Some background.
Some years ago pastor Gondwe, who has also been my interpreter over many years, advised me to start writing Bible studies on the things I was preaching and teaching on and also to record the messages, which he interprets as I speak. I started to do this and then decided to create a website and put both the written studies and audio files on the website. I also noticed that there are Swahili Christian groups on Facebook, which I also then joined to post the written studies on and giving the link to my website. This had a very positive response. Things then started to ‘snowball’ (as far as my little website is concerned) so that now, on average, there are about 200 visitors per day to the website. It attracts visitors from all over the world as well as from Tanzania. I was astonished to find that if I typed words like ‘prayer’, ‘Bible teaching’ or ‘spiritual warfare’ (in the Swahili language) into the Google search engine, my website came up within the first six links on the first page! Other people pay many thousands of pounds to get a result like that for their business websites!
So when visiting Dar Es Salaam in June 2018, none of the churches where I was invited to speak were the result of contacts I had already had in Tanzania, but resulted from pastors (or members of their congregation) coming across my website! This has also led to invitations from Kenya and Burundi and other regions of Tanzania. Modern technology does seem to have its benefits!
I thank God for these ‘openings’ in Dar Es Salaam. Rather than being just ‘one-offs’, these contacts and the relationships that are developing from them with different pastors are proving to be meaningful and significant, and leading to many other opportunities both in Dar Es Salaam and elsewhere. Apart from the opportunity to speak at various churches of different denominations in Dar Es Salaam in an ongoing relationship, I am also particularly grateful for the opportunity of speaking to university students and at youth conferences. The June visit was an abundantly blessed time!
I am also extremely grateful to the Lord that for the past two years I have been able to stay in the homes of believers in Dar Es Salaam. Apart from the wonderful hospitality that I have received, this has also been very timely, as spending two or three weeks in Dar es Salaam even in a cheaper hotel would have proven costly. The appreciable money saved I am then able to use to help others who are in need. The Lord is good!
For particular prayer I would like to mention pastor Ayubu Mwita, who is a key figure in opening many doors within the Evangelical Assemblies of God Churches Tanzn. Among all those that I have met in Tanzania he stands out as a particularly humble and gracious man. He serves the Lord tirelessly even though he has been hard pressed in making ends meet. I do value your prayers that the Lord will continue to deepen existing relationships and to open further effectual doors in Dar Es Salaam and elsewhere.
Below are photos of some of the churches I visited on the June visit.
BELOW: PASTOR AYUBU MWITA'S RENTED HOUSE (JUNE 2018). THERE A 3 ROOMS. THREE SONS SLEEP IN ONE ROOM; TWO GIRLS (DAUGHTER AND RELATION) SLEEP IN THE 'SITTING ROOM' AND PASTOR MWITA AND HIS WIFE IN THE THIRD ROOM - ALL THE ROOMS ARE ABOUT 7 FOOT BY 7 FOOT. This house is near the rented building where the church used to meet, but the church was donated land in another area of Dar Es Salaam, so they now meet there but it is a long way from this accommodation.
BELOW: THE FAMILY OF PASTOR MWITA.
BELOW: PASTOR MWITA AND HIS WIFE, SUZANA.
I have been able to help pastor Mwita move into rented accommodation very near to where the church now meets. It is a tremendous blessing for them in every way!
BELOW: IN FRONT OF THE 'BUILDING' WHERE PASTOR MWITA'S CHURCH NOW MEETS. THE CHURCH WAS GIVEN A PIECE OF GROUND SO THEY HAVE MOVE FROM THE RENTED BUILDING TO HERE.
BELOW: SPEAKING AT VARIOUS PENTECOSTAL AND INDEPENDENT CHURCHES.
BELOW: SPEAKING AT A 5-DAY YOUTH CONFERENCE.
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