In the summer of 2017, I decided to go on my first mission trip to Tanzania. I crawled into the tent closest to one of two dim lights hanging from ropes surrounding our campsite. I pulled out my sleeping bag, exhausted already from the 30+ hours it took to get to Maisome Island. I wept. I questioned to myself, what am I doing here? I was so overwhelmed with emotions. Physically my body was aching, and just thinking about the 500 yards I would have to walk in the dark to go to a bathroom– basically a hole in the ground– made it even worse. It was simply out of my comfort zone. Was I supposed to be here?
I finally fell asleep only to be awakened by the sounds of people (in the distance) crying out! I could hardly make out what they were saying. Every now and then I’d hear “Jehovah God” and singing.
This went on until the sun started to come up. I slowly made my way out of my tent as I continued to hear the shouting and singing from a distance. I went looking for Yusuph, our team leader at the time, to ask what all the shouting and singing was about. It had lasted close to 2 hours, so I had to ask. Yusuph said, “Mama Beth, those were the church planters and their wives prayer walking and storming the gates of hell on behalf of this island.” They did this every morning for close to 2 hours while we were on the trip before the sun even came up! Such faith and dedication.
After hearing the explanation from Yusuph, I knew immediately why Jesus had sent me 3000 miles from home including many hours on a cramped bus and two ferries to a small island off the coast of Tanzania. I was brought here to share the life giving gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of the island. God didn’t need us, but I knew He was going to use every single one of us to bring glory to Himself and to draw many to Him!
God changed by heart that first trip to Tanzania with Twelve21 Global. I saw and witnessed spiritually dead people come to life! The gospel of Jesus Christ changes everything!
“And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Ephesians 2:1-8
– Beth Greer, Twelve12 Global Prayer Coordinator
Interested in our evangelism mission trips to Tanzania? Find out more on our trips page.