Tanzania Mission Trip
Blessings to all in the name of Christ our Lord. With Joy and peace in the Lord I write to you this day. This is the 1st of April and we arrived back in Kitale last night around 10pm.
We (Brother Norm, Fred, Tom, Robert and myself) left Kitale for Tanzania around 7:30pm on the 22nd. Of March. We took a taxies to the town of Eldora where we boarded a bus for Tanzania. At 11:30pm we were off. We traveled the night arriving at the border around 7:30am, town of Kehancha Kenya. We were to early to enter Tanzania so we found a coffee shop to wait our time. We had a number of bags with us and we took up quite a bit of space. After a while the owner asked us to move our bag outside because they were getting busy and customs had no where to sit. We could understand that so we moved outside. After about an hour we were able to move into Tanzania.
We had to wait at the border for our Brother Masatu Abihud. While we waited we had some food at local restruant. Our Brother finally made it and we were on our way. Our first stop was in the town of Mimosa. There we had to make a change to another vehicle for our final destination. While here we would buy the food that we would need for the time we would be at our brothers place. We had time to relax and have refreshments. We learned that we had quite a distance to go before reaching our brothers home. After a while we were on our way. At first the ride was ok but after a while the seats became very heard to sit in. We arrived around 6pm. The country side was just beautiful, the plains, the mountains, the farm land and the Homes. Some of brick made from the mud and some made from mud only. Some with iron sheets for roofs and others with straw for roofs. It is a sight to behold. God is great, it is so wonderful to see His handy work every where we go. God said that all the He made was good and we are truly seeing that as we travel.
Upon arriving at the Village of Chimati the home of brother Masatu, it was a blessing to arrive safely, we praise the Lord for His blessings. We were served tea and food. Got to meet brother Abihud’s wife and family, also a number of friends and neighbors. We sit around and visited until about 10pm. While visiting we were told one by one that there was water for a shower and each of us took a shower (open air). We were then taken to the home where we would be sleeping while we were there. There were five of us. And there were two rooms that the family gave up for us. We didn’t know these people and they didn’t know us but they gave us their home to live in. We must thank the Lord.
The next morning we were up around 7:30am, Tuesday Mar. 23 2010. We were served breakfast and afterward we went to brother Masatu home where we were told that we would be going to the village center to start our services of teaching the word of God. We had to walk about 15min. before reaching the center. Upon arriving there we moved inside. We were introduced and brother Norn had the floor to teach. The teaching was on the foundation of Christ church. It was explained that Christ established His Church while He was here and what is the foundation of that Church. The teaching lasted until 2:30pm. We then stopped for lunch and traveled back to our brothers home. We took lunch and by this time it was well in the evening so because of time we decided to continue our teaching there at brother Masatu home in the yard under the trees. The service went well thank to the blessing of the Lord. That ended our first day of teaching in Tanzania.
Today Thursday March 25, 2010 we are up at 8am went for breakfast which was just great. We then went to our teaching service. This Morning brother Robert started the teaching which went very well thanks to our Lord. Brother Norm finished the morning teaching. After lunch the teaching continued at the home of our brother with brother Norm teaching. When he finished the service was open for questions. This went on until supper which was around 7pm. We retired for the night at 11pm. It was a fruitful day in the Lord. Praise Him from whom all blessings flow.
This morning March 27th 2010 we are up at 7:30 am. It was a little ruff last night trying to find a soft spot on the floor made of mud, very hard (smile). I am not complaining I just want you to know the comfort we have. God gives us what we need to endure all things and we thank Him with all our hearts. We just ask that you keep on praying for us because we can’t make it without you. Again we are at our brothers home for breakfast. We are out side and it is just beautiful. While at breakfast we decided to just have our teachings under the tree because it was so nice this morning. This morning brother Tom was up first to teach then I followed him. I got to teach for about an hour before the rain came and it rained the rest of the after noon. It was supper time. We didn’t get to finish our study until late. The Lord has been with us all the way. It has been a blessed time in Tanzania. There was thos
e that requested Baptism. We plan to do that on Saturday, tomorrow. Thank you Lord.
