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Our mission to Tanzania

October 9, 2024

tims blog

 

 

 

 

 

Before, during, and after a mission trip, I try to discover the PURPOSE of the expedition. There is an obvious answer, of course: to teach the Bible to the end that people can attain a closer walk with their Lord and Savior. Beyond that, I am not always sure. Such was the case in my recent mission to Tanzania.

PART ONE: ENGIKARET

This mission to Tanzania had two segments – first to Engikaret Village in the Arusha Region, and then to Matebete Village in the Mbeya Region. The invitation to Engikaret came from Reverend Clement Mwaitebele, the man who first welcomed me to Africa back in 2003. I very much wanted to work with him again, and since I don’t know how many more missions I have in me, I thought it would be "poetic" to begin and possibly end my African missions with Reverend Mwaitebele.

I invited my friend Reverend Evan Pyle to join me on this trip. It’s been nine years since Evan resigned his position as the overseer of our home-based fellowship to join another congregation (he is now a deacon at The First New Testament church in Baton Rouge). Even though we see each other regularly, I looked forward to hearing him teach again. I knew his messages would be a great asset to this mission. Evan is no stranger to the Maasai, and he is an honored member of their community. They love him as much as he loves them.

* * * * *

The English-speaking Christians of Africa would never address me as Tim. There, I am Reverend Tim, or Bishop Tim (Sullivan is as hard for them to pronounce as their names are for me). Some Christians vilify the use of these titles, but the ecclesiastical title of "The Reverend" is used to identify someone who should be "revered" for his position of authority within the church. Speaking of those who "labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you," the Scriptures charge us to "esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake" (1 Thess 5:12-13). "Those who are over you in the Lord" are the officers of the church; the bishops and the deacons. According to Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus, a "bishop" is an elder or overseer of an assembly of Christians. His assistants are called "deacons." The title identifies the position.

In many non-denominational churches, bishops are called "pastors" and deacons are called "associate pastors." Non-denominational churches would not exist if not for their disagreement with the denominations, and someone must have decided that pastor sounds less pompous and more friendly than bishop. But in the Bible, a pastor is one thing and a bishop is something else entirely. At any rate, I very much doubt that Paul of Tarsus ever allowed anyone to address him as "Apostle Paul," and to make this letter a little less cumbersome, I am going to refer to my fellow servants of God by their more familiar Christian name. Reverend Clement Mwaitebele will be "Clement" and so forth.

* * * * *

I asked Clement to choose the location of our mission, and he suggested Engikaret Village in northwest Tanzania near the border of Kenya. Our teachings would take place at the International Pentecostal Gospel Church of Tanzania led by Rev. Joshua Peter Mollel. Clement and Joshua had met at a ministry event in Engikaret in 2023. Based on that experience, Joshua estimated our conference would be attended by 800 people. He asked for and received financial assistance to feed the participants. WTWH also covered the cost of Clement’s transport from his hometown of Kyela (he used his own vehicle for the 600-mile journey) and for those who traveled with him. This included Rev. Paulo Kurupashi of Matebete Village whom I asked to join us as an interpreter.

I’ve never been one to sugar-coat these reports, and there were some major disappointments in our time in Engikaret. As it turned out, the number of attendees was a single-digit percentage of the 800 we were told to expect. I hadn’t been told that the International Pentecostal Gospel Church of Tanzania had no building, and that we’d be meeting outside without even a tent to shield us from the sun, wind, and dust. We were told that we’d be ministering to church leaders from the surrounding area, but they showed up just long enough to introduce themselves. We were told there’d be accommodations for us in the village, but we had to get rooms in a guest house about thirty minutes away. Our costs kept growing, and every bill was being handed to me. I was not happy to be spending such a large amount of money for such a small event!

The fact that I can say this was an over-all GOOD experience tells you that the good things were very good. The Christians we met were dedicated to the Lord and eager to learn. They were true examples of good seed fallen on good ground. They made every effort to show their appreciation for us coming to minister to them. The lunchtime fellowship was particularly sweet. I wish I had a photo of the man who prepared and served our meals; he really put his heart into his work.

