Hello from Tanzania

Our 9 week stay in Tanzania, Africa is quickly coming to an end. The last 2 weeks have been very busy and a great blessing.


The November Bible Institute session was 12 hours of teaching on “Spiritual Gifts”. It was a blessing to hear the national pastors make statements and ask questions about this important subject.

We were invited to hold services in a village one hour from Tabora. We met in a building near a school. You know the Pastor, he loves children. So before the service started he sat in the yard with a group of kids. They could not understand or speak English but he taught them the song “If You’re On Your Way to Heaven, Clap Your Hands”. They all (including the Pastor) had a great time and were glad to see him the next day. There were 19 saved at the village and we thank the Lord for that.

We will drive 6 hours to Mwanza on Friday and will celebrate Thanksgiving Saturday with some American missionaries. The Pastor will preach in Mwanza Sunday. Pray we will be an encouragement to the missionaries and church family there.

We will start home on Friday, December 4th and will arrive in Little Rock December 8th. You will never know how much we miss all of you! Please continue to pray for us as we travel home.

Sharron

November 1st - Ordination Service and Baptism

New Pastor, John, baptizing Johnson

Bro. Smith, Pastor John and Missionary Whitfield

November Prayer Letter

Encouraging Pastor*Helping Churches*Assisting Missionaries

D.W. Smith

Cell Phone: (501) 360-6566 (501) 360-6566

Sending church: Heritage Baptist Temple

4910 Stagecoach Rd. Little Rock, AR 72204

November 3, 2009

Dear Praying Friends and Churches,

We have just completed the first half of our two month mission to Tanzania. It has been a very busy, but fruitful time. Our main goal was to assist missionaries Tim and Kim Whitfield. On Sunday, November 1, 2009, we celebrated the fifth anniversary of Tabora Baptist Temple. The day’s activities included organizing the church into an Independent, Bible Believing, Fundamental Baptist Church. What a proud moment for all of us, but especially for the Whitfields.

Also, we ordained a Tanzanian man, John Masanja, to the ministry, and then called him to be the Pastor of Tabora Baptist Temple. At the conclusion of the service he baptized his first 4 converts. What a victory! We believe the Dear Lord brought us here to participate in this great day. I had the privilege of preaching the charge to the new pastor. The Lord gave me exceptional liberty, even though it was through an interpreter. Also, I met 3 new African pastors that were a great blessing to me.

Please continue to pray for the work here. During November we have another week of Bible Institute. I will be teaching all week out of I Corinthians 12-14 on the subject of Spiritual Gifts, denouncing Scripturally the modern day charismatic movement including the gifts of tongues and healing.

Also, pray for our return home and God’s leading as we preach a number of mission conferences in 2010.

We are looking forward to being back in the good old USA in early December. Thanks for everything.

Sincerely In Christ,

Pastor David Smith

A Church for Every People and the Gospel for Every Person

Tabora Baptist Temple Missions Conference

The Missions Conference at Tabora Baptist Temple had a great ending Sunday night. Their commitment was more than last year and everyone was excited about the fact that they will continue to be involved in winning souls around the world. Brother Whitfield taught the Adult Sunday School and translated for the preacher as he preached the morning service. The missionary from Kenya, Shaddrack, preached Sunday night. Wow! We couldn’t understand a word he said but everyone else sure did. It is a blessing to watch the Tanzanians as they sing the same songs as we sing, just a different language, and as they turn in their Bibles and follow the message then respond at the invitation.

I want to thank you for praying for John’s nephew, Timmy. He is out of the hospital and is doing fine.

I also want to thank you for praying for us. We are doing fine. The preacher and Brother Whitfield are still walking every morning and Kim is feeding us the right kind of food so we should be real healthy when we get home. HA! HA!

Now I will ask you to pray for the services this coming Sunday. It will be the 5th anniversary of Tabora Baptist Temple. There is a big day planned. There will be unsaved people there. Pray for Brother Whitfield as he presents the gospel and we will see some saved. Four adults and one teenager are going to be baptized Sunday, the church is going to be organized, John will be ordained and called as the Tanzanian pastor of Tabora Baptist Temple. Our prayer is that the Lord will be honored in everything that is done.

