After spending a week in Tanzania at the Arise Kilimanjaro Festival, Jenna Silva has gained a deeper appreciation for how God’s power manifests itself when His people work together.
MSI’s director of development joined other evangelists with Proclamation Evangelism Network (PEN) and Luis Palau’s Next Generation Alliance (NGA) for a series of nine rallies, conferences and outreaches organized by churches in the Mount Kilimanjaro region.
“What I saw at the festival was that it wasn’t one denomination stepping up, it was all of them,” Jenna says. “The believers there got excited. They said, ‘We can work together in unity. We can reach more of our cities for Christ by working together.’”
Jenna spoke at women’s conferences in four villages, proclaiming the Gospel, teaching Bible studies and encouraging other Christians. She also gave her testimony to large crowds at evening outreach meetings in Same, Moshi, and Himo.
The two week long multi-city Festivals just came to a close this week and the Arise Kilimanjaro team is anxiously awaiting final numbers of total people reached with the Gospel and decisions for Christ. Preliminary numbers show tens of thousands heard the Good News clearly proclaimed and thousands of first-time decisions for Christ were made. Jenna reports that one of the most exciting aspects of the festival was seeing hundreds of children come to know Christ as Savior at children’s outreaches.
“There was a huge, huge response,” she says of the events, which were held in several major cities. “At one, 550 children were present and hundreds came forward.”
The most fervent response came at a women’s conference where approximately 70 percent of the attendees accepted Christ as Savior. Two were Muslims.
This activity came amid serious persecution and opposition that exists in this region, home to a mix of witchcraft and other religions. During the team’s visit in late May and early June, two churches were burned – one Anglican and the other an Assembly of God.
In addition, people attending the festivals were seen thrashing around on the ground. A number of people asked for prayer for family members and others who were influenced by evil spirits.
“This is real life and what Christians there are facing,” Jenna says. “It was in our face, as a group in general. I didn’t have any problems personally, but this is what was going on with participating churches.”
The team also received a number of prayer requests from people who had made a decision to follow Jesus and been ostracized by their family and others in their village.
Despite the opposition, Jenna was thrilled to receive spiritual support from prayer teams. They gathered each evening to intercede for the festivals, which lasted for more than two hours.
While MSI hasn’t formulated any plans yet to return to Tanzania, the people there captured Jenna’s heart.
“It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life,” she says. “I fell in love with the people, the place and the culture. The pastors there love the Lord, teach the Bible and are committed to God’s Word.
“At first the numbers were small, but by the end of the week more churches were coming and they were inspired to work together. No matter what the country, what continent, or what language is spoken, getting churches to work together is a challenge.”
While Jenna returned home with a love for the people in Tanzania, she also has a heavy heart for the spiritual oppressions she sensed and the overwhelming needs she saw.
Unemployment is high and she fielded numerous prayer requests for work or from women whose husbands had abandoned their family.
It is a very hard life, Jenna says, where many people have only the most meager of possessions and great spiritual needs.
“However, this festival was a great start,” she says. “Please continue to pray for this nation and that the work started there will continue.”
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