Newsletter August 2021
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- Published: Thursday, 02 September 2021 00:00
Newsletter August 2021
Newsletter Steef and Tineke van 't Slot
Dear friends,
It’s been a while since we sent a newsletter. The reason was the covid outbreak in March 2020. On 1 March that year I returned from my last trip and after that I couldn’t leave anymore because all flights were cancelled. Just before I was about to leave again in Jan. 2021 my pcr test turned out positive, so I had to stay at home. Fortunately I never got sick.
On June 11th I could travel again without problems.
Tanzania
The academic year of the East Africa School of Missions (EASM) in 2020 was cancelled, but this year all lessons could be resumed, some only through zoom-meetings. When covid appeared in Tanzania, the late president (a Roman Catholic) called the country to a 3-day prayer and fasting for everyone, which had great response. After all schools had been closed, they could open again, per level, a month after each other. The worst of the pandemice didn’t hit Tanzania. After that, the president called for a 3-day period of thanksgiving. In May this year he died from a malfunctioning pacemaker, not from covid, as was whispered. Sunday, July 4th, I returned, after having walked through the whole Bible for 3 weeks, with 14 (all Tanzanian) students, studying what the Word says about missions. Every week whole new worlds opened to them. We spent altogether 80 hours on it, and after every week an exam was written by them. Most passed with reasonable marks.
By now, over 50 people are active as missionaries among unreached people groups in Tanzania and outside, since about 20 colleagues and I teach at this school. One of them works in Tunesia, where I still met him in 2018. Others travel through the country to mobilize churches for missions and recruit candidates for the school. Among them is my former student Damas (1st photo), who attended the school with hisson Salmon in 2016. I supplied Damas with some new copies of my book for his courses.
His son, Salmon, was married recently to an ex-Muslim girl, a sheikh’s daughter. The sheikh was so smitten by the love he saw among Christians, that he did not resist this marriage. After that, his son came to Christ as well! In Tanzania, relationships between Christians and Muslims are usually not hostile.
Would I please come back next year? Well, Lord willing, of course! And may we start translation of your next book? Well, yes, of course! It will help students to study and assimilate the materials more easily.
After my return from Tanzania, as I was in quarantine for 5 days, I could use that time to do some zoom-teaching to 22 students from 7 countries, who are working at their Master’s degree via a Nigerian missions school. That was a special experience too.
Plans
Travel planning is still complicated, but I did make plans to go to South Africa in October for 5 weeks. Next year I hope to go to Tanzania twice or thrice; another missions school has also asked me to come and teach.
In Burundi 500 copies of my book in Kirundi have been printed, and some enthusiastic people will work with them in churches and at universities. One of them organizes a large missions conference in Uganda, where my book will also be sold and used. It is great to see that, after years, it starts to lead a life of its own!
As it may be hard for you to support our work with a gift, please do pray that the Lord of the harvest will multiply our small efforts for the glory of His name!
That’s the best gift you can offer...
Cordial greetings from
Steef en Tineke van ‘t Slot
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