Summer News 2023

The first half of 2023 was surprising and multifaceted. Towards the end, changes turned into blessings. In this newsletter, we share about the four week mission trip in Africa, Pastor Jonathan and his family’s migration back to Australia and how God has lead new workers into GNN to continue the work. It appears that God has answered before we even asked, we thank Him for that.

We are also grateful to you, who support our work in one way or another and who pray for its work to be fruitful.

Arto Sädeaho

Vantaa International Christian Fellowship – VICF

On Saturday 11.2, we had invited around thirty active church volunteers from our ministry teams for a private buffet lunch. We wanted to appreciate them for their efforts made during the past year in order to make things in VICF flow smoothly. Our volunteers have come from a dozen nationalities. Therefore, the main language for communication was English. Joy and unity in the spirit could be sensed in the atmosphere.

How will it be when we gather for the King’s wedding, people from all tribes with joy inexpressible?

It’s something worth waiting for . . . 

Francis Coming to Finland 22.3. -9.4.2023

Our partner, Ps. Francis Tusiime, is a warm-hearted person whose preaching touches the heart and whose prayers are powerful. His itinerary for his upcoming three-week trip is almost fully booked.

Before his return back to Tanzania, he will be the main speaker in our Easter Encounter-program held in VICF, Tikkurila.

Faith Can Even Move Mountains!

Jesus said, “Have faith in God.” (Mk 11:22)
Then He clarified to His disciples that faith which does not doubt can even move mountains!

This is the kind of faith Ps. Francis (left photo) from Uganda had, to move the mountains of challenges he faced a decade ago when arriving to Dar es Salaam at midnight with only 5,000 Tanzanian shillings (2 euros) in his pocket along with a blessing from his sending church. Under the mentorship of his spiritual father in Uganda, Bp. Wilson Ssentongo, he had planted over 10 churches in that nation before heading to the unknown in Tanzania in obedience to his calling.

I knew him as an excellent interpreter in our Ugandan seminars, until he disappeared somewhere. I later heard that he had gone to Tanzania. We met again years later as he was visiting his mother’s home. After repeated requests from him, I decided to visit Dar es Salaam for a week, following a trip to Uganda (2018). We held a ‘vision seminar’ which opened the door to Tanzania and Francis became ‘our man’ there.

The following year, as we held our mission training course in ‘Dar’, many pastors who participated, formed their local GNN Tanzania team. Its focus has been to take the Gospel to unreached people groups (UPG).

 

Inspired in prayer, from the beginning of 2021, we added children’s ministry seminars to these mission trips the team was making to different regions. Local church workers are always invited to join these seminars.

This addition has been necessary because there are 27.5 million children under the age of 15 in Tanzania. Children are the largest unreached people group in the world. For some reason, the churches there have adapted an idea that children cannot be saved as they are too young.

And so, yet again, in February 2023, the GNN team went on a two-week mission to the north, this time to the regions of Mara and Mwanza.

My co-worker Ps. Jonathan had arranged zoom connections during these team missions to allow us to be present in these seminars online. These seminars have GNN has already become more known around Tanzania.

Jonathan reports:

The GNN Tanzanian team is coordinated by Ps. Francis along with Ps. Jane Wambi, a Tanzanian. Over the past couple of years, this team has visited 14 regions throughout Tanzania holding Gospel crusades amongst the unreached along with children’s ministry seminars.

In total, there have been 22 children’s ministry seminars with 1,500 participants, including pastors, Sunday school teachers and bishops across various denominations.

The teaching series is shown in Swahili. The idea for this series became a reality through the video recording of missionary veterans, Mamas Mirjami and Raili, teaching in their homes. These ladies still speak the language they learned from their years in Kenya. They were present via Zoom for the ‘Q&A’ hour at the end of each seminar.

Certificates given at the end of the seminar

 

Challenge

Throughout the seminars, participants have raised a request to have concrete source materials for teaching. During their years in Kenya, the two missionaries, Mama Raili & Mama Mirjami, created practical Sunday school materials called Mwanga (Light) in Swahili.

A couple of years ago, based on an idea, I had video recorded these sisters’ teaching in Swahili. It proved to become enthusiastically received all over. After the Children’s ministry seminars held, child evangelism was awakened in churches. Starting at churches, they began reaching children even in the surrounding villages.

We plan to print the first 3 of this 6 book-series (the 1st tutorial and 2 workbooks). These will be a great help when preparing lessons. We are currently checking printing costs.

