Work in East-Africa

GNN has supported a fruitful radio ministry in Uganda for a decade. Our partner, Bp. John Magaba, radio broadcasts three times a week to an area of 30 million inhabitants even reaching four bordering countries. Towards the end of the broadcast, calls overflow the studio. Since the pandemic, about 25 of them have made changing decisions weekly towards Jesus.

In 2018, we started missions in Tanzania. Mission courses held in Dar-es-Salaam on 2019 and 2022, have sparked interest in local pastors to establish a local GNN Tanzania team. Its missions have already reached 11 new people groups within the country. During those trips, children’s ministry training seminars have reached over 1,500 bishops, pastors and other workers in 16 out of 31 regions.

As a consequence, the vision of children’s ministry has been revived and also new churches have been planted. This is important because children are in a key role when reaching new areas and tribes.

Celebratory News

 

 

Our tireless Tanzanian interpreter, Pr. Jane, got married on 22nd of July 2023 with former Member of Parliament, Fred.

Early Summer’s Tidings from Africa

(Tanzania & Uganda)

Encouraging Internet Conference for Tanzanian Pioneers

Six new believers from Tanzanian Zaramo tribe got recently baptized

Our planned mission trip to East Africa in May boiled down to an afternoon Internet conference. We are grateful to follow-up with the participants who were part of the GNN UPG mission training in Dar es Salaam in June 2019. Our multinational teaching team from Finland, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and Uganda all contributed encouraging and timely words. Wonderful news from the on-going ministry in Tanzania included testimonies of new churches planted amongst the Masai and Vidunda tribes; pastors continuing to reach out in new areas; Muslims being reached with the Gospel and turning to Jesus. We thank God for going beyond our expectations with this fruitful ministry! – Jonathan Lemmetti

Night Radio is Blossoming Despite the Pandemic

Greetings from Pastor John Magaba in Uganda: “We are very happy about this radio ministry! We receive phone calls from different parts of the country. Even the leading officials in the government have contacted us sharing of the blessing the programs have been in this present time. We got additional airtime on Sunday mornings to stay in touch with our congregation, as weak internet connections do not make it possible online. At the end of each broadcast we receive more calls from people wanting salvation than we can answer; they are given a possibility to contact us outside airtime. During this pandemic, the significance of radio programs has grown. Every week people are turning to Jesus – however, we still wait for more from God!”

Food Aid ready for transportation

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our church members and people in the surrounding areas are suffering from lack of food. Most of them fared well in the beginning, as they received support for food from the nearby coffee plantation, but many had to stop working due to the restrictions and, as a result, have suffered from hunger. Thanks to God that Africa Renewal Ministries’ partners were able to arrange food for 105 families. We were also granted permission from the government representatives to supply food to the local residents. Likewise, we are grateful to GNN for the additional support besides that sent for our radio ministry. May the Lord bless you and all of the GNN supporters!”

Send Your Bread

Francis (on the right) together with the man who gave his life to God in 2012

Ecclesiastes 11:1 says: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find It.”

In May I received the below message from our African partner, Francis.

“Hi, Pastor Arto! This morning I walked to the plot of land with its caretaker. On the way I asked him how he had become a believer. He said that, out of curiosity, he had gone to listen to the ministry workers’ conference in Muleete in 2012. During that seminar, at the closing of your session to the pastors, you suddenly asked if there was anyone who wanted to become a believer. This man was the only one who walked to the front. Then you led him in the sinner’s prayer – the fruit of that day has remained!”

Mission trip to East Africa

Pastor Aki at 5 AM program

We went on a 2,5 week mission trip to Uganda and Tanzania mid-way through May. Our team consisted of Aki Miettinen (Uganda only), myself and joining us for the first time, Jonathan Lemmetti who began with the GNN team in February.

Our main purpose of visiting Uganda was a vision casting conference for 600 pastors and ministry workers in Kyengeza, as well as visiting our GNN-supported ‘Night-radio’ program in Mubende. At the same time we were able to see our long time friend, Pas. Wilson.

Together with Jonathan we continued to Tanzania. GNN Finland is supporting the ministry which Francis started four years ago amongst the Zaramo tribe. Francis is our Ugandan pioneer missionary who finances his ministry partially with a small ‘missions henhouse’ based in Uganda.

Pas. Jonathan Lemmetti is getting familiar with GNN missions one step at a time and can in this way be acquainted with the work in its full scale over time.

– Arto Sädeaho

Jonathan’s report

I had the privilege to go on my first overseas mission with GNN Finland ry. It was two+ weeks of intense ministry, but well worth it! While it was not my first time in Africa, it was my first visit to both Uganda and Tanzania.

Uganda

Children curiously observing what happens during the conference

In Uganda, our time was spent in the Mubende area, three hours west from Kampala. There were a couple of early mornings as we shared the Gospel (between 5-6am) on the local radio station we support and over the airwaves the message was broadcast to a potential one million listeners in a region covering four nations.

Jonathan preaching at the conference

We had the opportunity to speak at a conference where 500-600 local pastors, ministry workers and others gathered together to worship God, pray together and be taught the Word of God. This was a memorable experience for me personally as I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit in the worship time leading into my speaking session to change the message I had prepared. One of those “stepping out of the boat” experiences like Peter had!

We also visited some of the various ministries run by the local pastors. On Sunday, the three of us separated to preach in different churches. I was so humbled to receive a love offering (including a bag of mangoes) after my sermon from a group of village people whose church meeting was held in a dirt-floor old school classroom. This was a good way to finish our time in Uganda.

Tanzania

We then travelled to Tanzania to see what our contact, Francis Tusiime, was doing. We were both pleasantly surprised to see what this young man of God has accomplished in the 4 years he has been here as a missionary from Uganda! He has learnt the language, made a lot of contacts, and even knows the short-cuts better than some locals!

Young school kids from Zaramo-tribe

We were able to make a visit to the Zaramo-tribe area where some believers have a school and a church plant, as well as sharing the Gospel to some Muslim kids in the backyard of a former Muslim. It was special to see two young boys give their lives to the Lord!

The 2-day leadership conference was a great time of teaching relevant issues as well as challenging the audience about the huge need regarding more workers into the harvest of the unreached people groups! Our final weekend was busily spent connecting with business professionals, challenging them and speaking at Francis’ church plus some other visits.

Francis (next to Arto) with his team in Dar es Salaam. This new church gathers in a tent in the backyard of a recently converted former Muslim. GNN supports Francis’s ministry in Tanzania.

All in all, this mission trip has been eye-opening as well as ground-breaking in the sense that God has much in store for the future networking between GNN and the ministry of unreached people’s in Africa.

Thank you for remembering to pray for the unreached people groups, for our mission trips and for continually sharing in the vision through your giving.
– We are in this together!

– Jonathan Lemmetti

Radio conference in Mubende, Uganda

Before the radio conference started on Friday, we already preached the Gospel on the radio at 5 am. What an amazing feeling it was to have the studio phone lines flooded with calls from all over Uganda and the neighboring countries! Some callers wanted to give their lives to Jesus, others wanted prayer for healing and for other needs in their lives.

At noon, the GNN supported Radio Conference began in Mubende. Approximately 300 listeners attended.  Part of the program was also broadcast to four neighboring countries in East Africa.

It was particularly exciting to interview a group of people, including some former ‘cousins’ who had given their lives to Christ after listening to these radio shows!

Do you want to support these radio programs that reach people with the Gospel? You can do this by going to our ‘Donate‘ page and using the reference ‘3023 Uganda Night radio’.