Planning to Move Forward in Tanzania

Planning is a risky business. We don’t know the future. We take our best guesses and try to do everything possible so that something goes according to plans we’ve made. However, all of that still falls far short of guaranteeing the outcome. God reminds us: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.” (James 4:13,14)

God’s Plans Always Prevail

The African Mission Evangelism Church (AMEC) is a Lutheran church of about 13,000 souls in Tanzania. Plans for a declaration of fellowship with AMEC didn’t come to fruition at our recent WELS convention. There was a sudden leadership change and a delay on AMEC’s side in accomplishing some tasks. Plans that had been made were put on hold. WELS and AMEC mutually decided it would be better to take a little bit more time before proceeding.

God warns us about putting too much hope in our own plans. He also spoke through Jeremiah: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11). Though our plans might not work out, God’s plans always do. He knows what he has in store for all of us, and we know that his plans are good.

I don’t doubt that his plans for the relationship between WELS and AMEC are good as well. We have made progress even in the short time since the delay. It looks like we will be ready to move forward with AMEC sooner rather than later. During a recent visit to Tanzania, Missionaries Roebke and Foxen witnessed good teaching by the leaders of AMEC. They explained to the rest of their called workers a locally written, Swahili-language confession of faith. The called workers thoroughly discussed many of the points in the confession. In the end, 65 men voiced their agreement that these are the things they believe and practice. This was a decision the WELS missionaries certainly rejoiced to hear.

Planning Our Move to Tanzania

Because of these developments, the One Africa Team has decided to relocate two mission families to Arusha, Tanzania. Missionaries Foxen and Roebke will be able to focus on training future church workers in AMEC. Through a program of classroom instruction and practical ministry application, the missionaries are planning to train a select number of AMEC men. Those men will become trainers of future gospel workers within their church body. Our prayer is that these men will be able to pass the same kind of training on to others in AMEC. God-willing, this will ensure a good future supply of gospel workers for their church body.

Such an endeavor requires even more planning. We are currently working with local lawyers to register our mission organization in Tanzania in order to obtain work permits. The missionary families will be leaving their old residences and searching for new ones. Missionaries are making efforts to maximize Swahili language learning when on the ground. The One Africa Team is weighing how these changes will affect the responsibilities of each member of the team. Of utmost concern is securing our families’ welfare in an area where we’ve never had WELS missionaries.

There’s a lot to think about and plan for, but also a lot to be gained. As with everything we do in life, we make our plans as best we can. At the same time, we trust that God’s plan is the one that will actually be accomplished. God will reveal in time how our planning lines up with his plan. We will continue to trust that whatever he has in store, it will be good. We know his planning is good for our missionaries and their families, for AMEC, for WELS, and ultimately for the kingdom of God. All glory to his name for his marvelous plan!

Missionary Ben Foxen lives in Zambia.

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news, and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa

Why We Visit

A pastor who visits people makes people who visit church. That’s why I devoted two nights a week to visit both members and visitors when I lived in the United States. Sometimes I would call ahead, most times I just showed up at the door. I only got a gun pulled on me once – but that’s how he greeted everyone.

I don’t make house calls anymore because I don’t have a congregation. However, every other month I’m on the road. My father asked me, “Is it necessary to visit all these people?” It’s true that we can handle a lot of our work online. But this post will show why we visit in person.

What We Saw

I just returned home after a two week visit to Uganda, where we partner with the Obadiah Lutheran Synod. We are also pursuing relationships with two new groups. One is called the Confessional Lutheran Synod of Uganda (CLSU). Two years ago, conservative pastors broke away from the Lutheran Church of Uganda. They formed their own church body and Seminary, and are seeking partnership with WELS.

Missionary Ben Foxen and I were greatly encouraged by what we saw during our visit. Members of Christ the Vine enthusiastically welcomed us. We worshipped in their newly constructed sanctuary, constructed of mud and wattle and roofing sheets. We witnessed baptisms, confirmations, and the installation of four congregational evangelists. They were greatly honored by our visit.

