Thanksgiving

 Dear Prayer Partners,

We pray this Thanksgiving season has been a joyful reminder of God’s rich blessings. We rejoiced to have several other missionary families over to our home to celebrate Thanksgiving together.  It was a special day of laughter, delicious food, and games, but most importantly a day to remember all that God has done for us.  So in that spirit, I would like to share a few things we are thankful for in our ministry here in Tanzania.

God’s protection: In our last update we shared some of the challenges we were facing at our church in Mapea. We recently went through a very painful church discipline of Barakieli. In revenge, he tried to kill Ema (the young man who is interning with me) by poisoning him.  Providentially, the Lord protected Ema from the full force of the poison and healed him completely. Initially, this event caused much fear and uncertainty in the lives of our church members, but ultimately, we have learned that God is not mocked, and even those things that are done in secret will one day be revealed openly. 

God’s increase: Even through much of the uncertainity of the last several months, God has continued to draw men and women to Himself.  We rejoice in the opportunity to baptize six souls (four of whom are Datooga).  Please pray for these young Christians  (in order from top to bottomt:  Moses, Danieli, Mama Jonas, Mama Ema, Elizabeti, na Raheli).

Church families: We rejoice that God is bringing families together to worship Him. It is a delight to see several whole families coming faithfully every Sunday to worship together. In this culture, it is unheard of to leave your house completely empty on account of thievery. A few of our church families have been taking a leap of faith in doing this each week. One such family closes their shop every Sunday to come worship together. Another young couple carries their two small children roughly two miles each way. Another single mother faithfully brings her five children over a mile each way. Pray for these families to be wholy dedicated to Him.

Your Prayers: We truly cannot thank God enough for the prayers of his people on our behalf.  When we were walking through difficult days, we were being upheld by your prayers for us. Thank you for your service to God through prayer.

Together for His Glory,

Aaron & Nicole Shipe

Training Men

Dear Prayer Partners,

Training Leaders:

We are truly thankful for a recent visitor who helped us with the vital task of training men for His Church- Dr. Mike Davidson with International Partnership Ministries (IPM).  From 9am to 4pm for one week in June, Dr. Mike Davidson taught 60 church leaders through the book of Daniel.  It was a blessing for the men not only to learn of the great promises and prophecies that are found in Daniel, but also to be challenged to a life of personal holiness, no matter what the odds, by the examples of Daniel and his friends.

Training Men:

As if teaching all day long Monday through Friday wasn’t enough, on Saturday Dr. Davidson taught a seminar on Bible study and Scripture memory for 15 men of our church as well as men from 5 other Baptist churches within a two hours drive. It was a special day as men from these churches were blessed with the opportunity of fellowship, food, fun, and great teaching. One of the men said that this day of fellowship made him feel as if he were on the Mount of Transfiguration. Please pray for our men that they would grow in their knowledge of and obedience to the Word of God

Quick Trip:

Beginning June 23^rd, we will be returning to the States for one month so that Erin can have surgery on her ear and to celebrate the wedding of Nicole’s brother.  Please pray for our young church while we are away.  Barakieli and Ema Karera are carrying the lion share of the work.  Pray for our church to continue to grow and mature through this trial.

Together for His Glory,

Aaron & Nicole Shipe

Baptismal Tank

Dear Prayer Partners,

Baptismal Tank: It was a day of great rejoicing when we were able to baptize 8 new Christians! The problem we faced, however, was how to baptize without a safe lake or river.  In the past we would load the entire church body into two cars and travel 20 miles to Lake Babati where the water is safe to baptize (even if there are some hippos).  However, not only is this expensive, but also  it was so far away that it made baptism no longer a testimony in the community.  Barakieli thought of a clever way for us to save money and be able to baptize right at our church property.  Using his welding skills, he welded two 50 gallon drums together lengthwise , and then cut the top third off.  When filled with water from a local well, we were able to baptize with almost no expense and right in the community we are ministering in. Please pray for these young believers, that they will continue to grow in the Lord (pictured from left are Mama Jackie, Mama Yolanda, Baba Yolanda, Samsoni, Mama Samsoni, Mama Haruni, Mama Godifry, and Yolanda).

Motorcycle Mechanic: Please continue to keep Halifa in your prayers.  Just two weeks ago he was diagnosed with tuberculosis.  Please pray that Halifa will grow in the Lord through this sickness.

