The year 2015 is here, and the months are flying by already. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. We appreciate all the cards and gifts that were sent to us. Thank you all so very much.
To give a little update on the twins we mentioned in our last letter, we were able to enroll them in school. They are doing well.
We had our ladies’ Christmas party in December. Thanks for all who prayed. We had over 80 ladies come, with 36 trusting Christ. Our midweek service is on Thursdays, so we still had a Christmas morning service. We gave each person a kilo of rice, and the kids threw candy and sang “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” We weren’t sure how many people would come, but we thank God for the 85 people who came. We had such a good time and a great spirit on Christmas.
The first big blessing we had in 2015 was that Esther trusted Christ as her personal Saviour. She came to Martha asking how to get to Heaven. The weeks prior, she had been asking questions about Heaven and sin. Then on January 3, she trusted Christ.
Also that same week, we had Teen Camp. We pushed not only to have our church kids there but non-churched teens as well. We wanted to use this camp to evangelize as well as strengthen. We had 150 teens come, and 29 trusted Christ. The theme was “Finish,” and we also incorporated a soccer tournament with the theme. The winning team received a trophy, as well as each member receiving a full soccer uniform. We had a great time at this first camp for our church.
This year we also started going into the public schools. We are currently in two schools, and we plan on adding more very soon in the coming months. The one school is Mkundi. So far we have taught 524 students, with 46 trusting Christ. The other school is Mwebsono, and we have taught to 576 students this year, with 84 saved. The doors are open. Pray that we can train our new converts so that one day they will be able to go into the schools and teach on their own.
On a praise note, we were able to get permanent property for our church. We outgrew the building we were renting, and the Lord provided one acre about five minutes from where we are meeting right off of the main road in Mkundi. Thank you to all who prayed, gave, and sacrificed so that we could get this land. Our church people are so excited, and it’s exciting to see them willing to give by faith to help build (examples: bags of cement, rocks for the foundation, bricks, etc.). Please pray in the coming months that we can get the money to eventually build a building.
We love and appreciate all of you. Thank you for allowing us to represent you and your church here in Tanzania. Please know that you all are welcome to visit anytime. In fact, we would love it if you did, and I know the folks at Grace Baptist Church would too. Thanks again for your love to us.
Your missionaries to Tanzania,
Mshama, Martha, & Esther Kinyonga
