Harvesting The Plenty
Our Siblings in Tanzania Need Us Now More Than Ever
With everything that is happening in the world it's important to remember and lift up the good things that are occurring in so many places worldwide. Our synod has a direct relationship with the Ulanga Kilombero Diocese in Tanzania. You may know of the work that our gifts have enabled, along with other church and support organizations in Europe, to make the Gospel known in their region.
Through the Tumaini School and Seminary projects, many young students have been supported and sustained through education. The school director, Pastor Moses Nwaka, has been a guest here in our synod and shared his enthusiasm and effort for the school and their community. Many of his posts on Facebook are about the hard work that he and others are doing, including the farming of maize and rice to feed the students! It is blessed work but also hard and laborious, but without that work there would be no harvest.
Our synod's territory is deeply immersed in agriculture. To harvest, someone had to trust their instincts, training, and God's abundance to make sure that the soil was prepared, the seed planted, the crop tended so that a future bounty could be harvested and enjoyed.
Right now, there is a significant need to meet the scholarship goals for Tumaini School. The coronavirus has impacted Africa and Tanzania, which changed life for many students. Now, there is increased interest in attending Tumaini but for some young women their families are not able to fund their schooling.
Has God been generous to you? Of course, He has! For many of us with resources, especially investments, the stock markets and financial industry has seen substantial growth even during our past year of uncertainty. I would ask that you consider how you might use those gains for helping others, but especially the scholarship needs of a growing number of students in Tanzania. The investment in a child's education means significant improvements in the lives of the student, their families, and their future.
Donations through charitable distributions are able to be received for these purposes. Speak to your tax specialist and investment advisor to determine how you might make a contribution that would have a powerful impact on young student lives going forward.
Recently, the leaders of the UKD shared the status of the Spiritual and Conference Center being constructed on the grounds of the diocese in Ifakara. Over multiple years, they have done much of the construction of the facilities using their own resources. Recently, a request was made for funding to help finish the construction and make the Center useable.
Initially, there was no funding available. Once the need was made known to a wider audience, an anonymous donor offered to make a Charitable Distribution to match the request, almost $25K. This would not have been possible if there was no early work, no past investment, to enable the 'harvest' of funds to help reach the goal.
Help us by supporting Tumaini, the school staff and teachers as they 'plant' knowledge and anticipate the 'harvest' of students with bright futures. Thanks be to God for His abundance in our lives, that we might share with others.
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Rev. Wayne Shipman
Pastor - Good Shepherd (Pocatello, ID) and Emanuel (Blackfoot, ID)
Dean, Upper Snake River Cluster, NWIM Synod, ELCA