first Lutheran church was built in her village Kidia Parish in Old Moshi where she was born and her parents still live.   Her grandfather Mr. Joseph Merinyo was a staunch follower and  he was  the first African to be sent to Leipzig in 1907  to study in Germany, and stayed there for two years before he came back he worked as their interpreter and helped in their missionary work.

Indeed the Lutheran Church in Moshi had close affiliation with Leipzig Church. Actually before the Kidia Parish Church was built, the Germans first put a wooden hut at a place called Kitimbirihu where  believers from the whole village used to go and pray once a year during the anniversary of the church. Although it was an open place it was also fun. She recalls that when as a  young girl her grandfather used to receive the various missionaries who came to Moshi. He was also a very close friend of the first Bishop of Kilimanjaro Bishop Stephano Moshi ( Kilimanjaro Christian Medical center was built in  his honor.

The Lutheran Church in Tanzania has experience rapid growth and currently has 5.8 million members which ranks it behind the Lutheran Church of Sweden with 6.5 million, 7.3 Lutheran in America, 2.4 million are in the LCMS,  and the Evangelical Lutheran church of Germany with 24 million.

The Mid-South district LCMS has been partnered with one of the newest Diocese in the Lutheran church of Tanzania (ELCT)  the East of Lake Victoria Diocese  (ELVD). The ELVD has grown in 10 years from 40 thousand to over 100 thousand baptized Christians.   This area of the country was one of the last areas to be evangelized,  missionaries did not visit the area because of the distance from the ocean, the heat and sickness . There still are many people, about  6 million, who are not Christian and many of these have not heard the name of Jesus.

That is why we go, following in the tradition of missionary societies and CF Walter. We go to share the gospel.

Come join us

Friom Clarksville to Tanzania...the importance of being intentional

Congregations and Missions- the importance of being intentional

A mission group from Grace Lutheran Church in Clarksville Tennessee has just returned from a mission trip to Tanzania with great excitement and   stories to share.   The group  consisted  of  Cindy Buckner, Tom and The  Rev.Jon Sollberger.  Tom and Pastor Jon supervised   putting a roof on the girl's dormitory, making  needed repairs around the school  while Cindy taught English as a second language classes to the students at the Mwadui Lutheran Secondary School. They fund raised for this project  throughout the year bringing in $17K.  Their bond with the East of Lake Victoria Diocese in Tanzania extended to paying the school tuition for some needy students and supporting the International Lutheran Health Partners who   provide health services to the poor and disadvantaged Tanzanians.   ELVD Bishop Andrew

Gulle visited the Grace in 2010 and Dr. Dennis and Paul Lofstrom visited the congregation in 2011 bringing information and enthusiasm to the  congregation .  Another member, Jane Schult, is leaving with another  group going to Tanzania as part of an evangelism  and church planting team.

 Grace has always been intentional about mission support. The congregation has been active in supporting missions in a number of continents, such as The Siberian Lutheran Church  in Asia and feeding children in Haiti. Their Junior Youth works  to provide  health kits and individuals put together quilts for Lutheran World Relief and other projects.  Pr. John Nunes, President of LWR, preached at Grace as part of their 50th anniversary celebration in 2010.  Locally they support a food agency that runs a food kitchen for the hungry, they run their own food pantry serving 500 families a year, and support the local Pastoral Counseling Center to provide 100 free hours of counsel to those who can least afford it. 

Each congregation of the district seems to have different mission focus with individuals gifted to support  a specific area of ministry outreach and   desire to use  their God given gifts.  Grace is known for their

wonderful  traditional liturgical worship service, music program, and one of the largest pipe organs in Middle Tennessee. Pastor Peters shared an observation on that issue.

 "Some may say  that  congregations interested in liturgical  things are often less "missional", This may  be  true in some cases, but  I believe it is  overstated. In fact it appears that most of the mission money sent to Synod through District is sent in by congregations that use the  hymnal."

Grace Lutheran Church has seen the benefits to being intentional about missions both at home and abroad. People want to be a part of a congregation that serves and makes a difference for Christ. Their generosity and heart for missions  is a wonderful witness around the  Clarksville and beyond.

I want to encourage  your congregation to find a mission outreach  domestic and foreign to support

It will affect the lives of the congregation forever.

Katelynn update from South Africa

Update from our Friend Katelyn Hiett pictured with 

Namunde.

Serving her Deaconness internship in South Africa

Sabona! (Hello in Zulu) 

Zulu is just one of the many official languages here in South Africa. The country boasts 11 different national languages, including Zulu, Afrikaans (a muddy mixture of German and Dutch) and English just to name a few. I, unfortunately, only know one of the eleven, and though I like to think I have good command of English, I am often not its master.

One might suspect that with so many different languages, progress and partnership may be a little inhibited. Those suspicions prove true when observing the complicated history of South Africa. Communication is essential to building relationships and especially building a country. That is why the major work of mission work is building relationships. Different language and different culture complicate this task greatly. Mission work is about relationships and communication. I am learning the delicacies of building and maintaining partnerships across that vast cultural line that is often so hard to bridge. 

