Tanzania, Africa
Chimala Newsletter – Jason, Madesha & Levan Stapleton – March, 2004
Dear Brethren,
We hope this letter finds you well. Things are going pretty good over here. Levan and Madesha are doing great. Levan really seems to be enjoying himself. Despite the language barrier he has made a few friends that he enjoys playing with. We have a little pre-school that Levan goes to with a little girl by the name of Mary. They seem to get along quite well. We have also been busy building a swing and slide for him to play on. He really loves to watch us work on it. Overall he has adjusted quite well.
We have just finished up our first quarter at CSOP and most of the students are on their way home for a short break. All the students have done well in my class and I am really happy about that. The students are a big help for us in the evangelism department. They do a lot of the footwork. We are also getting ready to start using the students in the evangelism work at the hospital, which should help to keep them busy. We will be starting the next quarter April 5th and we solicit your prayers on their behalf. These students give up a lot to come and study for two years. Many leave behind their wives and children so they may become more equipped to preach the word of God. I am truly thankful for such dedicated men of God.
You may remember in my last letter I mentioned the work in Mpolo. This work is continuing to go well. Of course the work is slowing down due to the fact that you can walk a village only so many times. But nevertheless we are still trying to do all that we can. Again the students have been a big help in the work at Mpolo. In starting a new work or helping to revive one, there is always the concern of who will preach. Thankfully we have a Christian, Damson Bahati, who has taken this responsibility. Damson selflessly rides his bicycle over 16 kilometers each way to ensure the congregation has someone to preach the word of God. There are many men here like Damson who do all they can for the work here and how thankful we are for them.
At the end of March we will be having our third Friendship Seminar this year. In these seminars we usually present three lessons, one on peace, one on love and one on unity. We invite all the congregations in that area to come and fellowship with other Christians. Two weeks ago we had over seventy in attendance, which was great for a congregation of fifteen. Our purpose in holding these meetings is to promote love and unity among God’s people. For if we remember the words of Jesus in John 13:35, it is by our love for one another that the world knows we are his disciples. Love and unity among God’s people must never be taken lightly.
While here in Tanzania you often run into some interesting situations, to say the least. Last Sunday we visited a congregation of Masai and just before we started our worship the preacher pointed out part of a head coming down from the rafter at the front of the building. From a distance it looked like a big, big snake. It didn’t worry me too much though, because I knew I wasn’t preaching that morning, Chris was. After seeing that big head coming down from the rafter I realized how thankful I was that it was him and not me preaching. You are now probably wondering what it really was and so were we. The preacher told us it was a big lizard and pointed out its claws that were sticking out. That helped to settle us.
About half way through Chris’s sermon however, the lizard decided he’d had enough of being in the rafters and decided to come down. So as Chris was preaching, about a four-foot lizard began climbing down the wall. As you can imagine, a four-foot lizard isn’t a very graceful climber. I soon realized what type of lizard it was and knew how fast they could run. Also, I have been told they have a pretty sharp set of teeth. So as I was setting there holding Levan, I was wondering which window we were going to jump out of if that thing fell on the ground. Then I looked over at Madesha (the men and women sit on different sides of the building) and she had her Bible up over her face. About that time, Chris realized that the lizard was moving. Fortunately, however, the lizard didn’t fall, Madesha didn’t have a heart attack and Levan and I didn’t have to go flying through the window. The lizard turned and went right back up into the rafters. I suppose he will be there again next week too.
Again, I want to thank you for you prayers and support. Without them we wouldn’t have been able to experience what we did last Sunday with the lizard. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing but it’s something we will always remember. Truly though we are thankful for what is being done on our behalf. Through your prayers and support many lost souls have come to know the truth about God’s word and countless lives have been changed because of your generosity. May God bless you for what you are doing. Thank you so much for being a part of the work here in Chimala, Tanzania.
In Him,
Jason, Madesha and Levan