School construction in Tanzania underway after long wait

Rev. Young Seon (Christina) Kim (second from left) celebrates the construction progress of the Global Mission Secondary School in Tanzania.

August 27, 2019, was a historic day for me and the future Global Mission Secondary School in Tanzania. After a long wait caused by a United Methodist Church of Tanzania (UMCT) land problem and obtaining necessary permits, a construction contract was finally signed. Immediately, the contractor started site clearance and mobilizations! 

Our 15-month wait was not wasted: it had an end. It was God who made this happen against all odds. When I came home on that day, the first thing that I did was to give praise and honor to God, while standing before the cross. God is so good!

Ever since I said “YES" to this secondary school project in the summer of 2016, God has been so faithful. As He promised, He provided the right people for me in stages, including Professor Choi who visited Tanzania from Korea and drew a master plan;  five Tanzanian engineers who provided all the detailed drawings; Ilala district land and education officers and district engineer, Contractor (Dr. Geophrey Mbatta and his team); a lawyer; and Korean missionaries and Korean engineers in Tanzania who shared their experiences and gave me timely advice. 

Through individual donors and churches, God also provided $400,000 for the first phase of the school construction. He also provided amazing breakthroughs during tough situations that made me say, “Lord, I don’t know what to do. Teach me and guide me.” More than anything else, I am so grateful for the Word of God during my daily quiet time that gives me a sense of direction and light for my path. I have a lot of testimonies that make me smile. During actual construction, I’m confident we will have more and more stories touched by God, who is the Lord of this project. 

Noah is an inspiration to me. He and his family built an ark for 120 years. They were a family of perseverance and faithfulness. After construction, they continued to be faithful in the rocky ark to feed many animals, give them water, and clean up after them for 40 days, all while trusting the God of promise. Just like them, I trust God who began a good work in me and I will be faithful to do my part. 

School construction will be finished in three phases. During the first and second phases, we have to build all that is required by the government. During the third phase, we will build more facilities, including a multi-purpose hall, a volunteer missionary house, additional classrooms, and an outdoor activity center. We need $432,764 for the second phase and $325,500 for the third phase. 

During my daily devotions, God drew me to Matthew 19:26: “With God all things are possible.” I shared this verse with the engineers as a theme for the school’s construction. In Tanzania, there is NO tax exemption for all churches, but I have been knocking on doors to ask for some favors. I believe God will meet all our needs in Christ (Philippians 4:19).

How to Give: 

Bishop Sally Dyck has designated the Secondary School in Tanzania as the recipient of the 2020 Bishop’s Appeal. Churches are encouraged to fundraise to help the second stage of the school’s construction and bring their offering to the Northern Illinois Annual Conference in June. 

“I am so thrilled to hear this unexpected great news,” said Rev. Kim. “Mungu ametenda maajabu, whichmeans God did a great thing.” As I started to raise funds for the second stage of school construction, I prayed so many times that many churches in the Northern Illinois Annual Conference would support this mission project. This Bishop’s Appeal has increased my faith and set my heart on fire!”

For more information and resources that will be added over the next few months, visit www.umcnic.org/bishopsappeal.