PRENOTE: I am in Tanzania with a very weak wifi signal. I am not sure if I will be able to get this out until Tuesday. But I am going to try.)
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Hi Everyone,
I am settled in Tanzania. One more day, one more meeting, and I’ll be on my way home. The trip from Madagascar back to a one-nighter I Kenya was safe but ended up dragging out much longer than expected. And now what I expected to be a routine stopover in Tanzania to meet with the team has quickly turned into an exciting, energizing stop that I never envisioned when I planned this stopover and (this won’t surprise you) it fits in perfectly with the conversations I had in South Africa with TMAI (The Master’s Academy International) president Dr. Mark Tatlock.
PATIENCE IS A FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
My original departure from Madagascar was scheduled for 3:30pm.Traffic (as you’ve seen if you have looked at the pictures) can be suffocating so we wanted to leaver very early. I arrived at the airport at 11am. Perfect! Then I checked email. Flight delayed until 4:20. Original arrival 6:55pm. New arrival time, 8:40p. Still OK. I had to get up at 4:15am so bed time at 10 would satisfy me. Flight arrived 25 minutes late in Kenya and my guest house driver was 30 mins late. I got to the guest house at 10:30pm, at two hours later than expected. But it was a safe trip.
Thanks for praying
I was concerned about the flight today on a prop plane. It and a stopover at Mt Kilimanjaro, so there were a lot of tourists and they used the 70 passenger rather than the 40-passenger model. Things went fine.
EPHESIANS 3:20-21 REVISITED!
You will remember, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
This described the outcome of the discussion I had with Dr. Mark Tatlock last week as we discussed possible ways ITEM could partner with/assist TMAI to accomplish their goals. The end-game is establishing a Seminary that majors on expository preaching built around model churches. Well, we can apply it again today.
Tanzania Ministry Quick History
In 2005 or 2006, we conducted our first seminar here in Tanzania. Several pastors of the same denomination started trying to teach the Bible in their churches but were stopped because they were not teaching the church “hand book (catechism?).” The broke off and started their own denomination built around ITEM teaching. Fast forward. . .
Joseph Marwa, ITEM Coordinator, has gone on to obtain an MA in Systematic Theology at a seminary in Grand Rapids, MI. He got certification to use the BTCP (Bible Training Center for Pastors) curriculum (same curriculum we used to train the team here).
Dr. Henry Johnson (Aaron’s Palm, director/founder), ITEM Associate, has trained the ITEM team here over the past 4-5 years using the BTCP curriculum and some of his own.
Tanzania Ministry Today
A key team member has also received an MA from the same seminary in Grand Rapids. Joseph has started his own Bible school. Some of his students are starting churches as a part of their schooling. He is building a training center that he expects will be finished in November. (Please click here to take a look at the great progress Joseph is making on the training center. ) And the team is now ready to start conducting seminars on their own.
Here’s the deal!
As Joseph and I talked about accreditation for his school, he said he would like to partner with a school from the US. Did you “hear” that?
Joseph’s training, doctrine, philosophy of ministry, and influencers are right in line with ITEM’s (of course) and also TMAI’s. Does this sound like a match made in heaven (literally)? In my mind it is but time will tell.
One last question Dr. Tatlock asked me last week was, “Where do you think we should start?” After seeing and hearing what is going on here, if Tanzania is not at the top, it is certainly near the top.
Tomorrow I will be meeting with our full team to discuss ITEM’s next steps here in Tanzania.
PRAISE AND PRAYER
Praise for the timing of this trip. Today’s meeting followed the meeting in So Africa perfectly.
Praise for the way God has used Joseph.
Praise for the influence ITEM has had on Joseph.
Praise for the comfortable flight on the prop plane
Praise for continued good health
Praise for warmer weather and NO rice!
Prayer for our meeting Tuesday with the team that a vision will be cast and caught by the team.
Prayer a safe return to my
Again, thank you for your prayers. It wouldn’t be the same without them!
By His grace,
Steve