Mwokozi

Mwokozi (mm-woh-KOH-zee) is the Swahili word for savior. Jesus Christ is my savior. He saves us in two ways. First is that He saved us from sin by His death on the cross. Second is that He saves us from life’s many problems.

I’ve been a commercial driver for more than 35 years. There was a time when I was working and we got in a bad accident. Many people others were badly hurt. But somehow I was okay. Not hurt at all. Who else could protect me like that but my savior?

We sing, “Yesu ni bwana na mwokozi ya maisha yangu.” It means Jesus is my Lord and my personal savior. He is someone who came to the world out of the bliss of heaven for me. He came into sin and sickness and all the problems of the world for me. He protects me, and so he is my Lord. He is my savior.

Ombeni Mwanga, pictured above, is 53. He has his wife and six children. He also takes care of his late brother’s four kids who are orphans. He’s a member of Kijenge Lutheran Parish.

Amani

Amani (ah-MAHN-ee) is the Swahili word for peace. It is a gift from God, and it is important in our lives and relationships. We all have problems in our lives. Whatever they are, the one with faith turns to God to get him through. And when we lift our burdens to the Lord, He gives us a sense of peace about things.

My parents taught me about peace. They really loved to live as examples of peace. They didn’t get into the quarrels of their neighbors or even us children. Instead they turned to God and He showed them how to resolve things. Now how do I teach my kids peace? I just love them and try to always show them joy. It keeps anger away and keeps peace in my life.

We need to be vigilant and pray for peace here in Tanzania, and that we stand together in love and peace.

Domini Noah, picured above, is 53. She has a husband and four children. She’s a member of Kijenge Lutheran Parish.

Tegemea

Tegemea (teh-geh-MAY-uh) is the Swahili command for depend. To depend on something is to await a promise. You depend on things that will come. That’s why I hold tight the message in Hebrews 10:37-39. It says the Coming One is on his way, and he will give life to those of us who are faith.

Trials will come, but we still must rely on God. For me, I’m just a choir member. I don’t have work. So when my husband died, it was especially difficult. But God is the one who gave me a husband, and God is the one who took him away. So I can only depend on God.

As God’s children, we rely on Him for everything. But the big thing is that we are spiritually dependent on going to heaven. And so it is important that we live in such a way that is pleasing to Him. Our other needs – housing, food, things for taking care of children — for those needs, I again depend on God.

Evarista Mollel, pictured above, is 39-years-old. She is a widow with three children. Her oldest is 23-years-old. She’s a member of Kijenge Lutheran Parish.

Upendo

Upendo (ooh-PEN-doh) is the Swahili word for love. God’s love for us is so endless that He sent his son to suffer for us. I remember 1 Timothy 1:15 that says “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’–and I am the worst of them all.”

My parents taught me that to stay in this world, you need love. It empowers us to do things that we otherwise could not. It gives us the ability to forgive, to make peace, and to maintain relationships. God is love. In my family, I teach my children the same thing — that they need to love and help each other. If you can help someone, do it. Living by the Golden Rule is to live in love.

For us mothers, we know how to love our children. We felt the pain of carrying the child from the womb and each of the pains of raising a child, and so we really know what it is to love. We love our children more than they can possibly love us. It’s like that for God our father and us, his children, too.

Felister Ngowi, 52, has four children and a husband. She’s a member of Kijenge Lutheran Parish.

Songambele

Songambele (SOHN-gah mm-BELL-eh) is the Swahili term for pushing on forward. In your trials, just keep going. When life is hard, keep going. It hasn’t been easy for me, but with prayer as my weapon I have always pushed through my trials. I’ve done three things to help me.

Pray to God.

Stay on the path. As a servant of God, this is what we do. It takes discipline, but I can’t skip worship or dodge choir practice just because things get tough.

Keep going. When it’s hard to turn to God, I tell people to turn to hymns. The messages are all there to remind us that He will always give us a way forward. When I sing hymns for troubled friends, they usually ask me to sing another. And another. I even sing for Muslims, and it helps them. The songs remind us that God is there.

My last-born, Jackson, is in secondary school. I don’t know where I’ll find school fees for him. But I sing, “Jesus is victor over all trials” and I find clarity. My house is falling down, but I still love God and I’ll keep pushing through. Even when you don’t know where your next meal will come from, the Lord is still your shepherd, and he WILL lead you.

Susan S. Laizer, 48, is a widow. She has six children, one of whom died in childhood. Her husband died in 1989. She doesn’t have a job, but makes a little income from washing clothes for people. She’s a member of Kijenge Lutheran Parish.

Utukufu

Utukufu (OOH-two-KOO-foo) is the Swahili word for glory. Why do we hear this word so much in church? Because it’s one of the few things that we can give back to God for all he does in our lives. We were seven kids growing up. One died young. My family there in the village on the east side of Mt. Meru lived in abject poverty. But somehow, five of us finished Form 4 (secondary school), three of us finished Form 6 (advanced secondary school), and one even got a degree. How can that be possible without God?

One day while I was in secondary school I had climbed high up in a tree to cut a branch of leaves for feeding our goats when I fell.  I was very badly hurt for 6 months. When I look back on that time, I realize how much closer to God it made me because He gave me healing. He protected me, and so I glorify His name.

Anderson Samweli Sarakikya, 32, is a choir member. Last year he married Victoria, another choir member, and they don’t have any children yet. He works in customer care at a bookstore in Arusha. He’s a member of Kijenge Lutheran Parish.

