“… Well done, good and faithful servant! …” Matthew 25:23

Job well done!! The roof project is now complete, and the team from Kingwood has begun their journey back home to Texas.

It has been an exciting time in Kigoma. Take a look at the progress as the team worked during their second week:

But, it was not all work. After church on Sunday, the team traveled to the shore of beautiful Lake Tanganyika for lunch,

toured the Livingstone Museum in Ujiji (the location of the famous meeting in 1871 between Henry Stanley and Dr. David Livingstone – we presume),

Purvis, Hal, Glen and Rick – members of the 2009 Joy in the Harvest Community Center “roof” team

and then went to the Trail of Tears, the path along which slaves were marched across Tanzania to the Indian Ocean during the slave trade. Sunday evening, the team enjoyed dinner at the Lake Tanganyika Hotel.

As week two unfolded, the team continued to strengthen the bonds of friendship that began during the first week.

And they found many ways to study and spread the Good News. Each morning started with a devotional as the team read a selected Psalm for the day. Glenn spoke at the Youth Service on Saturday. Pastor Clint shared the message at Kalalangabo Church on Sunday and also at the Missionary Bible Study meeting on Wednesday night.

During lunch at the worksite each day, a member of the team shared a short testimony or devotional. Click on this video below of Dan speaking with Pastor Mikos translating:

And of course, there was time to celebrate the “8^th anniversary” of Clint’s 30^th birthday on Wednesday – both at lunch and the missionary meeting.

On Thursday, the team traveled to the Destitute Camp (renamed the Victory in Jesus Camp by Missionary Lonnie, a longtime supporter of Joy), where the team members met the residents, shared what Jesus means to them and presented small gifts.

As the project was nearing completion, John decided to offer the African workers a Swahili Bible or New Testament. Nearly 20 workers accepted them. With the assistance of pastor and fellow worker Mikos, John presented a Bible to a man named Bakari. Then, Bakari began talking to Mikos in Swahili. After several minutes, Mikos announced that Bakari had just accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Praise God! Pastor Mikos has volunteered to continue working with Bakari as he begins his walk.

To say there was great rejoicing would be an understatement. John’s initiative of taking the Bible ministry to the worksite resulted in at least one new believer. We are sure it was not a coincidence that Clint’s message just last Sunday was about The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1–7) and the rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents. 

So this is how God did His amazing work:

• He took a team of eight unique individuals,
• Who traveled a third of the way around the world,
• To do work that some of them had never done before,
• Supported by a team of African workers and seven missionaries in Kigoma.

In the beginning, there were some concerns about things like the scaffolding or the improvised “extension” ladder,

but soon everyone realized that things were “OSHA” approved. Not the government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, but approved by “Our Savior in Heaven Above.”

Praise God for all that He accomplished these past two weeks using His faithful servants in Kigoma, Tanzania.

And all God’s people said, “AMEN!”