2004 Newsletter

New Life Band Ministries

P.O. Box 2378

Arusha, Tanzania

East Africa

Tel: 255 27 2500930

e-mail: newlifeband@habari.co.tz

From left: James Kiphizi, Eglah Bavuma, James Honore,

Gideon Muna, Ondo Mabondo, Deo Mathias and Abednego (Peter) Hango

(Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, Fall, 2003)

Vol. 3, No. 1, Fall, 2004

The Mission to Youth and Students (New Life Band) from Tanzania, East Africa, is an interdenominational ministry that serves as an instrument to transform the lives of youth and students within Tanzania through the gospel of Jesus Christ by giving them hope and opportunity by knowing that they are loved.

U.S. MISSION TOUR!

In late April, we returned from our Mission Tour in the U.S. after six months of sharing our music and faith with so many wonderful people. Of course, we were very excited and happy to be reunited with our families after being away from them so long. But we came home filled and blessed by the wonderful experiences during our time with you, and by the opportunity to share our faith with you in so many ways. Asanti!! Thank you for your unfailing generosity and support!

This U.S. tour, our fourth, was the most successful ever. We sang and shared our music with more than 25,000 people in our travels through California, Nevada, Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. We gave more than 100 concerts and performances, and we took part in countless meetings, discussions, and other opportunities with you.

We especially appreciate your hosting us throughout the Tour, and your amazing hospitality in providing food, transportation and living accommodations. We really enjoyed being in your homes and getting to know you better.

This Tour was very special in that we added churches in Nevada and Nebraska, and greatly expanded our concert series in Wisconsin. While we were in Arizona, we were taped by an International Christian TV network, and we were seen through their affiliated stations all over the world. Even some of our families and friends here in Tanzania saw us! In the Midwest, we had the opportunity to meet and "audition" with the Oprah Winfrey show, and they seemed very interested in us. Perhaps on our next U.S. tour three years from now (when our school is up and running), we will be able to appear on her show. What an opportunity that would be!

A very special thanks to all the coordinators: Sharon and Will Tissue in California and Nevada; Marty and Stephanie Pietz in Arizona; Christine and Reid Matthias in Iowa and Minnesota and Pastor Jon Gerdts in Wisconsin.

YOUTH CAMP, JUNE, 2004

Our Youth Camp in June was held at a secondary school near Arusha. The camp was very successful, with more than 1,000 youth and students attending. We are holding a similar youth camp in December, and we expect to have a similar number in attendance. As you can see in the photograph, these secondary (boarding) school sites are not set up for such large groups. The sleeping accommodations are very crowded. We eagerly anticipate the building of our own school facility in which we can accommodate many more students in these camps.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR SCHOOL

YOUTH AND STUDENTS CENTER

We are enclosing an addressed envelope for your convenience if you wish to make a special gift to our School and Youth Center project. The envelope is addressed to the New Life Band, c/o Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Lafayette, California, who will forward the funds by bank transfer to our bank account in Arusha. Please make checks out to Our Savior's Lutheran Church with New Life Band on the note line. Your cancelled check will be your receipt. In this way, the money can be transferred to us safely and at a minimum cost for the bank transfers.

SCHOOL AND YOUTH CENTER COMPLEX

We are finally beginning work on our exciting school project that we have been eagerly anticipating for the past several years. On this page, we will describe this ambitious and much-needed project in considerable detail. The plan is to build this school in phases -- according to the receipt of funds. It will have seven (7) phases which will take seven years to complete all of the building and facilities.

For almost 28 years since the establishment of this ministry, we have been helping our young people most in spiritual growth. We feel now that God is taking us another step forward, not only to help them spiritually, but also to help give them education knowing that a well-educated society is able to cope well with the ever-changing world of new technologies and challenges. At this secondary and trade school, we are going to provide opportunities for as many as 450 students. 60% are expect to be girls and 40% are expected to be boys. One may wonder why we have decided to provide more opportunities for girls than boys. This is because, for many years in African traditions, girls were not given opportunities to go to school, for the simple reason that they have to stay home, get married and take care of children and families. This bad tradition didn't realize that when you educate a girl, you have educated the whole family, hence a community and a nation.

PROPOSED MASTER PLAN FOR SCHOOL AND YOUTH CENTER COMPLEX

This master plan shows our vision for our secondary school and youth center site. Note the large building in the northwest corner of the complex. The assembly hall building will be designed to accommodate up to 5000 people and will be used for our many youth camps, rallies and conferences. What a blessing it will be to offer effective and meaningful youth camps and rallies at a fine, central and accessible location right at our own school site. The construction of the complex will use economical designs typical of East African architecture. The building will have cement block walls, light-weight frame roof structures with metal roof materials, and plenty of openings for natural air ventilation from our beautiful year-round climate.

SCHOOL AND YOUTH CENTER COMPLEX PICTURES

School Site and Mt. Meru

Shown are four Maasai ladies carrying loads on their heads walking across the school site on their way from the nearby Maasai Market. Note the beautiful view from the site of Mt. Meru in the background.

