The Mission in Singida Part 2
Published 29 October 2017
Nya ha ha is a remote village in the semi-desert which has a small church. Last year we visited and saw a number of people make commitments but sadly the church is still small with little discipleship having been carried out. Various obstacles were highlighted such as the village not having its own church building and no electricity. But perhaps the main reason why the church has not grown is that Pastor Oscar and his wife Dorcas have low education and have not been trained as pastors. However, Dorcas is a charismatic lady, an amazing dancer and easily builds rapport with children and women so is a key person in the growth of the church. During the mission we showed films on two evenings and visited people in their homes during the day. It was amazing to watch a film about the life of Jesus, hear the gospel message being proclaimed in an arid environment under a star studded night sky with the Milky Way on glorious display and then witness the most energetic dancing at the end of the film. No one wanted to go home, the atmosphere was electric and we all sensed that the Holy Spirit had powerfully worked in the lives of hundreds of people. We talked at length to Oscar and Dorcas about the way forward for the church and said that we would like them to benefit from Bible training given by Deo later this year. Then next year we would fund Oscar going away for short training sessions in the Bible. At least half the people watching the film were children and young people so there is a need for Dorcas to hold Bible studies in an age appropriate way. We have also bought a solar panel for Oscar’s house which will allow a social centre to be established through provision of lighting, mobile phone charging and the playing of Christian dance music using the music speaker system that Oscar already has. We also hope to print pictures of Bible stories and laminate them for Oscar and Dorcas to use in their teaching since preaching is not the best method to communicate Biblical truths in these poor areas of Tanzania.
We visited Mwandalya, a village 5 km away from Nya ha ha, where Oscar is building a house. It has a larger population and a small Christian presence. Currently the church meets in the outdoors but land and bricks have been bought by local Christians although these have now been used to complete the pastor's house. We received a tremendous welcome on the days we visited and had many wonderful conversations with people including many older people who were drinking liquor. We spoke about the deep satisfaction that only Jesus can bring. The films were avidly watched by young and old and many people made commitments so we were greatly encouraged that a fledgling church had been started. Oscar will divide his time between Mwandalya and Nya ha ha in order to keep the momentum going and disciple the new Christians.
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