We also visited Mt. Calvary congregation, whose members worship in a schoolroom. Several CLSU congregations have started schools as a means to reach out to the community. Bishop Benson Barahuka, the leader of the CLSU, joined in the dancing and fun. He asked the members to contribute towards a church building project. A visit like ours shows that every member and congregation are valued and connected to the body of Christ.

School building where members of Mt. Calvary meet on Sundays

Missionary Foxen and I sat down with CLSU leaders for a week to study Lutheran teachings and practice. I had met some of them previously, while leading an online course on the Augsburg Confession. We all agreed that meeting face to face is better. Bishop Benson thanked WELS donors for making our visit possible. He told us, “You care.” He was glad we made a visit – and so are we.

What Needs Work

The other group we are working with in Uganda is the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession Uganda (ECACU). This group also came out of the Lutheran Church of Uganda. Rev. Simon Peter Waako is their leader.

At our opening worship service we sang from The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH), which had been donated by LC-MS congregations in the USA. The tunes we sang did not always match what was printed in the hymnal. Almost all of the long meter (LM) hymns were sung to the tune of, “I Know that My Redeemer Lives.”

The liturgy was conducted in the Runyoro language, although not everyone in attendance spoke that tongue. Throughout our visit, everything we spoke in English had to be translated twice. This slowed us down considerably. Did you know that over 3,000 languages are spoken on the African continent?

Our visit to God Bought congregation was also a challenge. Our van got stuck in the mud and we had to walk the last kilometer to the church site. A small group of Christians gather every Sunday under a tree. The owner of the adjacent property evicted them from their building because he wants to farm crops there.

The next visit was to Kakasato church, which has 50 members. A local man invited ECACU to start a congregation in his barn. They offer Sunday School and Bible class, in addition to worship. We also made a visit to Kabatindule, which means “felling a tree.” The congregation meets under a lean-to on the property of one of the members. They do not have any Bibles, catechisms or hymnals.

Our visit showed us there’s a lot of work to be done with ECACU before we declare fellowship. There’s no way we could know this without coming in person. This is why we visit. And God-willing, we will make another visit soon.

Missionary John Roebke lives in Malawi.

A Surprise Visit

WELS Missionaries made a surprise visit to a group of Christians living in rural Cameroon. It is a surprise that the missionaries even made it to their destination.

Missionary Dan Kroll and I visited one of our outreach groups in Cameroon. This was a surprise for them and for us. The WELS had not approved any missionary travels outside of Douala prior to this, due to security concerns.

Surprise Permission

We have been in contact with this group for 5 years. The church we went to see was Holy Trinity congregation. The Lutheran Church of Holy Trinity is in village called Fondonera, in the mountains of Cameroon. We left from Dschang, which is the big city close to Fondonera, early Sunday morning.

This type of ministry was new to me and something that our team has not done in recent years. We had a long day of “beating the bush” and rough traveling outside the city. Our journey started early in the morning. We went down the wrong path at the beginning of the day and got stuck. Some locals passing by helped dig us out and push the truck.

While on the road, we got stuck a few times in the mud, where again locals helped dig us out. This made our trip take nearly 6 hours to arrive at our destination.

Joyful Arrival

Once we finally arrived, we were greeted by the congregation singing a welcoming song. They were so happy to see us. Their surprise was that we came to visit at this time. The roads are at their most challenging state for travel in that region. We were able to speak to the congregation and give words of encouragement. One woman from the congregation stood up and talked to us about the ministry there. She inquired about online training and learning in the future. We have encouraged the leaders of Holy Trinity to enroll in the TELL Network.

We were not able to stay very long because of the threat of rain. If it had rained, it would have been challenging to return to Dschang before nightfall. Even though it was a long and rough day of traveling, we made it there and back safely. We thank God we were able to surprise the members of Holy Trinity and encourage them. With the Lord’s continued blessing, their ministry will continue to grow!

Missionary Jake Vilhauer lives in Zambia.