by Robert Claypool

During the past two summers, I have witnessed and participated in mission work in and around Moshi, Tanzania. Moshi is a medium sized Tanzanian city with many religious faiths. Islam and Christianity are most dominant among the people but some tribal faiths still remain. Moshi is a very safe and peaceful town. Missionaries have to be careful but not fearful about being a victim of theft or any other crime.

The people are friendly and very interested in Americans and American culture. Since white people stand out among everyone else, they are treated differently. Americans and Europeans usually have plenty of money and almost always speak good English. This usually makes them the center of attention. For mission workers, this is both positive and negative: The extra attention is very good for opening doors and making contacts. However, filtering through those contacts is difficult and draining.

In 1999, Ken and Ann Bolden, Ryan and Lynda Hammitt, Mark, Charles and their families began to work in Moshi. Their goal is to plant churches around the Kilimanjaro region, then train African church leaders to become missionaries in other cities. Overall, their plan covers a span of twenty years and is overseen by Ken Bolden. Ken and his wife are primarily supported and directed by the elders at Hermitage Church of Christ in Richmond, VA. Ryan and Lynda are primarily supported and directed by his home church in Iowa. Mark and Charles are natives to Kenya. Churches of Christ in and around Nairobi and the U.S. give them support and guidance.

One requirement for mission work in Tanzania is to provide 50% of your efforts to community service outside of gospel preaching. To help fulfill that requirement and also to build a good name in the community, Ken Bolden recruited university students to teach English and Bible in Moshi's school system. In the summer of 1999 and 2000, I worked with 40 other college students primarily from Lipscomb and Texas A&M (Aggies for Christ). Each time, our school program lasted 4 weeks, 5 days a week.

The school operates much like Vacation Bible School in the United States. There is a morning and afternoon session, the children are broken into groups of about 20 and they rotate to different learning stations. Each day has an English theme and a Biblical theme. In 1999, we operated one school with 200 children. In 2000, we operated two schools with 200 children each and also an early morning program with 400 children.

This school program provides us a way to serve and show the love of Christ. African culture is very centered around the immediate and extended family. Helping school children is a great way to meet all of their family on good terms. They ask about our lives in America and what brings us here. They genuinely appreciate our help. I believe that they see the love of Christ in what we do and how we conduct ourselves.

The school program will, God willing, continue and continue to grow. I have now made another commitment to return in the summer of 2001. Ten or more students from MTCSC are making serious plans of going with me. We will again work with a group from Lipscomb and Texas A&M for about 7 weeks. Next year, we hope to be more involved with adult Bible studies.

Kashari Boys Home is another good work that the missionaries are involved with. Ryan is on the board of directors for this orphanage and we helped last summer to repair some of their facilities. Mostly, we painted and rebuilt their kitchen. The boys have all been taken from the streets of Moshi and given food, shelter and an education.

World Bible School has been a big contributor to mission work in Africa. It has been very fruitful in Kenya and has been a tremendous help to the mission workers there. I believe that this correspondence course is through and effective. It is a good tool in preparing people to become Christians. After they become Christians, it has good material to help them develop their faith. World Bible School has not been used very much in Tanzania. Ken and Ryan have plans to distribute WBS into areas that they cannot yet reach. This will prepare those areas for a time when missionaries or church members can go and evangelize. College students like myself will help to distribute these materials and follow up with the responses.

The church in Moshi is thriving. New members and baptisms are almost a weekly occurrence. These new Christians are active and are bold to bring their friends and family to know Christ. Now, the church is looking to move to a larger facility, which they can own.

Recently, Ryan and Lynda were in a serious car accident with a truck and a bus. They were flown to Nairobi, Kenya for medical treatment and now they are in the United States so that Ryan can receive good physical therapy. He is having trouble with his speech and his right hand. Doctors believe that they will both recover (Lynda is almost back to full health) but for Ryan it will take some time. They plan to remain in the US as long as they need to and then return to work again in Moshi.

There is a lot that I have learned from my trips to Africa. It has changed my life and my outlook on life. Before my trip, I did not realize how different the rest of the world could be even though I had heard stories. I see that American culture is greatl in many ways and evil in others. I see especially how materialistic we are in America and how family doesn't matter much to many people. I also see how we have become cynical to religion. It is easy for us to lean on our education and our money without God. We have such a problem with busyness that there is hardly any time for God.

My trips have also shown me something else: not through the Africans but through my brothers and sisters. I have seen my family and friends support me. I have also seen churches put faith in me to do a good work worthy of their support. This is humbling. I have also learned incredible things through the people in my group. I have developed memories and friendships that mean a great deal. I have been influenced by them to develop my faith and to practice it always.

Lastly, these trips have helped me see the Church outside of American culture. My experience with the Church in Africa helped me see the Church from another perspective. I had lots of time in Africa to determine what is tradition and what is doctrine. I still have to keep learning about this but now it is clearer. I am confident that God will make this clear as I serve him and study.

For these reasons, I believe that mission trips are just as much a benefit for those who go as for the people they work with. That is why I want to return next year and take some students with me from MTSU. I believe that many people could benefit from this trip and give to God's work while they are there.

Africa is very receptive to the gospel form what I have seen in Moshi, Tanzania. Service projects are a great way to spread the gospel and build the local church. This is the method that I have seen the American missionaries in Tanzania are using. It has been very fruitful. I have only played a small role in that work but I am sure it will be fruitful too.

Your prayers can have a huge impact there. Please remember the missionaries and especially Ryan as he recovers from his injuries.

I hope that this has given you an idea of the work that is being done in Moshi. May God bless you.

Robert Claypool