If you were told that the gospel has been in a place for more than 50 years, you would probably not consider its people unreached rather, you would be thinking of a very vibrant church growing her members spiritually and sending out missionaries to reach the others who are still unreached. On the contrary, the story of the IL Chamus people is a different one.
When we first entered the IL Chamus community in Leswa village, we categorised them as unreached, based on their lifestyle and coupled with the fact that there was no church in this particular village. There are several villages and towns around with churches, but we did not understand why there was no church in this particular village and the others in the interior. The research we did revealed that most of the so called believers are nominal, living defeated lives, and syncretism is the practice in the church. We therefore felt the need to place a TIMO team on ground.
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There is something disconcerting about being in a place where we know no language and all that is familiar is gone. I’ve lived in East Africa for a number of years now and have grown comfortable with the language and culture here. But recently I was on a trip to help prepare for a team in a new part of Africa and found myself alone with unexpectedly changed plans. I knew none of the local languages and had to wait until someone could be found who knew some limited English. I was at the mercy of the kindness and help of strangers. In the end, I was quickly reconnected with familiar faces who could help me get where I needed to go at the right time.
But it did get me thinking about what we ask of our team members. We ask them to be like children – relying on charades and a limited vocabulary to communicate. And we ask them to be dependent on those around them – strangers, for basic needs like preparing foods we have no knowledge of in our western countries, and how to get supplies, or water and pretty much everything else we need for survival. And we ask them to do it intentionally and joyfully. Why? Because being reduced to child-likeness teaches some basic principles that we in our western self-sufficiency have probably forgotten.
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On a recent trip to one of our teams in central Tanzania I took a long hike up into the surrounding hills. From that vantage point I was able to look down over the whole valley where our team is living Christ to the unreached Alagwa – a M-slim people numbering roughly 40,000.
As I sat there and prayed for our team and their ministry among these people, the wind picked up and blew across the mountaintop down into the valley below. Shivering under the rustling trees, the Lord brought the following verse to mind, “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit”. (Jn.3:8)
At that moment I realized anew that the Spirit IS blowing; across that little valley in Alagwa-land and across every tribe and nation of Africa. And where the Spirit blows captives are set free!
What a joy to see and feel the wind of God through the efforts of TIMO teams, like this one in Alagwa, who are vessels of God’s grace to the nations.
(Submitted by Scott)
1998, my wife and I set out on the first step to reach the Rangi people of Tanzania. We were team leaders for a TIMO team of 12 adults. Two members of this team were Tanzanian national team members, Peter and Ruthi Pharles.
Moving day for Peter and Ruthi Pharles with their family
They are sent from the Africa Inland Church of Tanzania. That was over 10 years ago. They faced some unique challenges from the rest of the team as fellow Tanzanians coming to live among people from a different tribe with different customs, but who looked much the same as the Rangi. While western team members were often not expected to know culturally appropriate customs or the tribal language of kilangi, Peter and Ruthi faced much higher expectations and were not so easily forgiven for their cultural blunders. But they persevered and began to win friends and influence their neighbors. When the local church was started, they were the first leaders and won the respect of many in the community. Eventually they felt God leading them to leave that fellowship and to allow local leaders to continue the ministries started there.
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Getting out to see neighbors is often hard for Emily since it seems that half the village is daily on her front porch at some point or another
The messengers of the Good News have a record of impressive good works. The community development, the schools, medical aid, wells dug, food handed out, roads built…all the many good works done by the messengers of the Good News.
In Mzenga, with the Zaramo, at a post TIMO team site, the current team is working hard at many of these good works. Monica, a nurse, visits individuals with chronic symptoms, and continually sees to the many medical needs of the area. Tim is constantly running around the village, either by foot, bike, or his old pickup truck. He is involved in community development, introducing healthier habits, practical water purifying techniques, and digging wells. His wife Emily daily opens the home she runs as a center for anything from medical help to the preschool that Sonya teaches in the back yard. Sonya’s morning preschool for 25 Muslim boys and girls, is another example of the team pouring into the community and individual lives. Read More »
When we first entered the IL Chamus community in Leswa village, we categorised them as unreached, based on their lifestyle and coupled with the fact that there was no church in this particular village. There are several villages and towns around with churches, but we did not understand why there was no church in this particular village and the others in the interior. The research we did revealed that most of the so called believers are nominal, living defeated lives, and syncretism is the practice in the church. We therefore felt the need to place a TIMO team on ground.
