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TANZANIA 1999
The Team
Traci, Robyn, Dallas, Runa, Judy
Jessica, Dennis, Paul
It is always exciting to see God at work, and it was obvious that God was always going to bless our visit to Tanzania, as we saw Him moving ahead of us right from the start. It was also obvious that we would be under much spiritual attack, and we valued and felt the covering of your prayers. Thank you to all who prayed for us.
After my visit to Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, God called for me to return and take a team back with me. Back in Australia, I shared this vision, but I did not approach anyone and ask them to come with me. At first there were those who said they were interested in coming, but when the time came to commit, it was just so exciting to see the team come together as God called and challenged each team member. Four weeks before we were due to fly out, God called the eighth team member, and the team was finally complete.
The team, which consisted of 5 adults and 3 teenagers, arrived in Arusha, Tanzania on 4th June 1999. Some of the team had never met before, as we were from five different Churches, and different parts of New South Wales, Queensland, one of the teenagers lived in Kenya. We were given a huge house to stay in while in Arusha, close to the Church where the first conference was to be held. Being all in one place was a real blessing as it enabled the team to get to know each other, and to practice and teach songs that we would be doing at the conference.
Africa is Burning was a song that God had placed in our hearts, and became our main theme song for the conferences.
Africa, Africa
is burning.
Africa, flames of fire running
Africa, Africa is burning
See the power of God.
On the Sunday we took two church services in Arusha, and it was a real blessing as the team was able to share with the congregation, how God had called each one to come to Africa. For some of the team, it was the first opportunity we had been given to hear each other's testimonies. It was a real blessing and we had fun working with some of the children who would be attending the conference and teaching them some of the songs and actions.
Arusha Conference
On Monday 7th June the first conference began. It was late starting as many of the children and their leaders had many kilometers to travel to get there. Two young girls walked over 10 kilometers to attend. 150 children and about 50 leaders came and we spent the first day of the conference cleaning the junk out of the children's lives, so that they could present themselves to God as clean vessels. Day two we prayed for Tanzania using a huge map that we had brought from Australia. As the children prayed for their country, they cried out to God for many things like, poverty, Aides, hunger and child abuse. They called out to God for revival in the hearts of the people of Tanzania and for their nation to turn back to God. We saw many of the adults cry as they saw the children pray.
Children pray for Tanzania
On the third and final day, the children march through an arch made up of adults. They marched out of the church carrying the Tanzanian flag, a drum, a timbrel and a banner. In Psalm 24 it says "Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in." The children marching out of the church was like them marching through the gates.
The children marched out
A little earlier the team had formed a prayer bridge and prayed for each child as they had passed through.
Prayer bridge
The first part was over and it was now time to move down to Dodoma in central Tanzania. When we arrived at the airport in Dodoma we were met by Pastor Charles and many of the children from the Church, bearing flowers and a warm Karibu. (Welcome in Swahili) It was good to see many familiar faces and to feel the excitement and anticipation in what God was going to do over the next week. In reflection we can now see that this conference was a continuation of the conference in Arusha. 220 children and about 30 adult leaders started to gather together, some travelling from many kilometers away, and some not arriving until late on the first day and a few early on the second day. Again we spent most of the first two days meeting the children where they were at. Dealing with the junk that they had brought with them, and challenging them in their own relationship with Jesus. The morning sessions were about 3 hours and were held in the Church building as a combined group. In the afternoon, after lunch we held 4 different workshops and each child and adult attended a different workshop each day. The workshops were on, WORSHIP, PRAYER, EVANGELISM and SPIRITUAL WARFARE. (Timbrels and banners etc.) In the evening we had another group session in the Church with a focus on the teenagers, many who had not been at the morning sessions as they still had school to attend.
Timbrels and ribbons
On day 3 we brought out the map of Tanzania, and the children gathered around the prayer map and prayed for their country. Again we saw many of the children cry for their nation. One young boy named Samuel aged 7 shared a vision God had given him, that God would send His fire on the children at the conference. Each day God had given us some strategies to use in our session, but on day 4 all He had given us was that the children would pray for each other. From there we had no idea as to how this was to happen. As we started praise and worship with the children, Pastor Charles came to me and asked me to come and talk to 2 brothers, Paul age 17, and Elijah aged 16. Judy and I listened as the boys shared how God had woken them up during the night and told them to pray together. They did this, waking their mother to share what God had done. She read Samuel 3 with them encouraging them to listen and be obedient to what God was asking them to do. After praying together they went back to bed.
Paul dreamt a vision: "He saw the gates to heaven, an angel on either side. The gates opened and he looked inside. There were beautiful houses and the ground was golden. Children were dancing with joy waving colored banners. God held out his hand and turned it slightly and a dove fluttered and flew out." God said to Paul "If you and Elijah pray for the children at the conference this will happen, the children will be filled with the Holy Spirit".
We went back into the conference so that the boys could share this with the other children. Before we did that, we also gave the opportunity for any other child to share what God was saying to them. Four other children joined Paul and Elijah, and after Judy and I had listened to the children the six shared with the combined group.
The first girl aged 12 shared how she had had some fears in her life. She shared how God had taken those fears and she just wanted to serve Him.
The second Lucy aged 13 shared that God had told her there were people at the conference that had problems with their legs. Three people came forward and she prayed for them.
The third Gloria aged 12, shared a scripture God had given her, John 3:3-7. The scripture speaks about how we must not live by flesh but by the Spirit.
Gloria praising God
The fourth girl aged 13 shared a vision. She saw herself go to her friends and share Jesus with them. They rejected what she said and then she saw Jesus return. She saw those friends left behind as she was taken up with Jesus.
Then Paul and Elijah shared, and as the children gathered at the front, we asked the boys to pray for them.
Paul prays for the children
Before that happened we felt that a salvation call needed to be given and Traci challenged the children who had never made a public stand for Christ. Fourteen children responded and Traci prayed the salvation prayer with them. Most of these children were from Church families and aged between 7 - 13. As the boys started to pray for the children, the children started to weep, some softly, but the weeping became more intense and in some of the children only. The crying lasted nearly 2 hours and we just allowed the children to go to lunch as they felt that God had finished with them. The 13-year-old girl, who shared her vision for the lost, cried a pool of tears that was as big as a bread and butter plate. Not only had she shared her vision, but also had cried for the lost. She was about the last to leave.
The children wept, some for
2 hours
The final day was a day of celebration and rejoicing. We formed a huge prayer bridge and the children passed through joining on to the bridge as they had passed through. We started with the tallest and finished with the shortest so that all could pass through.
God has only started His work here in Tanzania in the children. We have already had positive reports as the vision spreads there. One lady working with the Maasai people has started a work with the children and in a few days saw her group go from 30 to 100 children as the children came hungry for what God was doing.
Another man, a grandfather shared how he was blessed when his grand child came home and wanted to pray over him. A missionary in Arusha Mike Rothery sent 2 young men, Stanley and Matthew, with us to both conferences. We are now hearing how the boys are using the ministry with children in the villages they visit.
Stanley leading
praise & worship
Thank you again to all who supported this venture financially and in prayer.
May God continue to bless the work He has started.
The song playing as you opened this
page is
The song playing as you opened this
page is
The River Is Here
by
Andy Park
