How To Support Tanga Christian Bible CollegeMy name is Charles Phillips and I am a former English teacher who retired from the Virginia Community College system in 2007. I had cancer surgery early in 2008 and later that year was invited to teach English at Tanga Christian Bible College in Tanzania. I undertook this mission and did my best, but left with the feeling that I had not been very effective. To teach English to speakers of a foreign language, one should be able to speak the native tongue, and I learned only a few words in Swahili. When I got home and thought about my experience, I decided that perhaps the teaching mission was not all that God intended for me. Perhaps the purpose of the trip was really to let me see the good work being done at TCBC by the two principle missionaries, Andrew and Esther Park, so that when I returned I would tell about their achievements and raise money to support their efforts. And so that is what I am doing. There are a large number of missionaries in Tanzania representing different nationalities and denominations. Andrew told me that being a missionary could be a cushy job. Often missionaries have no immediate supervision and are in effect their own bosses, able to decide what to do and when to do it, and human nature being what it is, some take advantage of this freedom and do little. But Andrew and Esther do not fall into this category. To impress a visitor over a short period of time, anyone might present the appearance of working hard, but this charade could not be maintained over a period of three months. What I saw was real. Culture, character, and faith have combined to make Andrew and Esther true servants of God. The Korean people are clean, orderly and disciplined, and this cultural background has fostered a strong work ethic in Esther and Andrew that has been reinforced by their Christian faith. This faith has directed them to educate ministers who can bring Christian values to their congregations in order to combat the immorality that retards the economic and social progress of Tanzania. To read about my experiences in Tanzania and to see pictures of Andrew, Esther and TCBC, follow this link. And after reading about the work of these good people, if you feel moved to support them, you may make out a check to the East African Mission Fellowship. On the notation line of your check, write Tangacbc to indicate that the donation was made in response to the TCBC web site. Then mail your check to the following address:East African Mission Fellowship 41480 Blinco Court Leesburg, VA 20175A legitimate question to ask is: "If you think Tanga Christian Bible College is worthy of financial support, what have you given?" Money for my mission trip to Tanzania was provided by the EAMF (for airfare) and was donated by individuals and local churches. At the end of my stay in March 2009, I had approximately fifteen-hundred dollars of this money remaining, so I left it with Andrew and Esther who used it for student scholarships. At the beginning of June 2010, I wrote a check to the EAMF for one-thousand dollars for the general support of TCBC. If you would like to contact me, click on the button below. | |
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