Would you support reaching Tanzanian children? Reference number: 3560

 

Here’s recent feedback from the course participants

“I thank the Lord for your coming. You have made us to realise the value of children. I learnt that a heart of a child is good soil to plant the seed while they are still young. I am going to plant in the hearts of the children while they are still young.”

Sis. Veronica (Elim-churches)

 

“I have learnt a lot of things from this seminar. For quite a long time, we could not see the issue that the children need the Gospel, and they need salvation too. Our children have just been taught the laws, of how to behave. Many of the children we have had, have not been born-again. Now we want to take the Gospel to the children.

In this seminar, my understanding has been braoadened. I believe that the church will be full of believers. The children are the ones coming up. We have had many crusades and many preachers have come to preach the Word of God. Then, when the children put up their hands for salvation, they are taken behind. Only the older people were allowed to come. We find that we are not helping the children. At the end of it, the children just disappear. This has been a sad story. After listening to this teaching, we have seen that we have sinned against the children. Surely, we need to repent.”

Ap. Elia (Evangelical Church)

 

“I thank the Lord for the teachings we have received through GNN. Personally, they have changed my life. I did not value children before. Through the teaching, my attitude has changed. Now, I want to deal with them. I have used a lot of energy and resources to gather older people. I have realised if I invest that into children, the outcome will be so big. Even with Sunday school classes, I was not concerned at all, but now my perspective has changed. I want to have a crusade especially for the children.”

Georg Mambiro (FPTC-churches)

Prayer Topics for 2023

  • Training Uganda’s Christian ‘Joint Forces’
  • Follow-up training for the Tanzanian GNN team
  • Children’s ministry seminars in northern Tanzania
  • Autumn mission seminars planned for southeast Asia
  • Indo-pioneers facing challenges in remote areas
  • GNN economy development to enable future tasks
  • Wisdom and guidance for implementation

A Review of the Past Year 2023

WE WISH YOU A WONDERFUL YEAR 2023!

Tanzania

In February, Pr. Jonathan had a mission trip to Dar es Salaam. He inspected the school facilities to be used for the June 2022 mission course. During that week, the local GNN team leaders also interviewed pastors applying for the course, over 30 of them registered.

Pr. Jonathan visited nearby towns. In one Zaramo village, he dedicated a well we had built. During dry seasons it gives access to water also for other villagers nearby. With the Tanzanian GNN team, Pr. Jonathan also visited the Maasai people in Morogoro for a couple of days.

He coordinated a follow-up seminar held regularly for the active pastors (25) who were part of the previous GNN mission course. Zoom enabled the rest of the teaching team to be present on live video streaming from their home countries. This way we can keep the UPG vision alive and strengthen our calling.

The Tanzanian GNN team arranged 2-day children’s ministry seminars throughout the country in order to equip workers to reach children that are often omitted. Since 2021, there are already 21 seminars held, with a total of 1,390 participants.

In June 2022, in Dar es Salaam, a 3-week mission course was held for 44 pastors, evangelists and bishops throughout Tanzania. The course focused on the unreached people groups, of course.

After completion of the course, participants inspired by the vision began to put words into action. In a new Maasai tribe inhabited area, 70 young warriors, women and children decided to follow Jesus. The local pastor there rejoiced because he had been praying for years for an evangelistic team to visit his area.

In 2023, we plan to arrange discipleship teaching for those new believers.

 

Uganda

For nearly a decade now, we have been supporting evangelistic radio broadcasts from Mubende reaching even to neighbouring countries in East Africa. With the outbreak of the pandemic, we increased our support and there was a surprise in the number of calls that came into the studio, around 20 listeners are saved weekly.

 

At the end of May 2022, we arranged a Vision and Leadership seminar. 50 church leaders from various denominations in western Uganda and Bryan, a Christian police captain and intendant for the Kampala district, also attended.

He later sent an invitation letter signed by the Major General to Pr. Aki Miettinen, GNN’s representative, who went in November to teach Christian officers in the army, police and prison staff about spiritual leadership.

 

 

Southeast Asia

I travelled with Pr. Aki firstly to Singapore. We had arranged a meeting with GNN Missions Advisor, Dr. Paul Ng. He extended an invitation to Vietnam. Its realisation in Autumn 2023 is an important prayer topic!

There are still 68 unreached people groups living in that country of almost 100 million people. The church movement we cooperate with has a vision for the unreached peoples even to neighboring countries.

After the weekend meetings, we had our annual teaching week at the Bible school in Sumatra. Despite some blackouts, we completed 18 teaching hours. In March 2023, this course will send out tens of pioneers again. Last year, 22 pioneers were supported to new areas and 16 were among the unreached tribes.

