Pastor's Letter: Tanzania (TZ-678)

We received some more pastor's letters! I am looking forward to sharing them over the next few weeks. This letter is from Fabiola's pastor. And the photos are from Compassion's Tanzania page.

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Dear Eric and Hannah,

I am Paul C, pastor of the [TZ-678] Church in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We minister to Fabiola at the [TZ-678] Student Center. We give thanks for your sponsorship and support for Fabiola!

The community my church ministers to has a big population of Muslims. As a matter of fact, 50% of the sponsored children at our center are Muslims. This is a low income community and for some of the people, their income is so low that they can't pay for schooling for their children. Most of them belong to the Zaramo, which is a tribe along the coast of the Indian Ocean with very little income-generating activities.

The major challenge of teh community is the lack of safe water for drinking. Most of the people drink unclean water and by so doing, they expose themselves to various diseases like diarrhea, bilharzias and cholera. As a church, we face a lot of challenges in ministering to the surrounding area. The parents love the sponsorship program for their children because we pay their school fees and provide them with uniforms and materials but they do not like their children to become Christians or even to sing Christian songs at their homes.

Despite these challenges, we have seen a great impact on the children who attend the program. They are able to go to school and receive medical treatment and check-ups. They are able to interact with others in a positive way and they have more hope for the future. The church is committed to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in the surrounding community. We always have house to house campaigns to witness to the church members and non-church members. Our main target is to reach al the families of the sponsored children and the community which surrounds us. We also plan for street outdoor meetings to testify about Jesus as Savior.

These children area always so excited to receive letters from their sponsors, as they feel loved and cared for, something many of them have never experienced before. These letters build and strengthen the relationship between sponsors and children as both sides get to know more and more as they communicate. It helps these children so much to read every word of love and encouragement from their friends from another country and they are always excited to share these letters with their friends and families. They are motivated to do their best in all things.

Please help pray for our program and that God may provide funds for us so that e can accomplish the construction of more rooms at the center.

Thank you again for all that you do on behalf of Fabiola. May God bless you!

Sincerely,
Paul C