Neema

Neema (neh-EEH-mah) is the Swahili word for grace. It’s something you’re given that you don’t deserve and it’s given to enable you. It gives you the chance to do things right and correct things while you can.
When I look at how much trouble the world is in, we’re walking by grace only. This is important because we need to know that there’s nothing we can do on our own. God allows us and empowers us to do things.

In his grace, God sends us special people. For example if you’re sick, God can provide you with a good doctor who can help you heal. He does this not because we deserve it, but because he loves us so much. 

In Matthew 17:14-21, Jesus heals a boy possessed by demons. Jesus is the healer. He empowers us to heal, too, saying that with faith as small as a mustard seed, we can move mountains. He empowers us because of his grace and unending love.

Elisifa Yohanna Dambui, pictured above, is 32 and unmarried. He is the general secretary of the Arusha Gospel Choir, and he is a Bible teacher for the Compassion program. He’s a member of Kijenge Lutheran Parish.

Imani

Imani (ih-MAHN-ee) is the Swahili word for Faith. In my life, this means believing the Word, just as it is. Faith is believing the Word. The Bible tells what faith is many times. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” Romans 4:13 says, “God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.” Abraham had faith before he had anything. And so he and his children were given the world.

So how do you get faith? You get it through listening to the Word of God. Your mind doesn’t apply faith. Your heart does.

A lot of people sometimes have doubts about the Word being entirely true, or doubts about Christ. The best way to get more faith is to read the Bible. There are so many examples of people with great faith, and how God rewards them. Also, it requires listening to God. The evidence can build your faith.

Tumsifu Uronu, pictured above, is 39. He has a wife and two children, age 9 and 6. He is a businessman in Arusha. He’s a member of Kijenge Lutheran Parish.

Kesheni!

Kesheni (keh-SHEN-ee) is the Swahili command for “Stay awake!” It’s a call for us to never let up our guard, because Jesus is coming anytime. There’s a parable (from Matthew 25) about a 10 people who were waiting for a wedding, but the bride delayed many hours. Night came. Five of the people were foolish and didn’t bring enough oil. Five were wise and brought extra.

When the bride delayed, everyone became drowsy and fell asleep. For the five foolish ones, they ran out of oil before midnight, when the bride finally came. They ran to the shop to buy more oil, but when they returned, the door was locked and everyone else was partying inside.

The moral of the story is that we should always be prepared. The Lord will come like a thief in the night. He won’t knock. He’ll just come. All who have prepared themselves will go to heaven. But He will show no mercy for those who are unprepared.

24 hours a day, we need to be on good terms with God. We need to keep our lamps full. Those people whose lamps aren’t full, who say, “I’ll set my life straight with God later,” they’re taking a big risk. No one knows when his time will come. Nor does he know when the Lord will come again. There’s no time like right now, today, to put your life on the right path, and to give yourself to God.

In Matthew 25:13 Jesus says, “You, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.”

If you look at the world today, you can know that we are at the end of days. Look at “modern” society. Look at Israel and Gaza. Jesus is coming. Let people receive the Spirit NOW. Let people be born in Him NOW.

Eliniradhi Mswia, pictured above, has his wife, 7 children, and 12 grandchildren. He’s a member of Kijenge Lutheran Parish.

Uaminifu

Uaminifu (OOH-ah-min-EE-foo) is the Swahili word for trustworthyness or honesty. It just means be real. If being close to Christ is a goal, then be real about it. If you give yourself to God, be real.

A lot of people are dishonest. Some lie to scam money from so-called friends. Paul tells us in Romans 12:9, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.”

There are those who lie to others, and there are those who lie to themselves. If you claim to be a good Christian, but you’re not serious, you’re just lying to yourself. But God sees through your clothes, through your skin and muscle, all the way to your heart. He sees your lies.

Romans 12:3 tells us, “Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” Later in that same chapter, Paul tells us that servants of God need to be trustworthy.
My parents taught me when I was young that it’s important to be honest in what you DO and in what you SAY. That means I shouldn’t steal, nor should I deceive. They also taught that we are rewarded for our honesty. It becomes easy for people and relatives to be close to us. It gives us peace. And it lays a good foundation for our relationship with God.

Eneza H. Kitange, pictured above, is 29-years-old. He is an auto electrician and has not yet married. He’s a tenor in a gospel choir at Kijenge Lutheran Parish.

Wasafiri

Wasafiri (WAH-sah-FEE-ree) is the Swahili word for travelers. Wherever you’re from, your origin is not from here. We’re all travelers through this world, on our way to the next. It’s important that we remember we’re just passing through.

The physical things we collect in our lives, we can’t take them with us when we die. That’s why it’s important to focus on the spiritual things. We shouldn’t follow the ways of the world. The Holy spirit is of God, and it’s the Spirit that we should follow. When I pray to God, I say, “Lord, I’m just a traveler in this world. And so I need you to guide me. Don’t hide from me.” I pray that he doesn’t leave me alone on this journey.

This is fundamental to my life because I know because of faith, one day I’ll return to heaven.

As singers, some of our songs help people prepare themselves for the journey to heaven. It makes me feel good about my service as a choir member.

Neema Richard, pictured above, is 31-years-old and married. Her two children are age 5 and 2. She’s a member of Kijenge Lutheran Parish.