Since our last newsletter we have had several crusades. We get many invitations as much as our capacity and strength allows.
In the villages children and adults have a great need to hear the Word of God being preached. Most live in very poor conditions. This is clearly seen by the many dilapidated earth cabins and houses. During the recent crusade the team stayed in a dirty and disgusting guest house. There was no roof in the room where Torkild was to sleep and it was full of bats that made dirt everywhere. Torkild placed the bed high edged at the wall because the mattress stank. Luckily he had brought a small tent that he pitched and he also brought a mattress from home. He had a piece of tarpaulin that was stretched out as a ceiling. This way he was protected from the bats.
On the Saturday Torkild took a walk in the village to meet the people. Many good things happened during this walk and he was received well – especially as they heard him speaking their language. He watched as some did a home slaughtering of a pig. In turn he explained how as a young man he had taken a lot of pigs to slaughterhouses in Denmark. They liked his story about that.
On his way back to the guest house he met a young girl. She quickly crawled up a papaya tree to get him a papaya. With some lemon juice on it was really tasty.
A simple walk around the village seemed to have a greater impact on the people than a long sermon did.
Something wonderful happened in the crusade. On the very first day after the children’s meeting five adults came up to the pastor and wanted him to pray and lead them to the Lord. This was a great joy to the whole team. The village had been known for its heavy idolatry during many generations and many rituals and traditions were still being observed. The pastor told us how difficult it was for the church to break the regional darkness and that people were in bondage. But due to the many children that came to the meetings, parents got curious and every day the crowd increased.
Saturday after the meeting the pastor’s daughter came up to us, beaming like a sun together with two of her friends. The two girlfriends wanted to Christians. It was wonderful to see their determination and it was the climax of the week.
Our hearts were filled with praise to Jesus. On Sunday morning the two girls came to the service dressed in their finest clothes. Each one of them received a New Testament which they were very thankful for.
The church members were full of joy and gratitude that ten people had received Christ during the crusade. They all came to the service Sunday morning. Praise the Lord! His word will never return void. We thank the Lord Jesus for all – children and adults – who gave their lives to Him when hearing the gospel.
In accordance with Tabitha’s wishes, we asked for monetary “flower gifts” to support the work in Tanzania instead of physical flowers. It was truly overwhelming to receive the list from the mission treasurer showing how many people had sent “flowers” in this way. That money will go toward new faith-based projects that Tabitha felt we should undertake before we return to Denmark in February 2026. These include, among other things, children in 6th and 7th grade whose mothers are single parents and have lost their jobs. As a result, they can no longer afford to pay for their children’s schooling. This would mean that these children would not receive the graduation certificate necessary to continue in the education system. Here, Tabitha made a promise of faith to help, so that so many years of schooling would not be wasted. This is now in place. Tabitha would be overjoyed if she could witness it.
After the burial, we returned to a memorial service in Betania, where good friends in the congregation had prepared a lovely coffee table, providing a warm setting for us to talk together and remember Tabitha as a community.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude. Thank you to everyone who helped with all the practical arrangements and made sure that, despite our grief, it turned out to be a good day after all. Thank you to everyone who attended. Thank you to all of you who sent flowers. You should all know that it meant an incredible amount to me. I’d also like to look back a bit and thank family, friends, and the congregation for your tremendous support while we’ve been in Denmark. Thank you for all the meals you brought by and all the other practical help you provided.
Farewell in Arusha
Our staff has been completely devastated by Tabitha’s illness and death. As a team, they have come together and been praying and fasting for her. And they are now continuing to pray for us and our work.
On the day of Tabitha’s funeral, our staff followed the service on a large screen and was thus able to participate in the ceremony. They had printed a beautiful banner to represent Tabitha’s coffin, and there, with roses and tears, they were able to say goodbye to her.
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