Since the start of this decade, we have been asking the Lord to use us to build a Christ-centered reproducing church among the Nyamwezi people of Tanzania by 2030.

Though we usually don’t know all that is happening behind the scenes, I’m excited to share with you one peek behind the curtain—one way we see the Lord answering that request.

Below is a testimony from COD missionary Margaret Andersen. She and her husband, Andy, work among the Nyamwezi people in Tabora, Tanzania. Margaret is excited to share one Nyamwezi family’s journey to faith, and to encourage us as we continue to pray this prayer as well as send out teams from among our church family.

Trusting the Lord Jesus,

David Schaller
Associate Pastor

P.S. It’s our joy to continue to work together to see the Nyamwezi come to know Jesus. We invite your continued partnership in this journey—consider joining the Nyamwezi Prayer Group once a month or making a gift to the Nyamwezi Fund (for a new kitchen and dining hall for Tabora Bible College students). And stay tuned for more details about our next Tanzania Team headed to Tabora in July!

Do our prayers for the Nyamwezi matter? Do the teams we send to Tabora make a difference?

Let me tell you a story …

Recently Ashura and her baby, Agnes, came to the Tabora Bible College to visit her mother, Mwajuma. Mwajuma is the cook at the college (pictured on the right in blue). 

I hadn’t seen Ashura for about a year, but we picked up where we left off and had a wonderful conversation. I got to see how much the baby had grown in a year.

(Over a year earlier, in February of 2025, a team from Church of the Open Door had come to Tanzania. While they were here, I took a few of them to visit a daycare center. That’s where we met Ashura right after she had given birth. I remember team member Jessica Lee praying specifically for Ashura and the new baby Agnes [pictured].)

Since it was Ramadan at that time, I asked Ashura if she was fasting because it was almost sunset, and I was wondering if she was feeling hungry.

She sheepishly looked at me and said that she wasn’t fasting. I asked her if she had become a Christian. She said she wasn’t yet saved. I asked if she was interested in becoming saved, and she said yes. I asked if she had 10 minutes to hear the gospel and find out how to be saved.

At that moment, baby Agnes decided she wanted to nurse, so we sat there by the Tabora Bible College cook house under the tarp in the shade as I reviewed the plan of salvation. I shared about what it means to leave the kingdom of darkness and become a part of the kingdom of God.

I asked Ashura if there was anything or anyone preventing her from confessing Jesus as her Savior. She said no, that she was free to accept Christ and leave Islam. I asked her if she wanted to do that right then. She agreed, and she put her faith in Jesus!

Her mother was watching on the other side of the table, just beaming, along with two of our Bible school students. They came up to greet her as a new sister in Christ afterwards.

I said to one of those watching that seeds that were planted 10 years ago when Andy and I worked in Izenga had borne fruit! What they witnessed today was the Lord Jesus Christ answering our joint prayers for Nyamwezi to come to the Lord!

Here’s the backstory …

Andy and I used to live in Izenga and got to know Mwajuma (pictured), her daughter Ashura and the rest of their clan at that time. I actually had one of Ashura’s younger sisters in my kindergarten class. They were a Muslim Nyamwezi family and we shared the gospel with them.

At that time Mwajuma was suffering from nose polyps. We prayed for her. (In fact, in the summer of 2023 Pastor David Schaller came to visit Tabora and was able to meet and pray for Mwajuma as well!)

As time went on the church at Izenga was able to help finance the removal of the polyps for Mwajuma. Mwajuma was so touched after the surgery that she credited God as healing her and decided to believe in Jesus.

When she came back home post-surgery, her husband came to our house and told us that Mwajuma was a Christian now. He said that he was OK with this and he gave us his blessing for her to continue to learn about Jesus and for us to share the gospel with his family, though he said he would not leave Islam himself.

Fast forward to this year, where Mwajuma was able to be present when one of her children, Ashura, decides to put her faith in Jesus as well. Now baby Agnes is going to be raised by both a grandmother and a mother who love Jesus!

And one of our current students, Elizabeth, came up after Ashura believed and welcomed her to the family of God (pictured). And as Elizabeth is assigned to Kipalapala, she goes on her bike just down the highway to and from church right past where Ashura lives. Elizabeth said she will definitely stop by and visit Ashura and offer discipleship!

So do our prayers for the Nyamwezi matter? Do the teams we send to Tabora make a difference?

I believe the answer is YES! How God works is so awesome!

The Lord is at work among the Nyamwezi!

Who knows how many other seeds are part of spiritual growth and impact from your visits and your faithful prayers?

The Lord Jesus knows!

Margaret Andersen
COD missionary