Well, we just finished up our first year at the Chimala Mission in SW Tanzania. We have had many ups and downs over the last year, but it has been quite a learning experience and a big faith builder!
Over the past year, we have been to numerous villages to preach and teach the simple New Testament Gospel, learned about the local culture, learned a lot about each other, got our car stuck a few times, had some fights with sickness, and hopefully did some good here.
While Chad is busy with the business of the mission, he is spending as much time as he can preaching and teaching and always looking for new ways to share the Gospel.
Rena has started using her nursing skills in small villages doing mobile clinics with Cheryl Bode, another missionary at the mission. She is also busy with home schooling the kids each day. In fact, her days are so full of hospital work, village work and home schooling, she is often gone much of the day.
The kids are each finding ways that they can fit into life here on the mission. Anna is working at the Chimala Bible Institute library. Laura is assembling new charts for the hospital. Micah is also helping with Cheryl at the hospital in the pharmacy!
While we are all busy, we have the same goal in mind: trying to do at least some good here on the mission to benefit the lives of people in this area. We are very thankful to be in this place at this time.
Wagner Family Furlough Update
The Wagner Family is planning on coming home for a quick furlough in late October – December, 2013. We are going to come back to visit family and friends; make presentations at supporting congregations; and raise some much needed funds for our support. Also, while home, Rena will do some continuing education classes for her nursing license.
Because of an appeal for assistance, we have currently raised $4,000 for our trip in October. We are so very thankful for your assistance at the call.
We are still in need of about $9,000 to be able to purchase tickets on August 1. However, the longer we wait, the higher the tickets become and we would like to be able to purchase them as quickly as possible. If you can help us with our trip home, please send me an email and let us know! You can send it to our sponsoring congregation and specify it for WAGNER FURLOUGH. Thank you in advance.
Wagner Family Update
The kids are doing fine here on the mission. They all find ways to pass the time. We have had a couple get sick, but they are doing fine now.
They recently made themselves a new swing from rope. Micah had the good idea of adding some wood for a seat. Now, we have a good swing.
June 2nd was Chandra’s birthday. We celebrated her birthday with a party. You can see the cake in the picture that we baked here. She got a bag and other presents.
Jonah is pictured to the left with a large walking stick on his tractor. Jonah spends a lot of time outside working with our yard man, Doto. They have worked hard raking and watering the yard.
Rena is almost finished home schooling the children for this school year. Between her village and hospital work, she is quite busy. We have already received in the mail our new home school material for the new year. She will kick that off in August
Preaching the Gospel
Chad has just finished a series of lessons at the Chimala Mission ‘Chimala A’ Church of Christ. This is the congregation situated on the mission campus. It is one of the largest congregations in the area.
They would like to take the next step and appoint elders and deacons to bring themselves in line with Scriptural teaching.
They asked me to teach series of church leadership. I preached on:
*Biblical Authority for Church Government.
*Qualifications of Elders
*Role of Elders
*Role of Deacons
*Appointing Church Leadership.
The series was well received. I offered a time for questions and answers where several questions were asked and answered before the entire congregation.
May the LORD bless this congregation with Godly men to lead the congregation and be an example to other congregations in this area.
Ministering in the Villages with Mobile Clinics
Rena has been working lately with Cheryl Bode, a nurse and full-time missionary here at the Chimala Mission. They are teaming up to do vaccinations and checkups. Rena is helping her using her OB training by doing OB checkups for pregnant mothers.
She needs assistance for her work in the villages who have little access to medical care. She needs some equipment and medicine to be able to do her work in the villages.
If you can help with this work, let us know.
2013 Youth Seminar a SUCCESS!
The 2013 Chimala Mission Youth Seminar has ended with great success! We had over 120 youth attend the three day seminar. We also had 9 baptisms!
We had a new feature this year in the youth seminar – games! Based on Chad’s years of experience at Crowley’s Ridge Youth Camp in Walcott, AR as a codirector, we added some activities that the youth were very excited about. I have included pictures of a tug-of-war and relay race games!
The topics at the seminar were Prophets, Life of Moses, Life of Joshua, Judges, Saul, David, Paul, and others. The topics were well received.
We had youth from Lyambogo, Mswiswi, Chimala, Mlangali, Kibaoni, Isisi, and others.
Visitors to the Chimala Mission
We have had several visitors at the Chimala Mission. We had a group of college students from Oklahoma Christian University that did VBS’s in the area villages as well as painting at the hospital.
We also hosted a group of senior nurses from Harding University led by Janice Bingham. There were 19 in total. They participated fully in the life of the hospital. From working in the wards, going to mobile clinics, and even helping in surgeries.
We also had Dale and Leann Kastner who were doing a survey trip as potential missionaries. They spent a short few days at the mission, but we kept them busy. We also enjoyed Howell and Mary Ferguson at the mission for a few days.
We are looking forward to Tony Hopper and John Rodgers coming in early July. We are also anticipating a campaign group in September.
We would love to have YOU visit the work firsthand!
Chad Wagner
If you would like to read Chad’s report and see the pictures included, please click here.