The team I have joined in South Africa has done an excellent job of bridging that gap. For two years Shara and Julia have been working alongside Pastor Thwala of Shongweni, Lutheran Church building outreaches and programs that the church sees as its own. Their method is one that I will surely take with me back to Sudan. 

Much of my work here in South Africa is focused in Shongweni parish. My role is assisting Pastor Thwala with making visitations, teaching the youth when needed and especially ministering to women in the community. South Africa has never really ever had the advantage of a “deaconess” so my job description is often made up on the fly and is uniquely African. It is my daily challenge to shed my western predispositions and trade them—if momentarily—for African sensitivities. 

But there is one thing that I can be sure of and rest all of my confidence in. No matter our differences of speech and culture, we are united by the universal and eternal Word of God. The love of God spoken to us through the incarnation of Christ is a Word every heart can understand. It would seem that the gospel needs no translation, except for when it is mistranslated through the imperfect actions of imperfect people. 

Vigilant of my sin and shortcomings, I pray that as I share the Word—my highest task as Christian and missionary—God will use the weakness of my words and the failure of my flesh to sow good seed into ready hearts

Think about how you can support KatelynK 

For further information contact:

Bob Allen

rjallen@prodigy.net

615-672-0923

Christina's baptism...

This area was not one we planned to visit.  A group had been near that area the previous year, but by Gods grace we were directed to this location and were fortunate to meet Christina

Christina appeared to be in her 80's and blind. She waited by her hut for the truck  to take her to church. She had been  invited by a neighbor who is a member of the congregation. Her husband named Daudi  was a Muslim. He came home a few weeks earlier and told  her he had been baptized as a Christian, she cried because she wanted to be baptized.

When she heard that a  US team was in the area going to homes and baptizing she was unable to walk to find us . Her neighbor knew we were coming to the church service and asked for the van to come and pick up Christina. The church was so crowded we could hardly walk through the aisle but she was led to the front and when the invitation for baptism, she was the first in line to be baptized to join the family of believers and have her sins washed away.

The average life expectancy in Tanzania is 49, God blessed us with this opportunity.

There are more Christina’s out there waiting for someone to share the gospel message.  Come join us on our trip in may 2012

Contact

Bob Allen

208 Peachtree St

White house,tn  37188

615-672-0923

rjallen@prodigy.net

Finding significance in service

I attended a conference in 2010 and heard something that called my name. Bob Allen was making a presentation about the need for teachers and other lay people to go to Tanzania to teach ESL (English as a Secondary Language) or other subjects such as Math, Science, Home Economics etc. Retired people are excellent candidates for this adventure  to stay one week, one month, one year....or anytime in between. Age is no barrier.

As  a commissioned LCMS lay minister and former  ESL teacher in Japan, Slovakia and the United States,  I retired to Arkansas and was  widowed. Was this for me ?  I found Bob to start the discussion leading to one of the most meaningful volunteer activities of my life. I went to Mwadui Lutheran Secondary School  in Tanzania for one month in May of 2011. The students were polite and eager to learn. They were the liveliest during chapel. All classes are taught in English with the exception of Swahili. What more could a teacher ask?  I thought I had died and gone to teacher heaven.  Not only did I feel I did a lot of good during the month, I made many friends. My lodging was adequate and I was completely safe. At the end of my adventure, I joined the mission group from the US for several  days of village evangelizing and a safari adding to my memories of a lifetime.

If you do this and do not come away feeling that it was one of the most meaningful activities of your life, I will gladly buy you dinner.

Bob Oetetel(third from right)

Interested in learning more. Contact us:

Bob Allen

615-672-7438
rjallen@prodigy.net

Deacon Robert Oettel
robertoettel@hotmail.com

Rev. Yohana Nzelu, Principal,
Mwadui Lutheran Secondary School
e-mail:  yohananzelu@yahoo.com

Tanzania: 1000 baptized among the Sukuma

Mwanza, Tanzania: The Evangelical Lutheran  Church in Tanzania (ELCT) is well established

in urban centers but in the  arid lands around Lake Victoria, many—if not most—of the Sukuma

people have yet  to hear the name of  Jesus Christ. The East  of Lake Victoria Diocese (ELVD) of the

ELCT is intentionally reaching out to this large people group  and has invited friends and partners to walk

with them in this work.

In June the Trump Family traveled to Mwanza where we met up with a small team led by Bob Allen of the LCMS’s Mid- South District. An excellent partner in mission,  Bob was open to serving however the ELVD requested. When he first came some years ago, they asked him to do door-to-door evangelism among the Sukuma.

While Krista and Josiah remained in Mwanza Town, Shauen traveled with the team as they

broke into groups of two or three with local guides, translators, and evangelists

and set out into the villages. Shauen shared the Gospel Story with small gatherings, visited with people who had never been to church or had fallen away, and prayed  over an alcoholic in his home.

