We are excited about our mission trip to Tanzania next week. Our team includes Michele, Laurie, Ray and myself. The trip will only last a few weeks, but we have a full schedule and a good but flexible plan. It includes visits to water well sites, teaching and preaching, and doing eye glass clinics.
There will also be many opportunities (as there is here) to just be Christ like each day in both word and deed. Many times, however, we never see the consequences of these seemingly unimportant small acts of kindness. But they do have consequences, sometimes eternal!
Last year the current mission team in the Mwanza area (where we usually go) had to start looking for or apply for a new long-term registration to be allowed to work in the country. This is not an easy task, but totally necessary. It can also be expensive and time consuming.
On a trip there in May of last year one of the missionaries, Kevin, introduced me to a government official who had interest in our water well and community health plans. He was very nice, and it was the start of a good relationship. Also interesting was that his boss was a member of parliament for that area who later in the year was even appointed a Minister in the President’s Cabinet. Soon after that appointment Kevin’s friend called and said that his boss, the new Minister, was back in the Mwanza area and might be able to meet with them for a few minutes. They jumped at the opportunity and though late in the evening they all traveled to the village. They were welcomed, and for a few hours discussed their plans, new registration and just life in Tanzania. He was gracious and very open to all they want to do.
For me it was a bit strange for this “big man” to be open to such a meeting and willing to listen. During the conversation it came out that he is from a village where Greg (my teammate) and I planted a church back in the 90s. He also remembered us giving lifts in our vehicles to people needing rides to and from town. And as it turns out one of those villagers who received rides was a very important person in his life, his mother!
I believe his gratitude for those random acts of kindness along with interest in helping his people get clean water contributed to his openness to listen and help the current missionaries with their plans and new registration. A small seed of kindness planted over 20 years ago is bearing fruit and could easily have eternal consequences for many in Tanzania. Who would have known?
