Buckner Prayer update Jan 2006
Happy New Year 2006! We pray the Lord has led you through 2005 and that you have an even closer relationship to Him in 2006. Below we’ve outlined what’s been going on here in Tanzania and plans for the coming year.
We have been blessed to have visitors recently, Rochelle’s mom, Ginger, in September, and Rochelle’s best friend, Shelly Jackson, in November. Both visits were wonderful! They saw how drastically different is life here, and they experienced our work and ministry.
We want to give heartfelt Thank Yous to New Hope CC in Indy, Jefferson Street CC in Lincoln, IL and Gateway CC in St. Louis, MO for the financial resources to send us to language school in October. We were thrilled to learn we were “high” in the class of Intermediate level students, but we were still thoroughly challenged. We feel we’ve made much progress in Swahili.
In December we accompanied our pastor, Alphonce Lubarati, to Tarawanda, the village in which he grew up. We were blessed to meet his mother, who lives alone and is in her 80’s and to have lunch with the small village Christian church. Alphonce (a former Muslim) and one of his brothers are both pastors, but his mother remains a Muslim. See photos below.
GCDI News:
Somali Farm Co-op Success! We are pleased to report that GCDI raised over $18,800 in total for this project and spent another $300 or so from our GCDI office funds as well. PTL! We purchased a reconditioned Massey Ferguson tractor with a 5 ton farm trailer. We also bought a 4 hp honda water pump with 50 meters of 3" flex hose, a 2000 liter water tank, 100 gallons of fuel and a 20 ton jack with tire tools. They already have a 3 disc type plow that we sent up to the camp a few years ago. They plan to use the tractor to clear and plow land for farming that has been granted to the co-op by the government.
The refugee camp is a United Nations resettlement camp for refugees. However, the UN’s commitment is now complete and as of the end of 2005 they will no longer give any assistance to the refugees. The problem is that the refugees have no employment and no means to plant and raise their own crops for food.
The Somali Christian church founded the Farm Co-op as a means to minister to their fellow refugees to raise their own food and to demonstrate the love of Christ. They have named the co-op “Juhudi,” which means to put forth your full effort in labor. They pray that God will open many doors for them to preach Jesus Christ. The Somali Christian church consists of approximately 10 Somali Christians and 20-30 Tanzanian Christians amid 3000+ Somali Muslims.
They have been given a plot of land to build their co-op office, including a garage for the tractor. GCDI has commited to give them the tin for the roofing once they build the structure. Next year we hope to help them expand their abilities, such as seed supplies, hand tools and possibly small equipment. Pray for these Somali families, our friends and brothers in Christ as they put forth their full effort in labor for the Kingdom of God.”
Here’s a web link with an
informative article on the Chogo camp.
Next year’s projects
The plans for 2006 center on follow-up with the Somali farm co-op and assisting coastal medical clinics. Also, we will have some building projects in Nyamisati village which will likely include visiting work teams from the USA.
Medical clinics: Distribution of donated medical equipment; We are working out the logistics of getting and shipping a 40 ft container of donated medical equipment from FAME mission of Indianapolis, IN. The equipment they will put together will help outfit up to 20 different government village medical clinics. The long range goal is to use the relationship generated by this donation to meet physical needs and bring the Gospel message.
Building projects: Improvement of the quality of education for the local children in Nyamisati village which is very poor, and very Muslim. Nyamisati is on the coast of Tanzania, in the Rufiji Delta region. The Stevens family is working with GCDI to bring the Good News to this unreached region.
Haven of Peace Christian Church News:
Haven of Peace CC has entered into a mentoring relationship with 4 sister churches. The first is the church in the Somali refugee camp at Chogo, and several months ago another church in Morogoro city decided to partner with us. In addition, the third and fourth associated churches of Haven of Peace Church have opened up in the villages of Kongowe and Kwala. We are so excited to be a part of a church here that has been proactive in church planting and church growing! Join us in praying that these young, small churches will grow to be mighty witnesses for God in each of their communities.
Leadership seminar for HOPCC leaders at end of January
HOPCC will host a leadership seminar in January designed to educate the pastors and elders of the other 4 sister churches, making sure they are all well grounded in the basics of New Testament Christianity. Don will be one of the teachers along with other elders of HOPCC for the 2 day seminar. They will focus on the roles of elders in the church, repentance, baptism, love for one another, the Lord’s Supper, prayer, tithes and offerings, and making disciples.
Furlough plans (tentative) :
While we are still working out the details, we expect our furlough to be mid-May through December, 2006. We have again been graciously offered a home to live in St. Louis by the Ellisville Baptist Church (for which we are very thankful!). We can’t wait to see as many people as possible and visit each of our supporting churches.
Prayer items:
- Praise for non-violent elections held here in TZ last month, and our new president, Jakaya Kikwete, who is a Muslim
- Praise that we have all had great health since we’ve been here
- For healthy churches and godly leadership for Haven of Peace CC and its sister churches
- for the Somali farm co-op to meet crucial physical food needs and even greater spiritual hunger of the people around them
- Wisdom and discernment as we look ahead to our time/ministry at home and our return back to TZ
- Our friends and coworkers, Bob & Dawn and Elizabeth Baird hope to complete their fundraising and arrive in Tanzania by September, 2006.
Danielle being carried by her good friend, Maggie, during our visit to pastor Alphonce’s village.
Standing in front of Mama Alphonce’s house in their village.
Alphonce is on the right, his wife Estha is on the far left, standing next to Mama Alphonce. The sun was very hot that day! Thank goodness for sunscreen and hats!
The three leaders from the Somali church
enjoy the moment as they pose with their new “trekta” and trailer that GCDI funded for the Somali church farm co-op. From the left are Paul, Kizito, and John.
In Christ,
The Buckners
Created on 01/25/2006 10:43 PM by cvs
Updated on 12/12/2006 10:49 PM by don
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