Shauen’s group even walk to the edge of the village to try and witness to the witchdoctor!  The witchdoctor wasn’t home  at the time (as is often the case when Christian Missionaries are around) but

Shauen spoke to his household, emphasizing the former clarity mankind had in speaking with God in the

Garden of Eden, how that was lost, how the damage was repaired through one sacrifice for all time and all people, and how God clearly speaks to us today through His Word. Those hearing the message were hesitant to act without their head of household present but they requested an evangelist visit them again!

After door-to-door visits in the mornings, the afternoons often featured a gathering at the church to share the message one more time. In one village, even after 150 people had been baptized in their homes, Shauen was asked to preach outside the church and following the message dozens more came forward seeking baptism! 

In one week of door-to-door evangelism

and open-air preaching,  over 1,000 Sukuma people were called to Christ  and regenerated in the

waters of baptism!  Praise the Lord for His work among the Sukuma!

Come join us in 2012

Tanzania 2011 mission trip

We can only imagine the impact in Jerusalem of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

A team of people from the Mid-South District had a experience during the week of Pentecost of the Holy Spirit working through the Word to touch the lives of thousands in Tanzania .
This year’s team went into a remote area Southeast of Mwanza that has been impacted by a serious drought reducing the harvest crops of corn, sunflower, millet and garden produce by over 85%. One man told me that he had planted a acre of Maize (corn) and did not even get a bowl of grain during the harvest. The lack of rain has dried up most water holes that has resulted in much of the day being spent searching for water sources miles and miles from home.
In one village a man came to me and said “you must help us, we are starving”


The lack of water and food did not hinder the response to the Gospel.


We went into 7 villages in the Negezi/Kishapu district to share a gospel message. In each village, 4 teams of two members of the Mid-South Team went with an area pastor and village elders walking house to house sharing the message by using the EvangeCube of our Savior Jesus Christ and baptizing in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit. In some cases, the message was translated from English to Swahili and to Sukuma.


After the morning and afternoon of evangelism each group would return to a designated location for a worship service and lunch with the people from the local village.


Results: 1056 men, women and children were baptized.


• We left hundreds of Bibles in Swahili for the Pastors to distribute
• He donated 4 bicycles to Evangelists who cover many villages
• We started a fund called the Negezi/Kishapu Famine Relief fund and presented money that can be used  to purchase food for those most impacted by the drought.
• 21 evangelists were installed and commissioned for service in a church service after completing to two year training program to minister to the villages.


On Safari, two Lutheran women from Germany was amazed to hear what had happened in the villages. One exclaimed to us that the time for evangelism is past!
No, there are 1056 new lives in Christ that would dispute that comment.

The Harvest is plentiful but the workers are few

Matthew: 9:37

Good news from Rev. Shauen and Krista Trump in Kenya.

Good news from Rev. Shauen and Krista Trump in Kenya.

"Twelve pastors look at Shauen expectantly. He remembered again that he's not in Uganda anymore.  He's in Kenya now, filling a different role. As he idly thumbs his Bible and feels that special anxiety that comes when speaking before a group, he began, 'We don't have time today to cover the entire Gospel of Luke, or even just those parts emphasized in the Mission Training Center (MTC) book. But, I think we can learn a lot about Luke by looking closely at one chapter.'

"Theological Education is among the top priorities for LCMS partnerships across Africa. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK) has numerous partnership opportunities in this area. They have a four-year seminary issuing bachelor's degrees for pastors, a two-year Bible school issuing certificates for evangelists and the Mission Training Center program dispersed across the country, which trains laity as helpers in congregations that don't have a pastor or evangelist of their own. With almost 20 MTCs across Kenya, it's certainly beyond Shauen's capacity to teach at them all.

"The ELCK has a coordinator for the MTCs and each center is managed by the pastor overseeing the area. So Shauen is privileged to participate at this point in the training of the trainers. Four times per year, the MTC managers come together for two days of encouragement, fellowship and a review of the two books to be covered in months ahead. Managers' training is led by the MTC coordinator, along with those he calls on to assist him, generally one or more of the MTC managers, or for at least one day of this training, Shauen.

"Addressing the group of pastors, Shauen continued, 'So let's look at Jesus' parables of the lost things in Luke 15.' With the Scriptures open before them, as is normally the case, his nerves settle and as heads bow down to peer into the text, Shauen's anxieties are replaced by that special joy of gathering around God's Word. Soon, the group is deeply involved in discussion and debate that occupies them for most of this second day of training. As the afternoon turns to evening, the thoughts of these servants again turn toward their parishes and the five to 15 congregations they oversee. Pray for these shepherds of God's people in Kenya!"

Shauen, Krista, and Josiah Trump

Your Missionaries to East Africa

through LCMS World Mission

http://TheTrumps.org/

http://lcms.org?13521

Shauen.Trump@LCMS.org