Joseph, 38, is a pastor in Tanzania. He experienced severe poverty as a child; his parents’ income was below a dollar a day, and they relied on their own crops for food and money.
Despite the struggles, Joseph and his family always had hope in Jesus. His grandfather was a Christian who influenced his entire family. “My whole family taught me to attend church services. That helped me to learn the Word of God,” he says. “As a teenager, I decided to follow Jesus on my own.”
In 2018, Joseph joined a Project Philip Bible study. Once he completed the study, he received his first copy of the Bible. He then trained to be a Philip (Project Philip Bible study leader) and soon began hosting small groups in the church and local homes.
Through the studies, Joseph has learned many new things about his faith. “The program changed my mind and I felt a call to serve Christ. Immediately from there, I started the youth program,” he says. “I recognized the call to serve the Lord and minister to His people. I have also seen many people in my community accepting Jesus and joining my church for spiritual growth. I went to serve a church that had 22 members and, after the Bible League class, there are more than 80 members.”
Joseph has seen changes in his personal faith as well. “I had minimal knowledge of sound doctrine, but now I have grown in knowledge. I can teach others better,” he says. “The studies have changed my life and the lives of others in the church.”
He is forever grateful to Bible League supporters for bringing the Gospel to his community. “I would encourage all people working for Bible League that their labor is not in vain,” he says. “People are being taught and coming to Jesus. We are getting great results for building the kingdom of God.”
