Four things come to mind as I think about the work that God did and continues to do in my heart after coming home from Tanzania: Pride. Process. Stewardship. Work. Pride. If I could express myself artistically, I would draw a man out on a tree limb with a pair of scissors cutting off a small …
Marongo Makeremo clasped her careworn hands tighter as a Twelve21 team member explained how Christ died to give her new life. Gazing at her children and grandchildren gathered near, she thought about the life she lived for the last 75 years. Like her parents before her, she worshipped idols and ancestral spirits in this very …
Riches. Success. Power. Sexual conquest. Tibenderana believed he could achieve these by committing murder. He chose to slay a child with albinism. His superstitious beliefs required the boy’s body parts in witchcraft rituals to achieve his goals. What he did achieve? Five years of imprisonment. After his release from prison, “Tibe” apologized to his community, …
“My dad is a witch doctor. My mom is a witch doctor. My sister is a witch doctor. A year ago I would’ve introduced myself as Shadrack, the future witchdoctor!” Shadrack Samson never hesitated over the question of what he wanted to be when he grew up. Of course he would take over the family …
The day began like any other. Moses Paulo ran through the forest with his friends, joking and laughing as they gathered fruit for their families. How could they know years would pass before they saw their homes again? Vans screeching through the trees ravaged the quiet. Men erupted from the vans and charged toward the …
The contagious smile above belongs to Christina Razaro, a kindergarten student at Twelve21 Global’s school on Kome Island in Tanzania. Here is a little bit of what she has to say about school: “I love going to school every day because I see my teachers; I love them. I also love going to school because …
Mothers. They love unconditionally. They sacrifice daily. They pray fervently. They seek the best for their children and their families. Some days it feels overwhelming. Yet, day after day, they strive to put others’ needs above their own. A mother is a mother, no matter where in the world you find her. Salima Shaban, a mother to a student at our Kome …
On Wednesday, April 1, Yusuph received dire information from our Tanzanian Country Director, Pastor Jeremiah Motomoto. With the threat of COVID-19 looming over the country there was a high probability of the nation shutting down in the immediate future. A shut down in Tanzania would mean more than just self-isolation and boredom at home. It …
The Coronavirus pandemic is affecting communities all around the world, and unfortunately Twelve21 Global is no exception. After three confirmed coronavirus cases in Tanzania, yesterday the Tanzanian Government ordered the closing of all schools nationwide for the next 30 days. Our two schools on Kome Island and in Bukabwa are no exception. Though ministry inside …
