Giving Tuesday 2022

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in America!

While Thanksgiving isn’t a Tanzanian holiday, we can say truthfully as the Apostle Paul often did when writing to the churches that “we alway give thanks for you.” As we see daily all that God is doing here, we are deeply grateful for your support through prayer and giving.

Roland Allan wrote the classic missionary book The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church. In a review of this book, A.J. Gibson says:
“By spontaneous expansion, Allen wasn’t suggesting some kind of miraculous mass conversion without missionaries and church planters. Instead, the phrase refers to national churches that are empowered to grow and multiply on their own without ongoing control by outside missionaries and mission agencies.”
We are seeing this spontaneous growth happen here in East Africa with the Maasai church, and it is amazing to behold…like a wild fire spreading from one heart to another!

In January I led a meeting with 26 pastors from the Loliondo area near the famous Serengeti seeking together how best to direct this fire.

They are so eager to expand but are blocked by lack of funds…especially for sending missionaries to the unreached. We prayed and wrestled with obstructions. We shared, we repented, we prayed more and in faith we wrote down ideas…most of them focused on income generation from livestock, a business the Maasai know and understand.

By God’s grace, I later connected with a consultant in town who works with these type of investment groups. He is both a Maasai and a Christian, and loved our ideas. He wants to help us see them become reality as he has done very successfully with other groups in Tanzania.

Then in October our dear friend Pastor Tim Anderson from Calvary Chapel Burbank came. Pastor Tim sent Tammy and I out to the Maasai 31 years ago from Santa Barbara, CA.

Through speaking and even more importantly as a real life example he taught on “Becoming a Sending Church.” He led Maasai leaders from four different districts in understanding the theological underpinnings of joining God in His mission to the world, as well as what to do practically to sustain a missionary movement. Together with our teammates Solomon and Sarah Kipi, we are coming alongside the Maasai church as they begin to take the Gospel from Maasailand to other tribes and nations. Tim’s input came at a historic moment.

These are exciting times.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

I love this verse! It is a manifesto for us at Wild Hope. We are not opposed to programs (we have them) but we know that the the first priority is the Vine and staying united with Christ. The Wild Hope Retreat and Training Center is continuing to be a powerful tool in this regard.

It is so satisfying to see the vision God whispered to us years ago being fulfilled now: when folks go DEEP in spiritual formation they will go FAR in fruitful ministry.

Going Deep

We are going DEEP with Deep Discipleship Group training. We recently had a fantastic retreat with key secondary and university students. The small discipleship group model is spreading onto campuses in Tanzania and Kenya for which we are so grateful.

And we are hosting other like minded groups focused on discipleship. Recently we have hosted:

• • Vision casting retreats for churches and ministries
  • Youth discipleship trainings
  • Youth mentoring
  • Leadership development coaching
  • Prayer retreats
  • And member care for missionaries in challenging places in the horn of Africa

Going Far

Additionally, and in an unforeseen way, the land has become a hub for groups mobilizing and going to the unreached…fulfilling our goal of going FAR.

In this regard we have hosted:

• • Mission mobilization trainings and retreats
  • Engaging the unreached training
  • Discipleship Making Movement (DMM) and Discovery Bible Study training
  • Vision seminar for the national committee of Kairos (a Perspectives on the World Christian Movement sister ministry)

For more detail of what is going on at Wild Hope Tanzania check out this current video update.

Your generosity is transforming the land and the people who visit!
Thank you for helping us disciple leaders that go DEEP into relationship with Christ and as a result of abiding, bear fruit as they go to the FAR places of East Africa.

November 29th is Giving Tuesday, a global opportunity to give. We depend on special gifts to keep Wild Hope viable. Would you consider a special gift supporting Wild Hope as we empower African leaders to transform their communities?

Please visit our website for more explanation and a way to easily donate.

God bless you,

Peter Russell
Director Wild Hope International

WILD HOPE
           Going DEEP…

                       Going FAR!