New Life Band at the School Site

20-Acre School Site

The school site is shown here with a white tape overlay on the picture to show the boundary of the land. The school site is a beautiful piece of land located about 15 miles southwest of Arusha. It has a lovely view of Mt. Miru and the surrounding hills. An adequate water supply is still a problem, but it is believed that some source of water will be made available either from the military pipeline on our land, the neighbors access to water, a well drilled on neighboring property, or general government water improvements coming into this growing area.

Cornfield Adjacent to the School Site

James Kiphizi standing next to the corn field on 2-1/2 acres adjacent to the school site. This land was recently purchased through a donation from a donor in the U.S. and added to the first 17-1/2 acres of the site. The school site is now a total of 20 acres.

Sand for Making Bricks

Loads of sand at the school site for making bricks, and for mixing with rock to make concrete foundations and floors.

James Kiphizi Making Bricks at the School Site

Pastor Tim Kellgren and three parishioners from Elim Lutheran Church in Petaluma, California were here during the summer to help with the first building at the school. They helped make bricks and made a donation of $1,500.00 to allow us to buy more bricks. We are grateful for their generous support.

Maasai Market

This shows the beautiful cloths being sold at the market. Ladies use these wraparound fabrics for very colorful outer garments and head scarves. Note the lady on the left modeling one of the fabrics. This is Grace, a lovely lady and good friend of the New Life Band who lives with her husband and family on the land directly adjacent to the school site. It is on their land that we plan to drill our well if necessary.

Maasai Market

This large and active Maasai Market is held once a week at a nearby town which is only about three/fourths of a mile from our school site.

A PERSONAL NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

For the past four years, I have had the privilege of being your editor for this newsletter. We are now up to more than 1500 names on our mailing list, and we are mailing out the newsletter about twice a year. As we work to publish each edition, there are numerous emails between Tanzania and the U.S. to develop articles, clarify information and make the necessary "cuts" to fit the articles, pictures and format together.

In May, my wife Nancy and I had the opportunity to visit the New Life Band in Arusha, Tanzania, and observe them "in action" in their own home environment. I can truly say that it was a moving experience to witness first-hand the breadth and depth of their ministry to Youth and Students in Africa.

Theirs is a vibrant and exciting operation! Their office was a "bee hive" of activity, with both the men and their wives participating in the planning, preparation and implementation of youth camps, concerts and performances, and their many other ministries. Their lives are full of rehearsals, recording sessions and meetings, as well as "one-on-one" ministries with young people. Their recording studio is used by Christian music groups and individuals from miles around. Their school and youth center is just beginning in construction, and will have major impact to further their ministry. We found that they are well-known and highly respected throughout Tanzania.

We are all privileged indeed to be able to work with and support this find ministry and this wonderful group of people. Thank you from all of us to the New Life Band for the opportunity to serve our Lord as a small part of your wonderful ministry to Youth and Students in Tanzania.

Dick Anderson, Our Saviors Lutheran Church,

Lafayette, California, USA

NEW WEB SITE

www.newlifeband.net (not .com)

We have set up a website to better communicate with our many friends and supports worldwide. This site offers factual information about our ministry, purpose, goals, etc. that you can use for various mission programs, advance publicity, or just to answer questions that may arise. In addition, the web site has the text and pictures from our latest newsletters and other news items of interest.

NEW LIFE BAND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

We are very blessed to have a competent and dedicated Board of Directors here in Tanzania. They are:

Mr. S.J. Rwandalla - Engineer/Architect and designer of our master plan for our school and youth center complex

Hon. Lazaro S. Nyalandu - Member of the Tanzanian Parliament. As a youth, he was a participant in our youth camps

Pastor Lewis Hizza - Lutheran pastor in Dar es Salaam

ABC Mabondo - Retired Civil Servant in Law

Mrs. Martha Shilla - Secondary school teacher

Rev. Andrew Kajambe - Anglican pastor and teacher

We are grateful for their support, help and guidance.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!

We wish you God's richest blessings at this time when we celebrate the birth of Lord Jesus. Thank you again for your prayers, your friendship and your support.

DONATIONS TO THE NEW LIFE BAND MAY BE MADE BY:

Wiring funds directly to their bank account:

Mission to Students (New Life Band)

National Bank of Commerce Ltd.

Uhuru Road Branch

P.O. Box 3004

Arusha, Tanzania

Account No. 0141 05 006176

Swift Code No. NLCBTZTXAO74

Cost is $40 per transaction.

Or, send a check made out to Our Saviors Lutheran Church with "New Life Band" on the "note" line. Send to:

Our Savior's Lutheran Church

1035 Carol Lane

Lafayette, CA, 94549

Funds sent through Our Saviors Lutheran Church will be combined with other donations and wired to the New Life Band on a regular basis, and a receipt will be returned to the donor.

Contributions in England and Scotland may be sent to:

Emmanuel Church DCC (New Life Band)

87A Rowan Field Road

Cheltenham, GLOS GL51 8AF, England

This newsletter is based on information transmitted to us by the New Life Band in Tanzania and has been assembled by volunteers from Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Lafayette, California. Our Saviors Lutheran Church has no direct affiliation with the New Life Band. However, Our Saviors Lutheran Church has been a supporter of this fine ministry for the past five years, and individuals from Our Savior's have personally visited and observed the work in Tanzania.