So what does a typical Sunday look like on these trips I do to Africa? Let me give you a taste.

It was June 23. My buddy Steve and I headed out toward Kibaha to preach in a church there, about two hours outside downtown Dar es Salaam, TZ. We arrived and the service started with two other people in the congregation present. By the time we finished several songs and dancing numbers, there were a few dozen people, and the pastor (Bishop Mhina) invited me to introduce myself and Steve. Thankfully enough Swahili came to mind that I was able to offer a warm greeting and introduction. Then Steve preached a sermon on Jonah 4, we did some more singing, and then I preached on Philippians 4. My sermon went an hour, and as I drew to a close people asked me to give them more of the Word… I LOVE AFRICA!!

Following the service which ended by around 2:30, we had lunch together, and then went to another location to meet with some ministry leaders. While we were there, we heard an amazing story.  It was the testimony of a pastor who oversees one of the local ministries. I cannot remember his name, so I will call him Pastor John. John was getting trained as a pilot in the military in 1974 along with several others. On one of the training flights, he was flying while several other trainees were behind him when an engine went out an hour after leaving an airport in Syria I believe. John and his copilot tried to get it working but were unable. The closest airport was in Beirut Lebanon but 2 days prior it had been bombed and they couldn’t use it. They also considered Damascus but it was too far away.  The copilot was a born again Christian and John was not a believer. John shared that the copilot came on the PA and announced to the people on the plane (the other trainees) that the plane was going to crash and that they needed to prepare for going to heaven or hell. He then asked John about this and shared the Gospel with him in such a calm, peaceful, confident manner, communicating that he knew for sure that he was going to soon see his Lord. When faced with his imminent death, John got out of his pilot seat and laid face down on the cockpit floor and told the Lord that if he was allowed to live, he would serve the Lord for the rest of his life. The plane did crash in the Golan Heights, and John was one of just five survivors out of 18 other training pilots who were killed in the crash. The copilot who shared the gospel with him died as well. Wow!! John is now serving the Lord as a pastor and Christ follower. Praise the Lord! Bwana Yesu asifiwe!

Following these meetings, we began to head back through thick traffic back toward Dar. Along the way, we pulled off the main road onto a small bumpy dirt road. We picked up another African, and continued bouncing along the dirt road. After 15-20 minutes, we pulled up next to a small building and parked. I asked our guide, Bishop Mhina, what we were doing here. He told me to bring my Bible. We walked along a path and up two flights of steps to a small upper room. The door opened and we walked into a small room PACKED with people sitting on the floor and on wood benches. A preacher was yelling into a microphone, his Bible absent. After 15 minutes, my ears ringing, our host stood up and invited me to come forward and preach the Word. I said a quick prayer for God’s Spirit to take over, and began to work my way through John 3 as Jesus shared the Gospel with religious but lost Nicodemus. Then Steve gave a message, we prayed for the sick, and headed home, arriving in Dar by 10PM.

It was a full day, and a good day, and our hearts were full as we served the Lord and His people. Pressing on, Eric