Missionary team teaches bee-keeping as small business in Tanzania

Tanzania (MNN) — Rainy season is
the best time to teach community development in Tanzania.

Ted Rabenold with
Grace Ministries has
been holding beekeeping seminars in the Rukwa Valley to help develop small
business in the region.

Last month's was the seventh
beekeeping seminar since they began this new branch of community development
work. At the end, the 18 men and one woman who attended formed their
own beekeeping co-op.

They will be self-reliant for
start-up costs and locating hive placement areas outside of Sumbawanga. Most will earn income from the honey they
sell. What's more, in the past, the
team has used the local church facilities as classrooms for the seminars.   

Since many of the people
attending the seminars had never set foot in a church, the team took the
opportunity to present the Creator of the Bees during the seminar, as well as
share about His plan of salvation. Pray that the evangelistic outreach and
seminars in Sumbawanga would yield physical and spiritual fruit.

It's all part of GMI's vision to
strengthen local nationals and help them to see their true potential. Ted and
his wife are excited about the opportunity to help equip people impact the next
generation.

But beekeeping isn't the only
evidence of potential growth. New
outreach and development are taking place in the Rukwa Valley with a special
focus on helping people with clean water projects, agriculture, and
evangelizing the fishermen villages on the shores of Lake Rukwa.

The team is also praying for
volunteers to come to Tanzania this summer to help with youth camps in June and
the worship seminar in July.

In addition, the GMI Tanzania
team met with a prison official near the town of Sumbawanga which resulted in
an agreement to let the prisoners take Bible correspondence courses. They're also looking into a Bible correspondence
course in Mbeya.

Tanzania is a responsive land
with Swahili as its national language. GMI has 72 churches in Tanzania. Their missionaries are involved with
the Grace Church in Tanzania in evangelism, church planting, theological
education, and community development.