from Bob Allen, Prince of Peace in White House, TN
Church planting and Mission Outreach in the Maswa District to Mwanghonoli and Mwabulimbu of the Southeast of Lake Victoria Diocese.
On Monday, we embarked on a forty-five-minute drive along gravel and dirt roads to the small village of Mwanghonoli. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Pastor Elibariki Nathaniel and our old friend Ruben Lanza, who were already there with the Sinema Leo truck. The team had shown the Jesus movie in the village the previous evening through the Sinema Leo mobile movie operation.
The village, home to approximately 10 small businesses, had a small group of believers who had made remarkable progress in constructing a church. They had built brick walls but were unable to install a roof due to a lack of funds for rafters and roofing materials.
We spent three days in Mwanghonoli, working in teams to carry out our mission. Susie Allen’s team included Pastor Odolous Gyunda, who served as an interpreter, and a local young doctor named Emmanuel Stephen, who guided the team to the homes. Pastor Odolous is currently performing the duties of the Assistant Bishop after Assistant Bishop Daniel Mono was called to become Bishop of the Mwanga Diocese.
My team consisted of District Pastor Damiano Makala and a local guide. The local Pastor Wilson Franklin led another team, while the fourth team was comprised of Ruben and Pastor Nathaniel from Sinema Leo. Each day, we found that the Sinema Leo movie screenings had generated significant interest, with many villagers stopping us to learn more and request baptism. Similarly, our daily outreach increased interest in the movie screenings each night.
During our three days in Mwanghonoli, a total of 353 men, women, and children were baptized. On Thursday and Friday, we traveled a bit further to the smaller village of Mwabulimbu, where we shared the good news of God’s love and saving grace. There, we baptized an additional 313 people for a total of 666 for the week. As of today June 16th work to put on a roof has begun.
