A Story Of New Life
 by Eli Kiwelu -
Assistant Director of TOA
October 2008
For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
ROMANS 6:4 (NLT)
Each Sunday I have the privilege of driving a van full of children from the orphanage to the nearby town of Bomang’ombe to attend the Sunday morning service at my home church. The congregation has taken the children in with great love and affection. They love to have the children sing and they treat them with much kindness.
One recent Sunday, Pastor Meena announced that there would be a Baptism service the following week for anyone who desired to follow the Lord in Baptism. Four of our older children, Irene, Rama, Margaret and Sifaeli, all asked on their own accord if they might be baptized. It was clear that all four of these children have a personal relationship with the Lord and have asked Jesus to come into their hearts and be Lord of their lives. Based on this, the leaders agreed that it would right for them to be allowed to be baptized in obedience to the scriptures and as public acknowledgement of their faith.
When the following Sunday morning came, the children rose early to prepare for their special day. They arrived at the river at 8:30 am. After a short time of worship and prayer with the congregation, it was time for the baptism to begin. Margaret, age 13, was the first one to step into the water. She came up from the river with the biggest smile across her face! The next candidate was Ramadhani, also age 13, and our oldest boy. When Pastor Meena asked him his name, he answered, “My name is Rama, but I would like to change it and be called Innocent.”
Rama was well aware that his first name is of Muslim origin and he wanted to be known as a Christian young man. The choice of the name “Innocent” is a very precious one. In Tanzania it is not uncommon to meet people with names like Happiness, Comfort, Blessing or Witness. Though such names might be unusual in American society, it is not the least bit odd in African society. Rama’s choice of a new name was very symbolic of the transformation that has taken place in his life. When he came to the orphanage 1 1/2 years ago, he was already a hardened street kid. Angry and disobedient to authority, he immediately established a reputation as a bully with the younger children. But the change in Rama’s life has been nothing short of miraculous. You could say LOVE has changed his life! He has become a sweet, helpful and serious young man who is very tender and gentle with the younger children. It will not surprise any of us if he eventually becomes a pastor!
Next into the water was 12 year old Irene, a gifted young singer who loves to lead the times of praise and worship at the orphanage. Last to be baptized was beautiful but shy Sifaeli, who was nervous, but excited for this important moment.
After the baptism service, everyone met at the church building for a special service of thanksgiving for everyone that was baptized. Each of the newly baptized believers gave a short testimony of thanks to the Lord and then the whole church shared communion together to commemorate the special day.
We are so happy to see the children growing and prospering in every area of their lives. They are all making academic progress, and growing physically and emotionally. But our greatest joy is to see genuine growth in their spiritual lives and we can honestly report that there is great progress in the spiritual area at Treasures of Africa Children’s Home. Thank you for your continued prayer for all of our “Treasures!”
If you would like to sponsor any of these children, (none of the four mentioned in this article are sponsored at this time) then please click here.
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