My heart says to You, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.” Psalm 27:8
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| A mosque designated specifically for the Wagoma people |
Living in and around Kigoma in the western part of Tanzania, the Wagoma people are not seeking the face of Christ.
They do not realize that Christ is the living God who came down to live on the earth so that humanity could know how to have relationship with God.
As we search for information on the various people groups in and around Kigoma, we are introduced to a believer who is also Wagoma. We will call him “Paul”. (This is not his real name, but, as he is a Muslim background believer, we do not want to put him in any danger of persecution by revealing his true name.) I choose the name Paul because he is bold in his witness; however, he is careful as he witnesses within the Islamic community.
Paul leads us to several villages containing Wagoma people. There are no villages with only Wagoma people; they live intermingled with other people groups. Therefore, while there may be churches in villages where the Wagoma live, the Wagoma do not attend.
As we travel together, he relates to us his understanding of the history of the Wagoma people.
Historically, coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Zoba people crossed Lake Tanganyika and settled in and around the Kigoma area becoming known as the Wagoma people.
The Wagoma are a Muslim people group.
Today, those living in the urban areas surrounding Kigoma are businessmen, while the Wagoma living along the shores of Lake Tanganyika are fishermen.
While friendly, the Wagoma are not open to Christianity nor to the witness of truth. It will take strong committed believers with the knowledge of Muslim evangelism to make inroads into the Wagoma community.
*Pray that God would visit the Wagoma people in dreams and visions sparking spiritual questions and discussions.
*Pray that God would orchestrate the coming of strong believers into the Wagoma community bringing answers to those spiritual questions.
*Pray that as individuals in the Wagoma community witness the love of Christ, they will open their ears to the truth of the Gospel message -- that they would SEEK HIS FACE.