Being informed is important. In today’s world, good information is critical for making important decisions. Whether we are choosing health precautions, electing government leaders, or investing in a cause, we need to be in the know.
Information should also inform missions. The more deeply you know the people you want to serve and how they live, the better you can invest your time, prayer, and resources.
I love this quote from The Shack by Wm. Paul Young: “So many believe that it is love that grows, but it is the knowing that grows and love simply expands to contain it. Love is just the skin of knowing.” The more we know about someone, the more capable we are of loving them. With love being the ultimate goal, how critical must it be to truly know the place and the people we serve.
In an effort to inform, this newsletter is devoted to Tanzania.
Shade works in a northern region called Shinyanga, where the predominant tribe is the Sukuma. They are the largest people group in Tanzania, with 80% living in rural areas that are mainly dry savanna or semi-desert. Most are subsistence farmers and cattle herders, and while as many as 50% are Christian, beliefs in ancestral and other spirits affect their lives.
I’ll write again next week to tell a bit more about the people specific to our community with whom we work.
Until then,
Claire Fedele
International Director, Shade
P.S. Learn more about Tanzania and the Sukuma tribe here.
