We travelled together to visit our missionary friends Penny and Margaret in Tanzania. Penny Elliott has been there 18 years and Margaret Beckett for 14 years. Penny worked with the children in Smethwick before she went to teach and train children’s workers in the context of Scripture Union. Margaret has worked as a member of SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics) and now works with a network of churches called Pentecostal Holiness Association Tanzania. She is also researching and writing a history of the work which began a few years after the Azusa Street Pentecostal revival. She has also developed new teaching approaches for youth and children’s Bible studies. Margaret is based in Dodoma and Penny in Dar-e-Salaam and both are associated with "Avail" a missionary organisation linked with New Life Conference.


Beth talking about family devotions and the challenge of being a mother with teenage children

Penny, Derrick, Beth & S.U. team

We arrived in time for Penny’s birthday, Beth brought her a bag of "sweeties." On our first Saturday we had a day Seminar on "A Survey of the Bible" at the Scripture Union H.Q. in Dar-e-Salaam. We left home at 6.30 am and our seminar began at 9.00 am. One brother came by bus from his village at 4.30 am to attend.

The Bible Survey was divided into 3 parts, - the OT, the Gospels and the Epistles. We finished at 3.30 pm in the book of Revelation. It was a great encouragement to the Scripture Union workers to have us with them.

We had a lovely meal with Elihuruma and Rose who insisted we drive up to the house in their car despite the rocky road up to their house!

On our first Sunday I preached in John and Anneth Nkanda’s church. John attended Reading Church Life School and his assistant pastor Elihuruma attended the Christian Workers Programme in Smethwick. The next Sunday I also preaching at John’s church at his loving invitation.

To get to Margaret’s home in Dodoma we travelled on a coach for 10 hours. She works with Bishop Julius Bundala who has the oversight of over 90 pastors and his secretary Charles Madelemo who warmly received us. During the week we attended meetings in a small church with a mud floor, corrugated iron roof and split log walls. Beth spoke each evening and I followed taking my cue from what she shared and carried forward whatever the Lord said through her.

Margaret & Beth with women from the church

When Beth left, she left a large chunk of her heart there! The women loved her. The week was already designated for Nationwide prayer across the church network. I am convinced that prayer is the key to their success in church planting and church growth. They have never been taught to plant churches and never been funded either, but this is what they do. Let me point you to an old man and describe how he planted churches. He first asked if there was a church in the village? His heart longing is to see a church in every village. He finds a tree for shade and then sings a few hymns to gather people together so that he can preach to them. These people are the first members of his congregation.

I travelled with Margaret, Bungala and Madelemo to the Bible School which is in the Kagura Mountains. From here you can see 100’s of miles across the plains to the Maasai Steppes. The location is breath-taking and is 100 miles from Dodoma which is a semi desert region, the only rain falls between December and March, the rest of the year it is hot, dry and dusty.

Bishop Bundala, Derrick and the pastor seated is a local farmer with a huge church in the local village nearby

The Bible School is in its early stages, with about ten pastors/evangelists, 2 sisters from the local villages who are studying, and a few visiting teachers. Conditions are very basic with the men sleeping in bunk beds in a room which doubles up as a classroom for teaching. There is a room next door with a table and chairs which is the office (no equipment) and beyond this a further room for teaching. They have no tables/desks and chairs double up for various uses. There are no computers, there is no library, no electricity, no books and no glass in the windows. Cooking is done on a charcoal fire.

The entrance with foundations for 3 further buildings. The small building to the left is the kitchen and the building to the right is the men’s sleeping room, next is a small office (not in the picture) and another room for teaching

Because we were visiting, the students are dressed in their Sunday clothes and we all enjoyed a very special dinner. The land covers about 20 acres and the site needs urgent development. A room is needed for female student accommodation, another room for teaching, guest rooms for visiting teachers and washing and toilet facilities for male and female students. Students are planting a variety of greens on the land for food.

The students in the meeting room

The key to the success of this residential teaching programme for pastors and christian workers is the vibrant growth of the churches by preaching the gospel which results in new churches being planted. They sing gospel songs which we sang years ago. Prayer is a feature of every meeting and they have fast days each week. Prayer is always led by a member of the church. Of course, Africans love music and dance and joyful praise is also a key feature of all their meetings. The growth of the churches will feed the Bible School and from here evangelists, pastors and teachers will emerge to preach the gospel and plant further churches throughout Tanzania.

Two young calves had not been named so Beth’s 3 girls named them "Hope" and "Joy." This snapshot is of "Hope."

My experience in the Christian Workers Programme will no doubt be of help to me. The following subjects will be added to the teaching programme: what the Bible teaches about God, Christ, man, sin, salvation, the church and the Second Coming – these are subjects I love teaching. My plan is to teach for 6 weeks in one year’s time. The daily teaching programme consists of 4 sessions in the morning of 45 minutes each and one workshop in the afternoon.

Beth is back home – special thanks to Gareth and the girls for releasing her for three weeks! I also got back a couple of days ago.

On my last Sunday morning in Dodoma, I preached in pastor Mary’s church on three lost things, - a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son. What a wonderful time we had, - where the presence of the Lord is there is liberty! Pastor Mary is from the Sukuma people, who are cattle farmers. I went into her back yard and was surprised to see cows and calves sticking their heads out of their covered pens!

Continued Prayer Focus

  • For Penny and Margaret as they work for the Lord in Tanzania: health, safety and spiritual strength, and wisdom
  • Wisdom for Beth as she shares with the Missionary Team at Raglan Road Church regarding Penny who is one of our missionaries
  • For the development of the site for the Bible School: erection of buildings and necessary resources needed to train and equip the students


Thanks for your love and prayers and thanks to the Lord for the privilege of being with my daughter Beth and sharing with such amazing missionaries - Penny and Margaret!

Blessing!

With lots of love and prayers from Beth and Derrick