HI friends!
Has it been hot enough for you? A lot of people ask me about the weather in Tanzania. I usually say there are 2 seasons – hot and not so hot! Right now, it’s the “not so hot” season in the areas we work, meaning average daily temps are in the mid-80s.
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I was talking yesterday with one of our leaders in Tanzania who lives in the area we will be going to in September. She said the weather has been unusually cold. I looked at the current weather for her town and you can see what qualifies as “cold” to them.
Hmmmm …. I think some of us would be OK with this temperature range!
Tanzanians may think it’s “cold” there right now, but the ministry work has been on fire! Our national workers continue to amaze me with their passion and dedication to reaching the lost and transforming lives.
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Here are some of the things we are praising God for:
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Martin has continued showing the Jesus Film in villages near his home and church. Since May, 540 people have watched the story of Jesus and heard the Gospel. Of those, at least 86 have prayed to receive Jesus! This week, Martin will be conducting discipleship training with 35 believers from one of his new church plants so they will know how to connect and disciple those who have now come to faith.
Pray for those being trained this week to grow into obedient disciples.
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In my May newsletter, I shared a story about the new Digo church that was started earlier this year. Since then, the church has grown from 40 people gathering each Sunday to now 70 meeting every week. There is a lot of fear due to persecution from family and community. Persecution comes in many ways when it is discovered that someone now believes in Jesus – they almost always are cast out of their families, lose their job and are isolated from the community. Some have even been beaten and left outside the village. A few weeks ago, 20 of the new Digo believers there were baptized! This is a huge breakthrough for them to overcome this fear and publicly declare faith in Jesus.
Pray for protection for this church and these believers as they continue to live out their faith.
Transformation –
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In 2019, we taught Community Transformation in a small village in the Tanga region. Our CT training is based on the story of Nehemiah and we tell that story many times during the week. A man named Fundi attended the training. Fundi was the village leader and we became great friends. After the training, Fundi began to see himself as a Nehemiah and had a burden to bring the village together to build a primary school. The closest school is more than 6 miles away. It can be dangerous for the young children (kindergarten – 3rd grade) to walk the distance alone, and many times their families don’t have enough food to send with them as they make the journey each day.
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Fundi began to share his burden about the need for a school. In 2020, the community started building a three-room school. In 2021, construction was delayed due to a change in village leadership, which caused some discouragement. In February, however, Fundi brought the villagers back together and they are once again working on the school building. Now, they have one room almost completed!
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Pray that the village will have the resources and continued passion to complete the school building quickly so the children will not have to walk so far each day.
Transformation is a process and takes time. Over the past 5 years we have witnessed God bring a radical heart change among the Digo and neighboring tribes. The Gospel is spreading, disciples are being made and lives are being transformed. These are things only God can do among unreached people. It’s such a privilege to be part of what God is doing in Tanzania!
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As God continues to show me the big picture of what He has ahead for us in Tanzania, I need a lot of prayer and, honestly, financial resources. As you know, I am 100% donor supported as a full-time missionary. Many of you have responded to my need for more committed monthly supporters – THANK YOU! I still need an additional $1,000 per month to fill the deficit of my monthly income and expenses.
Coming up on Sept. 8 is our annual e3 Giving Day. This is an important personal support-raising event for me and Giving Day is a great time to start new monthly support or give an annual donation. When you give a one-time gift or set up recurring donations during the 24-hour period on Sept. 8, your gift will be enhanced by a bonus pool provided by several generous donors. That means every dollar is worth more than $1!
Last year I had a God-size ask and He exceeded my expectations! This year on Giving Day, I’m praying for the $1,000 per month in monthly giving I need and an additional $9000 to ensure I have funds needed to finish the year strong and cover my financial needs for next year. I would love for you to consider giving an additional gift or partnering with me as a new monthly giver. All gifts are 100% tax deductible! Every gift -- large or small -- will go farther on Giving Day.
Please be in prayer about how you can be a part of helping me reach this goal to continue in this God-sized vision He has given me in Tanzania.
Together, we can continue transforming lives for God’s glory!
Don’t want to wait to join my financial team? Click the green button below to give online. If you would prefer to give by check, please contact me directly for information on how to do that.
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What’s next? Tanzania here we come!
I’m so excited to be returning to Tanzania! I’ll be leading 2 teams Sept. 7–26.
The first week we will be in the Tanga region, teaching Community transformation in a new, unreached Digo village. Up until now the people in this village have not been open to outsiders, but God has opened their hearts and the door for us to come. Our Community Transformation lessons are the perfect entry tool for this village to show the love of Jesus. Our hope is it will lead to being able to share the message of Jesus.
The second week we will be in a new area in the Pwani region, which is home to more than 1.2 million unreached people. We will be meeting with a few local churches and believers in villages where the majority of people identify as Muslim but mostly practice witchcraft and worship spirit gods. We will be training believers in simple Gospel tools and help strengthen the local churches to share the love and truth of Jesus with those around them. Then we will watch and assist them as they put into practice what they learned.
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- Pray for Martin, Paul and the other Tanzania faithful who are continually working to share the Gospel and make disciples. Pray for their families, for good health and safety.
- Pray for Fundi to come to accept Jesus as his Lord and savior.
- Pray for Giving Day and about partnering with me. Pray that God will provide abundantly for all the financial needs I have as a ministry leader in Tanzania.
- Pray for our September trips, that as we make our plans and commit them to the Lord, He will guide our steps.
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I’ve been walking this journey in Tanzania for many years now, and it isn’t always easy. I give all glory to God for sustaining me, providing and continually lifting my head when I’ve been discouraged.
I love that God chooses to use ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary mission, and I give God thanks every day for your willingness to partner with me in this mission work through prayer and financial support. Thank you for walking with me.
❤️ Susan
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A person’s steps are established by the LORD, and he takes pleasure in his way. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, because the LORD supports him with his hand.
Psalm 37:23-24
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