The Work
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Contact Us
Letter
Our Address:
Carey Samford
P.O. Box 613
Iringa, Tanzania
(no zip code)
About The Work:
There are many aspects to the work here in Tanzania.
A few of these consist of :
Evangelism, Edification, Church Growth,
Teaching/Preaching and Benevolence Outreach.
Evangelism ~ Planting The Seed
Planting the seed of God's word happens in many different ways in East Africa. It can be done by word of mouth, seminars, home bible studies, or through written material.
In Tanzania the people are friendly and easy going. The society as a whole is laid back and is in no hurry. "No Hurry In Africa" is a popular saying. Because of this, people will stop what ever they are doing to visit and talk with you. This opens the door to evangelize. When you are visiting with someone that has the time and is in no hurry, you have more of an opportunity to spread the Gospel.
"Good news of Christ".
Join Us On Our Journey
Bible Studies and Door Knocking ~
Bible studies can happen anywhere at anytime. In someone's home, on a front porch or outside under a tree. In Africa, it is common to leave your door open during the day, with a piece of cloth hanging over the doorway. If the door is open then the proper thing to say is "Hodi, Hodi", this is like us saying knock, knock. If no one is home then that is okay, you can just go next door. There are more opportunities for Bible studies because of peoples willingness to study the Bible. The seed of God’s word then has the ability to be planted in their hearts.
Passing Out of Tracts ~
When passing out tracts, it was interesting to see that people will read the tract right away. Some will even stop their work to see what it is about. It is estimated that for every 1 tract that is passed out 10 people will read it. Written material is a great way to have the word of God touch peoples lives.
Edification and church Growth ~ Watering The Seed
The maturing of new Christians is a constant work in Tanzania. With so many new Christians in Tanzania, there is a great need for preaching, teaching, fellowship, and edification.
Preaching ~
Part of the churches responsibility is to reprove, rebuke, and exhort. 2 Timothy 4:2. One way this is done is through public preaching. Carey preaches in the Swahili and occasionally in English with a translator.
Teaching ~
Following our goals, teaching is one of the main objectives of our work here in Tanzania. We are encouraging the Tanzanians to teach others and to continue to grow the church. The men of the congregation take turns preaching and are learning how to teach others.
There are also weekly Bible study classes being conducted for Christian and non-Christians in two different areas of Iringa. The goal is to strengthen Bible knowledge in both men and women interested in knowing more of God’s word.
Fellowship ~
In Acts 2:42 we read that one of the four things the early church devoted itself to was “fellowship.” Fellowship was a very important part of their reason for meeting together. True fellowship involves getting together for spiritual purposes, the sharing of needs, for prayer, and for discussing and sharing the Word.
Edification ~
This is a responsibility of each member of the church, no matter what part of the world that you live in. In Tanzania we have seen where it is especially important. Life is hard, the death rate is high, and there are a lot of discouraged people. We focus on encouraging one another in the church, to help build one another up, and to help one another through hard times.
Benevolence Outreach ~
Benevolence outreach is done in so many ways. The physical needs of the people can be overwhelming at times. The people of Tanzania truly appreciate any help that you can give. This outreach can be done by giving someone a ride, offering them a meal, helping them with a personal need, or simply give them advice. The best thing that you can do for anyone is pray for them.
So please keep the people of Tanzania in your prayers.
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