Fishing “Lures”: Nicole (Mama Anna as she is called by the neighbors here) has a weekly Bible study with roughly 30 children and teenagers.  It initially started with just a few neighbor kids who would plead for cake from Mama Anna. Nicole realized that her cakes would be a great lure for bringing the Gospel to our neighbors. After teaching from God’s Word, she gives them a homemade treat. She tells them, “Cake is sweet, but God’s Word is much sweeter.” Many of the young people that come for the Saturday Bible time come from Muslim homes. Please pray that the Word of God would do its life-changing work in the lives of these young people

Team Update: We are very thankful for the addition of Emanuel (Ema) Karera (right) to our ministry team.  He has proven himself already to be an able evangelist and gifted teacher of the Word.  Please pray for God to equip and prepare him for further service for His great name sake.

Together for His Glory,

Aaron & Nicole Shipe

Team Work

Dear Prayer Partners,

Motorcycle Evangelism: Over the past year, the engine on my motorcycle has seized up 4 times.  Each time required a complete engine overhaul and an investigation into what was causing the problem.  Each time we thought we had the problem solved, but it would always reoccur. Over the course of long months of repairs, the Lord opened an opportunity to witness to my Muslim mechanic Halifa.  Shortly after discovering theat the problem was a clogged oil line, he invited me to his home so he could hear the Gospel.  After about an hour of Bible study and questions, Halifa made a profession of faith in Christ as his Savior. Please be in prayer for him as he begins to grow in the Lord.  His wife and family are all Muslims, so please pray for his testimony among them.

The Ties that Bind: We often sing about the blessing of the ties that bind us in Christian love, but Satan has ties that bind as well.  Several months ago I had the privilege of baptizing a Barabaig man named James, but recently his father declared that none of his family would be allowed to attend our church.  Although James is married and on his own, culturally, familial ties are very strong, and fathers can order their adult children to do as they please.  Often disobedience results in fines or banishment from tribal protections.  Unfortunately James has not returned to church since.  Please pray for James that he would not be offended because of persecution and affliction for the Word’s sake.

A Helping Hand: Please also be in prayer for a young Bible college graduate named Emanuel Karera (Ema for short).  He has agreed to move to Mapea and assist with the church plant.  The Lord has opened a door for us to build a small two room house near the church

 for Ema to live in.  Pray for Ema as he adjusts to Mapea.  Also, pray for our growing team- Barakieli, Ema, and myself, that we would be united together in humble Christian love, and that the Gospel would go forth with great power in Mapea as a result.

Together for His Glory,

Aaron & Nicole Shipe

Happy Birthday Church

17 November,  2015

Dear Prayer Partners,

Baptism: Since our last letter, our church has seen several special occassions.  One of the most significant was a baptismal service in which six believers chose to step into the water.  Obeying the command to baptize disciples of Christ is always a joyful time for the church.  One highlight of the day was baptizing a Datooga man named James (right), who I had the privilege to lead to the Lord. Pray for James because his wife is not supportive of his decision to follow Christ.  Another highlight was baptizing Jumanne (left), a former Muslim man who I mentioned several months ago.  Jumanne continues to make strides in his Christian walk.  Be in prayer for him as he pepares for marriage next year. 

Birthday Party for the Church: Two Sundays ago our church celebrated its first birthday with our largest attendance to date with over 40 adults and 30 children in attendance!  While we enjoyed  cake and soda, several church members shared testimonies of what God has done in their lives during this past year.  It was a joyous time of thanksgiving for what the Lord has done and anticipation of what He will do this coming year.

Marriage Trouble: Marriages in Mapea are in an abysmal condition with much polygamy, adultery, immorality. Pray for our Sunday afternoon marriage classes. Below are a sampling of some recent questions and comments from these classes. “Pastor, shouldn’t husbands beat disrespectful wives?” “Pastor, if we love our wives like God loves us, our wives will take advantage of our kindness and leave us with all the household work.” “Pastor, how do you get my husband, who has two other wives and who kicked me out of the home 40 years ago, to repent?” We covet earnestly your prayers for us.

Together In Him,

Aaron & Nicole Shipe

Dear Prayer Partners,

Partners: The last couple months have been very busy with our partners back in the States for a brief visit, but as we look forward to their return to Tanzania in just over a week, we are reminded of how important partnership in ministry is. Perhaps you remember the elderly gentleman in a wheelchair that we baptized two years ago (Mzee Ndeoya). Two weeks ago he went home to be with his Lord and Savior.  Over 500 people showed up for the funeral and heard a clear presentation of the Gospel.  Please be in prayer for continued fruit from the funeral of Mzee Ndeoya as well as a Spirit-filled Tanzanian man to take over that ministry.

