Grace and Truth

After two days driving west and south from Dar-es-Salaam we find ourselves in a small town called Ruaha (Roo-aha).  We aren't really talking hard driving at 70 mph here -- while the main roads are quite good in Tanzania, they are only two lane and we can only travel 50-60 mph. on the open road, slowing to 30 mph. when we come to a settlement or village area. There are quite a number of police stationed in these small settlements waiting for the unsuspecting driver to exceed the limit through the settlements!  While they are putting effort into keeping up the main roads, the secondary roads are in pretty poor shape, so as we leave the main artery we must slow up considerably.

As we come to Ruaha we keep a look out for any evangelical church sign posts. We find one and stop to see if we can locate someone who may have information about the area churches.

This research business is a slow process. If we want to get good on-the-ground information, we have to be willing to spend time with folks listening to their story.

 As we talk with this GCC (Great Commission Christian) pastor, we learn his church has a couple of new church starts nearby, so we all pile in the car to visit one.

This small preaching point is located at Msolwa Station, a different sort of name for a Tanzanian village -- as we leave the tar road we discover why --  we are driving for miles through fields of tall sugar cane, this village is in the middle of sugar plantations.  The cane is also processed here and the fragrance of sugar in the air is amazing – I think you could gain weight by just breathing!  If you want the experience,  go in the kitchen -- open your sugar canister – stick your head in and sniff!


We locate the young pastor’s mud house near the market area and discover a crusade is scheduled to begin tonight.

There is a three-wheeler trailer just outside the house with sound equipment and a generator ready to go to the church.  As we have another passenger, I thought I might walk to the church, but on hearing that it is a bit far, I climb into the trailer with the sound equipment and off we go.  It takes all I have to hang on as we bump down the rutted path to the church!


We spend quite some time sitting in the church talking together with the young pastor, and the other ministers.

They discuss the difficulties of spreading the gospel among various cultures and peoples, bound by tradition and religious ritual keeping them from understanding and experiencing the truth of Christ as the way, the truth, and the life. Jerry encourages them to continue to teach that grace and truth come only through Jesus Christ. He finishes with Christ’s prayer for his disciples from John 17:26, “I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for Me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” He encourages these men to pray daily that this same love the Father had for his Son also be in them.

Pray for these men and others as they come up against walls of tradition and religious ritual as well as ancestor worship. Pray that they would be enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit with words of wisdom and truth that would penetrate deep within hearts.

Pray that we, who know the Way, the Truth, and the Life, would share the Gospel message with those around us whom Satan has bound with the chains of religion, that they may have a relationship with Christ.