We are praying for you and certainly miss all of you! Don’t forget you can e-mail us or leave comments on the blog. The preacher’s e-mail is dwsmith1947@aol.com



Love,

Sharron

Greetings Once Again from Tanzania, Africa

Greetings Once Again from Tanzania, Africa:

Brother Tim Whitfield and I have just returned from a three day journey to the west of Tabora. The village we visited is called Ngaruka. I preached each night to approximately 50 men and women. The Lord gave great liberty and one precious man trusted Christ as his Savior! Praise the Lord!

There was no electricity in the village and no running water. None of the creature comforts we are used to. I am amazed at how much we take for granted. We stayed in a “guest house’ that basically had a bed and a mosquito net. We bathed out of a 5 gallon bucket of water and brushed our teeth with bottled water. The trip there and back was 8 hours of dirt roads with seemingly more dust on the inside of our vehicle than outside! You literally could feel and see the dust and dirt all over your body and in your hair. I am not complaining, I am just trying to let you know what it was like. What an experience!

The people we met were precious, friendly, and very excited that we had come to visit them. Two men who were recently saved were baptized in a large Tanzanian lake. Brother Whitfield had the privilege of baptizing them. It is amazing to see such a large body of water and yet the entire country has to hunt for water for their daily supply. I guess all that will change as the rains come in early November.

Our Missions Conference at Tabora Baptist Temple started Wednesday evening, (10-21-09). We have two national missionaries, one from another part of Tanzania and one from Kenya. They are testifying and preaching each night and then I have been given the privilege of preaching the closing message on Faith Promise Giving each evening.

Sharron is doing excellent. Her foot is improving each day. She lets nothing keep her from attending each service and doing what she can to help. We feel very blessed to be able to serve together the way we do.

Brother and Sister Whitfield are spoiling us. Such great fellowship, food, and oneness of Spirit. We pray the Lord will use us to be an encouragement and blessing to them personally. How we love them and appreciate all they are doing for us.

Please continue to pray! Missions commitment is coming this Sunday. We are looking to the Lord for an increase in faith for the membership of Tabora Baptist Temple.

We Love You!

Brother David Smith

How to post a comment.

Mom mentioned some were having a problem posting comments to this blog and she asked me to try to explain. The easiest way is to click on the comment icon at the bottom of the post you wish to comment about. Type your comment and make sure to sign your name. Then under profile just choose "anonymous" and then follow the instruction regarding the image below your comment (I think that is just to validate your computer info, etc.) I hope this helps. You know nothing with computers is ever simple.
Susie

Dear Praying Family and Friends,
We are alive and well in Tanzania and loving every moment of it. We just finished our first session of Bible Institute. We had 10 national pastors and students in training to be pastors. I taught on the subject of Personal Holiness with Brother Whitfield interpreting. What a special time for me. The sessions were lively and the students seemed to thoroughly enjoy each day. Can you imagine, we were in the Word of God from 8:00 A.M. until 12:30 P.M.! By the end of each day Brother Whitfield and I were completely worn out. I am already preparing for the next institute class which will be held in early November on the subject of “Dispensations”. Please pray this class will be attended with power from on high by the blessed Holy Spirit.
In the morning Brother Whitfield and I will be leaving for Nguruka, Tanzania. This is a large and remote village about 4 hours to the west of Tabora. Brother Whitfield says it is very primitive and he is worried about me making the trip. Well, that is like saying “sickem” to a dog. I am ready and excited about the trip and the special meetings that will be held through Sunday A.M. Please pray for God’s power and safety. The ladies will stay behind and mind the home front. The associate pastor, soon to become the pastor of Tabora Baptist Temple, Brother John Masanja, will do the preaching. By the way, we are going to have the privilege of ordaining him to the gospel ministry on Sunday, November 1. This will be the church’s 5th anniversary. Pray much for that day. We are working for a record attendance on that day. Brother Whitfield would like to see 125 in attendance. Pray, Pray, Pray!
Sharron and I are doing great. No health issues to speak of, with one exception. We think Sharron has another stress fracture in her right foot. She is hobbling around, however, as usual, it has not dampened her spirits, or stopped her from attending church. I call her “Super Woman.”
Pray for the Whitfields. What gracious hosts! We love them and count it as an honor to assist them in whatever way we can.
Thank you for praying for John’s nephew, Timmy. He is doing better. He is able to walk with help. His jaws are wired closed so he is enjoying vanilla milk shakes. Continue to pray for his recovery.
We love all of you and deeply appreciate your prayers. May the Dear Lord continue to extend to all of us His wonderful grace to serve Him until He comes.
I Love You,
Brother David Smith