The last pioneer alumni seminar was a 4-hour drive away from the school (inland Sumatra). They were the first students ever sent from the Bible school. They had already established their pioneer ministries.

 

Domestic Mission

Throughout 2022, Vantaa International Christian Fellowship (VICF) church has partially supported our missions and sending support for Jewish kids for their return migration (Aliyah) to Jerusalem from Ukraine.

The church also sent support to JCBT (Jerusalem Centre for Bible Translators). Students from around the world are initiated to original Biblical Hebrew and geography enabling them to make more accurate translations for languages amongst unreached peoples.

In October, we had visitors from HeliMission. Its international leader, Simon Tanner along with his wife Prikena, came from Switzerland. During the visit, I suddenly recalled having seen their helicopter standing next to the MAF hall in Wamena, Papua, in the late 80’s.

We learned about the importance of the helicopter ministry in the impenetrable areas of Indonesia and Madagascar. VICF sent a love offering to support their ministry. During our October mission in Jakarta, we also met the Indonesian leader, Pak Carter, from this organization.

During 2022, we held vision casting events in northeast and east of Finland. Our ongoing topic has been the urgency of reaching the unreached peoples.

GNN Leadership and Visionary Conference

Fifty key leaders recently gathered at a hotel in Mubende, Uganda, for a two-day Leadership & Visionary Conference. The theme, “That they would hear!” (Romans 10:14), is also the motto of GNN Finland (Good News Networking). The GNN team was responsible for the teachings in partnership with local host, Bp. John Magaba.

Bishops and pastors alike were deeply challenged about the Ultimate Calling of the Church to reach all people with the Gospel. They were shown the current situation of world missions as well as the great need there is to still go and preach the Gospel. Out of every 100 missionaries sent cross-culturally, only 3 will go to unreached areas, although these people groups account for 42% of the current world’s population.

There was a lot of thinking going on after the teachings about Jesus-style servant leadership and the importance of character in leading. The price that needs to be paid to keep following Jesus and taking the Good News to all is big, but worth it!

Real-life powerful testimonies of pioneers reaching unreached people groups in South-East Asia also left participants in awe of what can be done when people decide to fully surrender and obey God’s call to fulfil the vision of reaching the unreached no matter their age or physical ability. Participants were reminded that it is about vision and not a program!

These two days helped stir up the vision of missions and get the participants out of their comfort zones.

Let us continue to work together to take the Gospel to the unreached!

Fruitful Night Radio

For several years, GNN has supported our partner, Bp. John Magaba’s, nightly radio programs. During the week, we joined the radio programs early on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings to proclaim the Good News being broadcasted to a vast number of households into the neighbouring countries.

Many phone calls and messages followed the preaching on Sunday and 17 people wanted to give their lives to Jesus that morning.

Clean Water for the Thirsty

In the beginning of his trip, Jonathan, GNN’s representative, dedicated a well built for a Zaramo village. In October 2021, we had visited this same village where GNN Tanzania’s evangelist, Jeremiah, often goes to. Pastor Arto received a word to share about Jesus speaking to the woman at the well in Sychar. Upon hearing this, the village chairman rose to share that they have a challenge with water. They collect it at the foot of the hill from a quietly seeping pit and the water is dirty.

On the drive back, Arto had a thought, “Perhaps it is okay to build a well at least once in my life.” In the car, he considered how this could be done. Jeremiah, who is also a builder, came up with some solutions.

Thoughts became a reality and the construction of the well was agreed upon. On Saturday, 19th of February, the 23m deep well was dedicated to begin its use. Next to the well is a plaque with Jesus’ words,

 

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” John 4:13-14

 

Pastor Jonathan reports:

”It was a blessed day. The villagers were very grateful for the well. Kisarawe’s regional leaders were very satisfied and thankful. The local council representatives received this gift with joy and promised to take care of its safety and maintenance. Now 800 inhabitants in the area have access to cleaner water!”

 

 

Jonathan continues:

”On Friday, 18th of February, we visited a Zaramo tribe village to take Bibles to four recent converts. We went to encourage believers in a church nearby and three more decided to follow Jesus. We also had a meeting in the yard of a recent convert.

The name of the village was Masaki. Neema, a young Muslim woman, used to be considered insane. Nobody could control her. Then Neema heard about Jesus. She was delivered and became sane. Since then, her mother goes around telling all what Jesus has done for her daughter. This family belongs to an unreached people group. It was in this village that I was able to share the Gospel in Neema’s family yard. Four of the villagers decided to be saved. At the same time we took 10 Swahili Bibles to those already saved.”