Mzee Ndeoya after his baptism 2 years ago

I Need Roots: For several months, I have been praying for a young Muslim man (Jumanne) who comes to our house twice a week to do odd jobs.  About a month ago, I had a good opportunity to share the Gospel with him, and give him a tract along with the book of Romans.  He agreed to read it and to talk with me further another day.  Last week he came to me in the morning and said, “Do you see how these trees have roots to help them stand up?  I too need roots to help me stand spiritually.  I want to become a Christian.”  We sat down and read several Scriptures together, and then Jumanne confessed his faith in Jesus Christ as His Lord. He described the message of salvation like a light shining in a dark room to show him the way to escape. This Sunday he came to church with us where he declared his faith in Christ publicly.  Please pray for Jumanne that he would grow in love for Christ and obedience to Him.

Mzee Barakieli

Barakieli: Last year I shared with you about Barakieli, an older man who agreed to move to Mapea from Ndatu to help with the church plant.  Barakieli continues to labor in Mapea, and through his efforts our young church has made significant in-roads into the community. Every single day he goes out and witnesses to people in the community.  Please continue to pray for him that God would provide for his needs and continue to use him to draw men and women to Christ.

Together In Him,

                                                                                                         

Aaron & Nicole Shipe

P.S. We also have a new address.  You can send snail-mail to P.O. Box 45, Babati, Tanzania

The Way Things Are

Dear Prayer Partners,

I was recently asked some questions about life and ministry here in Magugu.  Perhaps some of the information that was shared would be of interest to you and help you  to know how to pray for us.

Is Swahili a developed language? Swahili is the most widely spoken of all African languages with roughly 100 million speakers in several countries.  Swahili is spoken by 99% of Tanzanians and is a first language for many. Because of its prominence as a premier African language and its relationship to Arabic (roughly 40% of its vocabulary comes from Arabic),  it is more developed than many other African languages.  Also, the Bible was translated into Swahili roughly 60 years ago, so this has greatly increased the religious vocabulary of the average Tanzanian.  However, the average Swahili speaker still  has a much smaller vocabulary than an American speaking English would.  There are times when I use a couple dictionaries and seek out a proper word for a concept in a sermon or lesson, and I soon realize that no one has ever heard of that word.  That means that instead of using one precise word to explain a truth, I must describe the truth using a number of terms.

Isn’t English an official language of Tanzania? Although they are taught English as a subject in school from 1st grade on, the reality is that you could not have a conversation in English with most people--including some of the English teachers. They know the greetings and some limited vocabulary, but even many upper level high school and college students really struggle with their English.  Just last week, I gave a ride to a local English teacher, and after about 2 minutes, we were forced to revert back to Swahili.

What is Magugu like?  Magugu is a rapidly growing village located between Babati (a town of about 40,000 people about 25 minutes away) and Arusha (a city of about 400,000 about 2 hours away).  There is electricity there, but probably much less than half of the people actually have electricity in their homes.  The vast majority do not have running water either.  The average home is very simple (roughly 10x12 feet) with one, or at most two rooms. Probably half of the homes would have concrete floors, while the rest would simply be dirt. There is one paved road, which was completed two years ago, connecting Babati and Arusha, running right through the middle of Magugu, but the rest are all dirt. There are schools, one clinic, and small family owned shops (called dukas) everywhere.  Most sell what everyone else sells -- flour, soda, margarine, rice, soap, salt, sugar, and various other necessities.  Because of cheap land, and the new paved road, many people from all tribes of Tanzania are moving to Magugu.

How is ministry among the Datooga (Barabaig) going?  We have been truly blessed to have a young Barabaig man join our church (Gabrieli).  He has shown great spiritual wisdom and has a strong desire to reach his people for Christ.  Please pray for evangelistic efforts among his extended Barabaig family.  Gabrieli has even agreed to do any translation from Swahili to Kidatooga that may be necessary. Also, please pray for his young wife to grow in Christ and desire to be baptized. 

Thank you for your interest and your prayers.

Together In Him,

Aaron & Nicole Shipe

                                                                                    A Sunday Service at Mapea