We pray that you all had a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. Can you believe that February is over? This year seems to be flying by. God is good, and we can’t complain. We thank Him for the many blessings that He provided us in 2018, and we are anticipating the many more to come as we go through 2019.
We had a great Christmas Day service. We were busy, of course, and I was able to marry my parents, which was an added blessing. We had Christmas dinner on the grounds that day. God was good to the ministry of GBC in 2018. We were able to be a part of 1,302 salvations in 2018, with 102 baptisms. Thank you all for being faithful so that we can stay here on the field. We celebrated New Year’s Eve at church with an all-nighter. There were over 150 people present. We had preaching, games, films, food, and fellowship. We started the New Year on our knees as a church, asking God to continue to help us throughout the year.
We were blessed to have a group come visit us in January. There were eight people in the group, representing two different churches from Wisconsin. We had a great time, and we loved being able to show them the ministry and the country in which God allows us to serve. We were grateful that they were willing to speak at our Ladies’ Conference. We know the ladies from GBC enjoyed hearing our guests teach them and encourage them to grow in the Lord. Our theme for the conference was “You Are Special.” We broke the theme into categories—You are special to God, Family, Church, and Others. There were close to 200 ladies that day.
February is the “love month,” so, of course, we had a Valentine Banquet. It’s always fun to be able to give our church couples some time to come together for games, teaching, and food. We had a great turnout of 33 couples, and we enjoyed spoiling them a little bit and had fun decorating too. Pastor Astante Rabi, from Northern Tanzania near Mount Kilimanjaro, was our guest speaker. We are glad that we have friends who believe the same and are doing things for the Lord in a different area.
We covet your prayers, as we are preparing to head back to the States on March 16. Our baby is due around June 11, and we wanted to make sure we have proper medical care, especially towards the end of my wife’s pregnancy. We will be in the States until October 1.
We want to end by saying thank you to everyone who sent us cards, letters, and packages. We are always so grateful when we receive them. The effort that is made and the money that is spent are never taken for granted. We love you all and pray that God will continue to grow and multiple your efforts to please Him.
Your co-laborers,
Mshama, Martha, & Esther Kinyonga
