These past months here have felt like the story of Nehemiah when “the people had a mind to work.” We have been building all day every day, it seems, these past months. God has really opened doors, not only financially but also spiritually. As the folks at Grace Baptist Church are excited to have their own permanent building, they have not only given materials and money to build, but they have also given their time to come and build for the Lord. It has been really encouraging to see growth. We have been so grateful for the time that we have been renting; however, at times we are limited as to what we can do as far as length of services and activities. I am constantly telling the people at Grace Baptist Church that we are a team. Now as a team, we are almost ready to move to our one-acre property. God is good. To quote one of my favorite preachers, Pastor Kirby Campbell, “The best is yet to come!”
We have barely been able to squeeze in other things besides building, but we have tried. We had our first Baby/Toddler Dedication in May, and 25 precious kids, with their families, were present. I had them divided into three groups. Then I and each one of the men on staff prayed. We gave a little gift, and it was a wonderful time, because most of the people had never heard of doing anything like that. It’s fun to watch people come and grow in all areas of life.
We have wanted to start Bible Clubs at different church members’ houses, where kids would come every Saturday for an hour or so and have games, songs, and a Bible story, then go home. Our purpose is to try and reach the neighborhood kids and their parents who don’t come to church primarily. We were able to start one in an area called Kichangani. This sweet older couple loves kids, and they also teach in one of the public schools as well. Their first Bible Club was June 6. They had 65 kids, and 5 trusted in Christ. That Sunday 10 of them came to church for the first time. The next week, the couple had 75 kids (with no helpers because they were sick), and 10 of them trusted Christ. Please pray as we start more Bible Clubs. Pray that we can be a good influence for the cause of Christ in the neighborhoods.
Even during the busyness of life, God always has divine appoints. There is a lady and daughter we have been working with, trying to get them to come to church regularly. They are Christians but just need some discipleship. The lady’s husband Ernst was a Muslim. The wife was sick, and we as a church paid for her medical bills (I believe she had malaria). The husband has always been kind to us, and one day he called me saying, “I want to talk with you, Preacher.” I went to his house, and he said, “I’m done with being a Muslim. I don’t need that—I need Christ. I would like to get saved now.” Praise the Lord for Holy Spirit conviction. Please pray for his growth, as he’s a new believer and has a lot of Muslim mindset, but he’s doing well. He even gave a contribution for our building. He defiantly has zeal. He may be old in age, but he is young at heart with a new purpose in life.
We are excited about the upcoming days here at GBC. We thank you for your prayers, love, and support. Thank you all for wishing us a Happy Anniversary, along with a Happy Birthday for both my wife and me. We really feel spoiled. Even though we are far away, we appreciate the thoughts that come our way. Please know you all can come and visit anytime. The weather is cold here now. We wake up, and it is a cold 54 degrees. We love you all.
Your missionaries to Tanzania,
Mshama, Marsha, and Esther Kinyonga