Newsletter in English

17th of March, 2008

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Tazengwa. We have been busy with teaching here at the Bible College. Looks like it has been quite a while since the last Newsletter… We closed this semester on Friday. Now the campus is quiet and I got some time to update our news. Couple of weeks ago we both had our “own safaris” (trips). Sam spent a week in Tarime, our former hometown, making shootings for a video that he is going to produce, about an HIV-positive man. He is a Christian man, married with children, active in the church and busy helping other HIV-affected people. This video will serve as a tool helping our teachers to educate pastors and evangelists in our OBS family seminars.

Lately it has been raining, and we thank God for that. People are eagerly cultivating and expecting for good crops. As I already mentioned, the Bible college is closed and the students gone for their holidays. We are still marking the papers, and catching up with the paper work in the office. For the Easter, we will be here, but right after Easter, we will travel to Kenya, Mombasa for the annual conference of the East-African missionaries. It will be good to take a break and to meet with the colleagues from neighboring countries. Sam has been creating a web page for the college.

I (Paivi) had an interesting trip to Kigali, Rwanda for a mission’s conference, arranged by the Scandinavian countries (Finland, Sweden and Norway) together with East- and Central-African countries. There were representatives - locals and missionaries, from eight African countries, and the leaders of our mission organizations were there, too. One of the main speakers was Pastor Sawagodo from Burkinafaso. Burkinafaso is one of the poorest countries in the world, but they are sending missionaries to their own country as well as to the neighboring countries. It was interesting to hear the challenges of unreached nations and people groups within our respective countries. Although there is still much work to do, it was wonderful to hear what God is doing among the nations. There are amazing things taking place in many areas, especially in Ethiopia. We heard how hundreds of Muslims are being saved. After the trip, during our spiritual emphasis day, I had a chance to share with the students what God is doing among the Muslim in Ethiopia. Then we looked at the map of Tanzania, and checked what are the unreached areas or least evangelized people groups in this country. We had time for prayer remembering especially Muslims who live on the coastal areas and in the islands. I hope that there will be students who will go to work among Muslims and other least evangelized people groups.

OBS- seminars have been held in Bilangamilwa, Masumbwe and Chato. Felisiani has been teaching with the help of some other teachers. Also Sam went to Bilangamilwa and Masumbwe for couple of days. Our team has got an other teacher, Veridiana Kwilasa, who graduated from our college (TPBC) last November, being one of the first ladies who completed the Diploma program here. She is now pastoring a new branch church but also helping us when needed. Sam brought good reports from the seminars. The pastors and evangelists are eager to learn and appreciate the education they are getting. The ministry of OBS is still highly needed because there are so many pastors and evangelists who cannot attend the Bible Schools. After completing all four seminars, many evangelists will go and open a branch church somewhere in the villages. Please, keep our teachers and the coming seminars in your prayers.

You can have a look of the new pages: http://tazengwa.blogspot.com/
Dear friends, thank you, once again, for supporting our ministries with your prayers and finances. The work is the Lord’s and it is great to labor together with you! Have a blessed and wonderful Easter time! Christ is risen, Hallelujah!

Prayer Requests of the Week: Continue to pray for our teachers and their families. God’s traveling mercies for our trip to Mombasa.
Praise Report of the Week: We praise God for the good semester here at TPBC. Also, praise the Lord for the blessed seminars and for His traveling mercies.
Word of the Week: Isa 54:10-13 Photos of the Week: Seminar in Masumbwe

Yours in His service, Sami ja Päivi
P.O. Box 107Nzega , Tanzania
Tel: +255-754535679
pstuokkola@hotmail.com
http://www.tuokkola.com/

Puskapappien tilit, OBS Accounts:
In Canada: Paivi or Sam Tuokkola CIBC,
# 3692-73-16038

In Finland
keräystili Lohjan Helluntailähetys ry.
400610-264717