Saturday March27th 2010. Praise the Lord for today. We are up at 8:30 a little later than usual but everyone is just fine in the Lord. We have been blessed with the weather sense we been here. The rain has been coming at night and the days has been just great. Yesterday was the first rain that came in the afternoon. Today looks great, the rain ended around 5am. And it is just beautiful this morning. We had breakfast an are just waiting for those who will be baptized today. Around 11am all was present and we started our journey to Lake Victory for baptisms. We wasn’t sure how far it was but we knew we had to make it there. We walked for two hours before reaching the Lake and what a beautiful sight that was. It was like walking up to the ocean with the waves beating on the sandy shore. There was 10 souls to be baptized this most wonderful day. As we walked to the Lake there was singing of praise all the way by those to be baptized, it was just wonderful. Brother Tom and Brother Masatu preformed the baptisms. Confirmations was done by brother Beck and myself and brother Fred and brother Norm. No one wanted to leave the Lake but we knew we had to get back and there was only one way to do that and that was the same way we came, walk. We started our journey back and on the way we stopped for refreshments which took some time. We continued until we came to the home of one sister that was baptized that had asked if we would come to her home and pray for the family. We did make the stop and prayed for the family and the home. There also was a child there that was sick. We prayed a special prayer for her. Thank you Lord for your direction. We arrived back at the house about 5:30pm. There were people waiting for us. Among them was a choir singing from the Mennonites Church. They were just great. They came to welcome us to their community. There were also members there from the SDA, PAG and Catholic Churches. We spoke and thanked everyone for coming. It was late and they all had to leave but some said that they would be back on Sunday afternoon.
Sunday march 28th . It rained most of the night and it is still raining. We had breakfast around 11am and it stopped raining around 2pm. Sure enough the Mennonite Church Choir came for service. Services went well in the Lord and the Choir was just great. We thanked them for coming and welcoming us into their community. It was a blessed evening and we thank the Lord for it. Brother Beck, Lyles and Gosier spoke to the people. Afterward we were presented gifts by our sister Abihud .This was our last full day at our brothers Church in Chimati, Tanzania.
This is Monday the 29th of March 2010. This morning we were to leave around 5am but to our surprise our ride did not show up. We went back to bed and was up at 7:30am. We were served breakfast and all the while brother Abihud was trying to arrange transport for us. After some time he managed to get Motor Cycles for us. They arrived about 10am and we were off and arrived at Seka Village around 3:30pm. When we arrived at Paster Jackson home we were greeted by his wife and others. Paster Jackson was from the New Life Ministry. We were served tea and a snack. After tea a young man had a question about the Sabbath Day. Brother Tom took the question and explained about the Sabbath Day. That took about an hour and a half, by this time it was late and we closed the service.
Tuesday March 30th 2010. Last night was ok. There were five of us sleeping no straw mats on the floor with foam under them not bad. We Started services this morning at 10am. Disciple Tom begin the teaching this day. We first introduced ourselves. Brother Tom taught on the foundation, he ended around 1:30pm. We took lunch and while at lunch the rain came. We got back to teaching about 4:30pm. Brother Tom continued and when he finished it was question time. The service went well thanks to the blessings of the Lord.
Pastor Jackson who had invited us to meet with his people and people of the Village stood and thanked us for coming and sharing the word of God with them but he had to think about what we taught before he make a decision. There were those that expressed their interest in the work and would be in touch with Disciple Masatu. The service ended around 6:30pm. We had supper and thanked the family for inviting us because we were leaving the next morning early.
We made plans for motor cycles to take us to the main Road that morning but it rained most of the night and the dirt roads was to bad for the cycles to make the trip. Now we had to walk and it was a wet and muddy one. It took us an hour or more to reach the main road but we made it thanks to our Lord. There we waited for transport to Mimosa where we would make connection for the border. All went well and we made our connection and we were off to return to Kenya. It was a blessed to Tanzania, thank our Lord. We arrived back in Kitale a little late that night. We thank the Lord for His blessings on our journey to Tanzania. It was a joy working in that part of the Lord’s vineyard.
May the spirit of the Lord be with all.
Apostle Larry T. Gosier `
