John and Robbie Harrington in Manyoni, Tanzania The room is pulsing with the sense of anxiety and fear. The African people take their tests very seriously. We have finished 2 weeks of training and had 52 students finish the training in Manyoni. From there 18 of the 52 qualified to go on to certification training. After 3 days of intense training we are now testing them to see that these faithful diligent students can adequately communicate the principles and process of Bible Study we have been teaching them. They so desperately want to succeed and I have no doubt all will be participate in helping with training at some level. Ezekiel Mkamba has been the main trainer in this portion of the training and it is obvious he has done a fantastic job. The students have learned well. As a result of the training we will have 4 lead trainers, 8 trainers and 10 assistant trainers. All who have been trained are required to work alongside one of the experienced lead trainers before they are allowed to train on their own. They have scheduled a meeting to develop a calendar of trainings that we will not be involved in. They now are taking this to the villages where we will never go. It is what we have been working towards. Right now, the plan is for the team to have trainings in Entigi and Karatu before the end of the year. We could not hope for anything better. We are so grateful to all of you who support what we do. Many of the pastors that have been impacted with this training will never have opportunity for formal training. In fact, the majority in this class had not finished primary school (Elementary school) What a joy we experience to see these pastors be given the tools they need to feed their people spiritually. The eternal impact is truly overwhelming! 
Moses, Daniel, Immanuel and Yohanna. Four of our certified trainers! My husband John has been with us during the celebration of completion for the 52 students and then for the certification training. It was very special to have him here to hand out certificates of completion to these students. It was very special to the students as well to meet John and get to know him. I loved having him here! Today John heads back to the U.S. and I head on to Ethiopia where I will join up with Lawrence Buren to conduct a Timothy Project Phase 1 in Addis Ababa. Please pray for us. The one thing that has been so difficult on this trip is that we have not had a big enough team. I have needed a program logistics person on each of the different legs of this trip and have found that we have struggled to have the program logistics come together in a smooth fashion. We have made it through but many things were very difficult that would not have been if we had another person with us. Please if you have ever thought of joining a team, don’t hesitate – we really need the help! Blessings to you all, Robbie Harrington Ancient Promise Ministries
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I am so deeply humbled this morning. I have seen the God of Truth move in the hearts of these students. My friends back home who are praying and supporting us. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We came into the church/classroom this morning to the rhythm of the music of African worship. In Africa, loud is more important than quality of sound so our sensitive American ears often prefer it when sound systems don’t work or there is no power. But this morning the music seemed to be a little more balanced and the rhythm was infectious to the soul. I have sensed all morning that God was going to move powerfully in their hearts because of the hunger that is so evident in them even as they were seeking to worship our God. We are teaching a study called Transformed by Truth and we are on the lesson that speaks of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have seen that many don’t know the way of salvation and eternal life. Many have come to God for various reasons: miracles, deliverance from demons or freedom from physical poverty without recognizing the poverty of their souls and the need for saving grace and forgiveness of sin. For many being a pastor is a profession and not the call of God to bring the Truth to their people and their people to the Truth. We did not know it, but this day would be a very special day in the life of most of these people. This morning 13 pastors experienced the grace of God and the forgiveness of sin for salvation of their souls. 30+ others repented of the false preaching they were involved in as they have not valued the way of truth and had been preaching the popular health and wealth gospel. Some were using the name of Jesus and the Word of God for their own personal gain. Repentance and grief was deep as they rushed to the front to fall on their knees in submission to their God. 
As we began to realize that many did not know God we called them to salvation and as I turned the time over to our team to speak clearly in their language I went to the back of the room to find my friend Elisante who is the one hosting the training. We came together and wept at the outpouring of God’s love on these people praising Him for what He is doing; humbled that He would allow us to share in this moment of revelation. When I walked back up to pray for the group there were puddles of tears all over the concrete floor. Again, thank you my friends for helping to provide the way for these people to know God. I just thought you would want to know. Many Blessings to you all, Robbie Harrington Ancient Promise Ministries Educational background of the pastors in this training:
4 students have never attended school but have some how learned to read and write at some level Swahili. 38 students have only been to primary school 5 students have been to secondary school 5 students have been to college The tools these pastors are receiving through Ancient Promise Ministries are truly life changing. Not only for the individual but for all those they lead. There is still a need for sponsorship so more pastors can attend these trainings. Join us to Impact His Kingdom! 
I am sitting in Pastor Elisante’s church in Manyoni. My heart is full and grieved at the same time. The news of the class has spread and pastors have been coming from many kilometers away to receive the training. They have come by bus, motorbike, bicycle and on foot because the word has spread that there is someone here who can teach them how to feed their people. They sleep on mattresses on the floor and some are being housed by members of Pastor Elisante’s church members. We were expecting 40 pastors. Finally, at 52 we have had to close the class because we cannot accommodate them. I stood this morning with Yohanna, one of our new leaders in training, as he pleaded with me “Please mama, this man has come from very far and he needs what we have. Please do not turn him away.” My heart is breaking with the burden of so great a need. We have had to close the class with still others coming. Friends, I sat with my friend Elisante last night as he passionately spoke with tears in his eyes of the pastors who are trying to lead churches. Pastors who have almost no education. As tears welled up in his eyes and his voice cracked with emotion he said “Can you imagine trying to lead a church and you have not even escaped (completed) primary school (elementary school). Can you imagine one of the students has never even attended school at all.” He just kept shaking his head over and over saying “Oh my, I thank God for Ancient Promise, mama, that He has decided to send you to the village.” There are no words for this Mazungu (white person) to speak to tell you of the burden in my heart. I am sitting right now listening to the low murmur of the Swahili language flowing gently around me as these men are working through the steps of the training in their small groups. The sound is mixed with the chirping of birds who are calling to each other in the rafters of this windowless church building. It is both soothing and yet reminds me of how far I am from America and all the abundance there. Brad has been working hard this morning filming a video that will be put on SD cards and sent home with these pastors so they will have a way to become grounded and solid in the training. I am so grateful to those of you who sent him with us. I don’t know if he understands the gift he is giving to these people. Please pray for us. Pray for Ezekiel who is teaching the Bible study skills part that is usually taught by Diana Berns. Ezekiel is doing such an amazing job. He has been well trained by Diana and I couldn’t be more proud of him.
Many Blessings to all of you, please continue to pray for us in this great work God has put in from of us. We are so grateful for your partnership. Robbie Harrington Ancient Promise Ministries |
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Ancient Promise International is an interdenominational 501c3 nonprofit discipleship organization.
We are an accredited member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. We provide tools and training in Bible study methods designed to equip and strengthen church leadership, and in so doing establish His kingdom. communications@ancientpromise.org // PO Box 9001// Phoenix, AZ 85068 |