Originally I’d planned to split the teaching duties with Evan, but once we got there I decided to divide the sessions among all four of us: me, Evan, Clement, and Paulo. This demonstrated the theme of "Workers Together With Him." Four different associations were represented: Evan being of First New Testament, Clement of the Moravian church, and Paulo of the Lutherans. Between the four of us were many years of experience, and each one made a contribution only he could make.

For me, the biggest joy of being in Engikaret came from watching Paulo minister to the people. I’ve known Paulo since 2005, but I’d never seen him work outside his home village of Matebete. In Matebete almost everyone is related by blood or marriage, and as Jesus said, "A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house" (Mark 6:4). To the people of the village, he is Paulo Ole Eliakimu; the son of his father Eliakimu. He is Paulo the Lutheran, trained by that denomination and entrusted to maintain its traditions. But in Engikaret, he emerged as Paulo Ole Kristo, Paulo of Christ. He came out of the shadow of his kinsmen and denomination to minister as the servant of the living God to a people he knew, understood, and loved. 

Our time in Engikaret passed quickly. I was grateful for the opportunity to meet the Christians of Engikaret and to serve with Clement again. I pray that our service has lasting results.

When the conference was over, we treated ourselves and our hosts to a visit to nearby Tarangire National Park. It was a good way to end our time together.

PART TWO: MATEBETE

An unusual part of this trip was the number of flights Evan and I needed to take even after we arrived in Africa. It took four flights to get from Baton Rouge to the Kilimanjaro airport (JRO) in Tanzania. From there we were driven to Arusha and then to Engikaret. When that mission was over, we flew from JRO to the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam (DAR), spent the night, and flew the next day to Songwe airport in Mbeya (MBE). From there we were driven to Matebete.

This particular mission to Matebete was made necessary by the unexpected passing of Rev. Saileni Ole Megelali whom I had appointed chairman of ITO in 2022 (ITO is Ilaasak Tenebo Oninye, "Workers Together With Him" in the Maasai language.) That vacancy needed to be filled for the work of ITO to continue.

Evan and I arrived in Matebete around sundown on Friday evening, and the next morning we visited Saileni’s widow and his grave site. The Bible tells us, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints" (Ps. 116:15). Even though we know that our time of separation will be relatively short, it is still difficult to bear a loved one’s absence. Reverend Saileni was loved by many, and he is greatly missed.

I had planned for four days of teaching in Matebete, expecting to split the time with Evan. But once again I was moved to abandon my original plan. It was time to show the people of Matebete that they were ready to lead themselves and take the gospel to their fellow Maasai. And so each day after Evan and I had our turn to teach, I opened the door for others to teach as well. This turned out wonderfully.

The women were particularly bold, challenging the men to rise up to the ministry that God had set before them. Truth be told, over the years the women of the village have demonstrated far more spiritual fortitude than the men. This is not unusual – whether she is the woman at the well, or Lydia the seller of purple, women are often the first to believe and lead others to Christ. But like the Jews of the Old Testament, the Maasai are a rigidly patriarchal society. Their culture will not tolerate women leading men. But when the men refuse the yoke of Christian duty, the women are forced to take it up themselves. Wonderful Christian women like Mary Kurubai and Eneres Kurupashi wear the mantel of bishops (and not deacons as would be more biblically correct) only because there is no man willing to do the job. This so cuts against the grain of their culture that many Maasai men view Christianity as a threat to their society. The only remedy to this problem is for the Christian men to rise up to their calling. Until that happens, there will be no widespread revival among the Maasai community.

This point was affirmed by all the women and not a few of the men. It was a marvelous thing to see the Lord stirring up the hearts of his people.

Our time together ended with the appointment of a new chairman for ITO. This was not a position to be determined by popular vote. God had used our time in Engikaret to show me his strong hand upon Paulo, and Paulo's capacity as a leader. I truly believe this was God’s main reason for sending me to Arusha. It was now my duty to rally the people around him.

