East Africa: Tanzania and Uganda

Tanzania

Since 2018, we had been operating from Dar-es-Salaam to Tanzania. Francis Tusiime, a missionary from Uganda, has been our man there. He organized courses to ignite local pastors to reach new tribes and to organize children’s ministry training around regions in the country. There are nearly 30 million children under the age of 15 in Tanzania. Until then, the churches had a perception that children do not understand coming to faith. However, children are key to families and unreached  areas.

Pr. Francis had to return to his hometown of Mubende in western Uganda last Christmas to arrange funding for his elderly mother and his vocation work. However, he continues his missions from there. Now in March, Pr. Francis carried out a 2nd level mission trainings to northern Tanzania. Hundreds of pastors participated in the training sessions, during which Sunday school veterans Mirjami and Raili were present via Zoom, answering participants’ questions in Swahili.


Uganda

In the spring of 2023, together with Pastor Aki Miettinen, we trained the Christian military and police personnel of the Joint Forces association. Now Pr. Aki, a former captain of the border forces, received a new invitation sent by the major general to give additional training in June 2024. The flights were also organized with external funding. It seems that this specialized training would also extend to a neighboring country in East Africa. Uganda had never before invited missionaries to train army personnel.

 

Radio waves across borders

Our partner, Bishop John Magaba’s evangelizing programs have since the time of the pandemic brought more and more people to contact the studio, even from neighboring countries. Still, approximately 25 callers want to become followers of Jesus every week.

Nasta Magaba, John’s wife records the calls and converts are directed to the churches. Once a year, those who came to faith through the programs are invited to a radio conference in Mubende.

In March 2024, radio cooperation with Uganda, which has been going on for a decade, gained additional color, when Bp. John visited Finland with his wife and son, Jordan, as guest speakers.


 

Southeast Asia: Indonesia

Discipline builds character

This school is special. One of the course goals is the development of character. When some students complained asking why the program is so tough, they were told that if they can’t make it through the year at school, how are they going to survive in more demanding field conditions? These young people are really getting ready to face the challenges of the fields. Maybe that’s why about 90% of those sent persevere until they succeed. However, the determining factor for success is their prayer life. Morning prayers start at 4:00 a.m. and everyone participates in them if they plan to continue their studies.


Prayer chain over the decades

Another feature of the school is the prayer chain that has continued for 39 years without a hiatus. It works on a 24/7 basis. During the course, the students are responsible for the continuity one student cell at a time.

Between annual courses, the school staff is responsible for the prayer chain. I was happy to hear that GNN missions and supporters were on the prayer list from the beginning!

Fasting Fridays during the course weeks train the students to be disciplined, and even before the course ends, everyone quiets down for a three-day fast. Then, for many, their own vocation is confirmed.

Iron sharpens iron, and man sharpens man …
Around the time of the pandemic, online Bible schools started to emerge in Indonesia. Everything has its advantages, of course, but virtual education, even if it is high-quality, cannot train character. And that is exactly what is needed behind the difficult connections in the demanding field conditions, where the young pioneers are sent like sheep among wolves. But they also have prayer support behind them.

Yes, also this school also used virtual learning during the restrictions. But when other schools closed their doors for a year, even then the students stayed at this school. Teaching continued within strict health regulations and the school was kept closed to outsiders.

What kind of conditions do the pioneers face?

Agus (31) was sent in 2021 to a village of the Dayak tribe on the southern coast of Kalimantan, Indonesia. The villagers are bound by shamanism, powerful witchcraft and tribal traditions. Outsiders are treated with suspicion and avoidance.

There he started from scratch. Now, through many difficulties, a small congregation was born in the village, which meets in rented premises. Agus is currently building a prayer room on the lot which he received as a gift. Along with the Sunday meetings, he goes around meeting those who have come to faith and tries to build relationships with the villagers.

Facing the power of witches

In the beginning, the village shaman used his witch powers to send Agus a painful and itchy rash. No treatment given by the doctor worked. After a couple of months of suffering, Agus remembered from the Bible how the prophet Elisha cleaned the spring by throwing salts into the water. He got an idea from that and threw a handful of salt into the bath water in faith. The prayer of faith helped. He recovered from his affliction and was able to resume his work.

Life threatened

A young man in the village hated Agus because he had evangelized his grandmother. In the end, he took a hunting rifle and went with a couple of his friends to shoot Agus while he was in the toilet. After hearing two “bangs”, Agus peeked out the window and started shaking. He realized he was being targeted by three men. They fired a third time and disappeared from the scene, thinking they had succeeded.

Miraculously, Agus was spared unharmed. After later encountering Agus alive in the village, they concluded that he had greater power than themselves.

The work continues

Despite the opposition, Agus continues praying that people will come to faith and that the church will grow as a witness to the villagers, who are bound by witchcraft and prostitution.

He was motivated by Acts 20:20,

“You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house”.

Spring News

Dear Friend and Intercessor,

At the end of May, Sumatra Bible School celebrates the completion of its 39th semester. The majority of young people who graduate (103) will go on internships in churches.

However, 20 pioneers are selected to open new, untouched locations. In addition, 6 are sent to unreached tribes.

I used to watch the students leaving the lecture with the founder of the school, Jan Siwi. My friend said: “Arto, these are ordinary village boys and girls, but they have the spirit of Zebulun and Naphtali. They go to their destinations with the mindset – either win or fall.”

Some of those who have been sent have experienced enormous hardships, even martyrdom. Still, over the decades, more than 2,500 new congregations have been planted all around that vast archipelago even to neighboring countries.

From Finland, we are involved in this cooperation.


Warm regards,

Arto Sädeaho