In mid-March we were delighted to get emails from both Pastor Tewele at Bomalang’ombe and Pastor Mdegela at Vikongwa. We had shared with them some of the news of events at Prince of Peace including our Lenten worship services and our “Tiny Home” project with Settled including the video link. I wanted to share their responses back verbatim because they highlight the love and faith that we share. They continue to keep us in their prayers.
To give some context to the information in the emails:
- Mangalali is a Preaching Point of Bomalang’ombe. When we last visited in 2019 it was a new preaching point and they were worshiping in a temporary log structure. They have been steadily building a permanent church building and recently used some of the annual building funds we send them to purchase iron sheets (for the roof), cement, sand and iron bars.
- Pastor Simon Peter Msula was a retired pastor from Bomalang’ombe. He spent his last few pre-retirement years as Assistant Pastor at Bomalang’ombe, and since retiring served in a role that I’d describe as Pastor Emeritus. He was a beloved and respected member of the community and we enjoyed getting to know him and visiting his home. The attached picture is from our 2019 visit: we received a chicken from the Mangalali Preaching Point and re-gifted it to Pastor Msula.
Email from Pastor Tewele at Bomalang’ombe (unedited)
Dear Caryn & Jim and all in Prince of Peace.
I greet you in the Name of Jesus christ. in Bomalang’ombe now is a raining season. people growing potatoes and other crops as they need.
we hope that your and all in Prince of Peace are doing well. Bwana asifiwe.
It is so wonderful hearing from you about your important service of Tiny houses. God bless you.
In Bomalang’ombe will be in prayer time for 20 days, from Mach 19 to 7 April. in that prayer will pray for your Tiny houses
The sad news in Bomalang’ombe is that our pastor Simon Msula passed away on March 3. pray for his family. May you send this news to BRIAN who was a pray partinar.
All of the preaching points are continuas doing well. Also we are looking at changes in Mangalali new church building. Thanks for all your contributions.
Greet all of Prince of Peace.
Pastor Tewele
Email from Pastor Mdegela at Vikongwa (unedited)
I greet you in the name of the Lord; I hope you are doing well. I am very grateful for the good information that explains the many good things that you’re doing at Prince of peace. In fact, we are very happy to hear and see how you help people who have no place to stay. We are very happy to hear how you were able to help Valerie and also James, Mischa and Avia by building them a house, God bless you. I also opened the link you sent and I saw how you had a good meal that Valerie with her friends prepared, it seems you had a very happy day, the way you lit the candles outside the house, God bless you, I also saw the house and it is really beautiful.
We are praying for you to have a good conversation with the government so that the plan of helping the people does not be affected. We believe that the work done by the church is a good work, apart from the fact that you cannot meet all the construction criteria as the government wants, but I know that they will recognize your efforts as a church to want people to have a place to sleep, “let them know that in the name of the Lord we pray” Amen. We believe that God will help you to reach a good agreement, and we pray for them. In the picture you sent to me and the video, it really shows that now it is a very cold period, because I have seen the ice, I have seen that you have made paths to pass; otherwise you will have to pass on the ice.
In Tanzania, it is currently raining a lot, but we thank God, the road from Bomalang’ombe to Kidabaga is now good and so the journey is not difficult as it was in the previous, apart from the fact that it is raining, cars from the city to Bomalang’ombe arrive without any problems. We at Vikongwa we are doing well and we are happy to hear good news from you.
At the end of the year 2022, we had a good Christmas and we also had a good New Year celebration, we had Christmas and New Year’s eves, in those eves we have had various choirs sing such as the youth, the Usharika choir and individual choirs. we had time to pray, to thank God for giving us the chance to see another year, to pray for our personal plans and plans for the congregation for the year 2023, we also had time to pray for our friendship between us Vikongwa and the Prince of Peace.
We had time to ask God to protect us against COVID-19 pandemic, so that we can be safe and we can visit each other. We are continuing with various plans to raise the economy of our congregation, currently we are continuing with the project of planting trees (Specific for timber) in the congregation farm, of which will enable us to sell it later and get money. We also have a plan to grow potatoes to get money for congregational programs including construction. We have many plans to implement it, such as
1. Scholarship
2. Renovation of the pastor house,
3. Purchase of a motorcycle,
4. Construction of Mlandege church,
5. Construction of a business house.
But for now we have agreed to continue with the renovation of the Pastor’s House We ask for your prayer because there are many things to do, all of which require the power of people and money as well.
I would also like to inform you that Reverend Simoni Peter Msula, has pased away on March 3, 2023 and we buried him on March 6, 2023. It was really sad for us, the congregations of Vikongwa and Bomalang’ombe because he was very helpful with his advice and he was a good role model in pastoral work. Apart from being saddened by his death, we thank God for the gift of his life and for the many good things we learned from him. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away the blessed be the name of the Lord, Amen.
We ask that you continue to pray for us
Thank you, God blesses you.
Pastor Victory Nathanaely Mdegela