Every Maasai household has a boma, an enclosure made of branches and thorn bushes that protects their cattle from predators. After making my announcement, and before Evan and I laid hands on Paulo for his consecration, I had the women form a boma around him. This represented a hedge of prayer. Then I had the men form a circle around the women. These men had come-of-age protecting their livestock from lions and hyenas. It was now their duty to guard the church against an even more treacherous adversary.

As if to emphasize my point, while our eyes were closed in prayer, a very unwelcome visitor snuck into the room, someone I had distanced myself from many years before. One look in his eyes told me he had not come in repentance. He was there to draw attention to himself and disrupt our celebration. The devil wanted me to take the bait and confront this man, but with every temptation we are promised a way of escape, and in a flash it became possible for Evan and me to leave the meeting without causing any additional confusion. As for this man, he was expelled from the village. It took some time for the foul stench left by his intrusion to dissipate.

The next morning Evan and I started our journey home. We flew back to DAR, and enjoyed a quick excursion to Zanzibar. On Saturday we flew back to Kilimanjaro, and on Sunday we boarded the first of four flights back to Baton Rouge, arriving at our home airport Monday night. Evan went promptly back to work. I went into hibernation.

IN CONCLUSION

When the time comes to give a report to their sponsors, most missionaries use statistics to prove the value of their mission. This many people were saved, this many people were healed, and this many people received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. So let me say that if these things were God’s criteria of success for this mission, then as the leader of the mission, I failed miserably. It is possible that some of those things happened – with God, all things are possible – but if they did, they happened out of my line of sight.

Now, I can understand if my admission leads you to discount the effort entirely. The fact that these things were not foremost on my agenda could well prove my incompetence as a Christian missionary! But for what it is worth, my agenda is to help Christians become rooted and grounded in Christ through a presentation of sound biblical doctrine. Any measure of success can only be evidenced over time.

As for the things that I wanted to happen, they happened. I wanted to minister side-by-side with Rev. Mwaitebele, and express my appreciation for his ministry and its impact upon my life. I leave it to God whether our paths cross again in this lifetime. I earnestly believe that he is an honest and courageous servant of God who will run his race to its very end. To him I say, "May God bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you."

I wanted to go on a mission with Evan Pyle again, and that happened. It is not enough to say Evan is my friend. Although we can be as different as night and day, we are joined at the hip in our willingness to do whatever it takes, and to go wherever we need to go to answer the call of God. I am proud to know him, and honored to know he honors me.

I wanted to appoint the right successor to Rev. Saileni as the new chairman of ITO. I believe God sent me to Engikaret to meet "Paulo Ole Kristo," and I believe ITO will be in good hands under his leadership.

So speaking for myself, the mission was a success. The mistakes are on me, but to God be the glory.

Many thanks to Rev. Joshua Mollel and the Christians of Engikaret for your help in this mission. May God prosper your efforts for the kingdom.

Many thanks to my friends of Matebete for… everything. Thank you, Mesaya, our faithful driver. Thank you, Paraboy and Monica for hosting me, and Eliakimu and Sophia for hosting Evan. Thank you, Evelyn and Nditosidai, for organizing and preparing our meals. Thank you, Patrick and Philipo, for your steady guidance. Thank you, Irene, for your tireless devotion, and for helping us navigate our way both geographically and culturally. Thank you, Paulo Ole Kristo, for your love and leadership. As for those I failed to mention, I assure you that "God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name" (Heb. 6:10).

Thanks to my wife, Nelly, and to Evan’s wife, Wendy, for giving us your blessing on this trip. Thanks to our fellowship of friends who watched over you during Hurricane Francine and its aftermath. Thanks to all of you who kept us in your prayers. And finally, thanks to my small circle of supporters who "prove the sincerity of your love" (2 Cor. 8:8) with your financial gifts. May God reward you now and throughout eternity.

I hope you enjoy these PHOTOS.

In the Service of His Majesty, the King of kings,
Tim Sullivan

 


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