What an amazing time it was, on my latest trip to Tanzania. The one thing that struck me the most was Gods provision and direction. It was neat to watch God direct our paths and lead us to the places he wanted us to be.
It was a great opportunity to work with a team from Texas. They were great people who had a heart for God and for the people that we were there to minister to. I am truly thankful for the relationships that God has given me with these people.
We had the opportunity to repair a well in the village of Mkuzi, in Northeast Tanzania. It was probably one of the things that will stick with me forever. That one well will change the lives of many that area. Instead of spending much time and difficulty getting clean water, it is now readily available to them. One of my most memorable moments was, the moment the village kids pumped the fresh clean water. The village people burst out singing and shouting praises. The village "Mama" said, "Everytime we get water we will thank God and the Americans who helped us." This has given us great influence in this village.
I have seen first hand the desperate need for clean water. How something as simple as clean water, something we take for granted everyday, can change an entire village. Many of these villages have wells but they are broken and the village people do not have the resources to repair them. In a very short amount of time and for relatively little money this problem can be solved one village at a time. It is amazing to see, that when you take care of someone's physical needs, like water, how receptive they become.
God has given Jen and I a great burden for these village people. who are desperate to have your most basic of human needs met, such as water. Who most importantly are desperately lost without Christ. Many have never heard the story of Christ. Without someone willing to go and help meet their basic needs and share the Gospel of Christ with them, these people will die and spend an eternity seperated from God. God has made it even more clear to us that we are to go and share the love of Christ with these village people of Tanzania.
With the help of a local pastor in the Tanga area, I have targeted five villages that are in desperate need of water and who have the wells, they just need to be repaired. Once repaired those villages will have clean water readily available, but most importantly they will have heard the transforming message of Jesus Christ. As important as clean water is, our ultimate goal is to share Christ with these people.
Please continue to pray for our family as we continue on this journey. We know that this is what God has asked of us and we have said YES. Now its a matter of taking each step as God leads. We are starting on the next leg of the journey which is raising the initial money needed to get there and monthly support that will sustain us as we do His work.
If you would like to be a part of what God is doing in Tanzania, you can make a secure online donation at http://www.thirstnomore.org/ and note Jeff Schmidt.
We are so thankful for the many who faithfully pray for us daily and who have walked this journey with us. We love you all!
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