Global Missions

Tanzania

In line with the mission of Trinity Bible Chapel—to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment—we are planning a trip to Tanzania in the summer of 2025 to explore a partnership with an organization there called East Africa River Mission (EastARM)

EastARM

EastARM was started and is still run by Graydon, Sarah, and their children. This Canadian family moved to Tanzania in 2013 to start a safari lodge business along the Rufiji River. In 2016, after a few years of becoming a part of the local villages, they created the East Africa River Mission with the purpose of blessing the people of the Rufiji River through development, education, and most importantly the good news of Jesus Christ.

The focus of EastARM so far has been on developing properties for local outreach programs, supporting churches and Pastors in order to help them to be better involved in their communities, and on teaching many of the children in the local villages. Since the mission is yet so young, this mandate is sure to grow as its influence and the Gospel grow amongst the people. As you can read on their website, linked above, the scope of the mission is all along the Rufiji River until it flows into the Indian Ocean.

Location and People

The safari lodge is located on the shores of the Rufiji River. It is within the largest and oldest wildlife refuge in Africa, called the Selous Game Reserve, and is in, according to Graydon, “the wildest part of Africa”. Elephants, hippos, lions and a host of other iconic African wildlife roam free in the area, such that it is not uncommon to see some of these animals on the safari property itself. The Rufiji itself is the lifeblood of the region, providing water, food, and transportation to an otherwise heavily impoverished people.

The people along the Rufiji River are classified by the Joshua Project as “unreached”. Their official religion is Islam, but tribal animism reigns supreme in most of their hearts and in the village culture. In their culture children are often the greatest victims of poverty. Fatherlessness is also rampant. However, in God’s sovereign providence, this leaves the children ripe to learn about their Father in Heaven and the life, love, and hope that He offers them.

Through his Safari and development projects, Graydon has built a reputation amongst the locals for trustworthiness and reliability which gives EastARM an open door. The Lord has clearly blessed their presence in this unreached area of Africa.

Purpose and Plans of our Trip

TBC’s trip will be exploratory rather than missional in nature. The team of 8 individuals has already been assembled and includes elders, staff, and people with previous global missions experience. Our goal is to observe and evaluate whether TBC as a church wants to partner with EastARM going forward. That said, we believe that the best way to observe and evaluate is to be right in the thick of whatever the mission is doing on a given day.

As such, our main projects while we are there will be to assist another team from a Canadian church in the construction of a playground in Kipo village. While the men are doing that, the women will be running a VBS-like program for the children that inevitably show up to watch whenever something interesting is happening in their village. Additionally, a couple of the men on our team will be giving theological, pastoral, and doctrinal training to the local Pastor.

We will be participating in two Sunday services while we are there. We have been asked to prepare at least one sermon and to lead in worship. Their services are quite long (~3 hours) and contain a lot of singing and prayer. They are also usually followed by a celebration and feast.

The culture along the Rufiji is quite different from what we are used to in Canada. Graydon has told us that we need to be ready at any time to give our testimonies, to be invited into people’s homes, to lead in prayer, to share a word from the Bible, and for plans to change frequently. This to say, our hearts may plan our way, but the Lord will establish our steps!

Trip Logistics

Dates:

Departure from Canada: June 26, 2025
Arrival in Tanzania: June 27, 2025
Departure from Tanzania: July 8, 2025
Arrival in Canada: July 9, 2025

Location

Lodgings and Home Base: Baker & Sons Safari Lodge, Mloka, Tanzania.
Building Project and VBS: Kipo Village
Sunday Services: Mloka and Ngorongo Vilages

Trip Funding

The Lord has generously provided for TBC so much that we do not need to raise support for this trip. We thank Him for His providence and trust that this is a sign of His blessing upon the trip.

Tanzania Prayer Requests (Updated May 6, 2025)

For our Team

That all of our Visa’s would be approved
For spiritual preparation
For wisdom in making the necessary health decisions
That we will have unity in love and effectively work together
For wisdom in observing and deciding whether to partner with EastARM

For the Trip

For on-time and safe travel
For easy entry into Tanzania
For safety in-country
For gospel opportunities
That the necessary materials for the playground would be available
That the building will go smoothly
That many children will come and be taught the gospel
That the worship services will be honouring to God and edifying to the locals

For EastARM

For God’s continued favour on the Mission and their relationship with the villages
For protection from corrupt government officials
For gospel opportunity
For more churches planted in the villages
For salvation for the locals
For wisdom in how to run the business
For God’s providence for their family