Missionary profile – Kelvin Mshema

By Mercy Kambura

Kelvin Mshema, Tanzania

Mhaya missionary to the Wahadzab

Musa was my translator; he walked with me everywhere, including on our hunting sprees. He always talked to me, telling me what the rest were saying. Then, one day, we went hunting, and he didn’t say a word. Had I done something to hurt him? Was I in trouble?

In the evening, he called me. He looked sad and troubled. He picked his bow and arrow and asked me to follow him. I was anxious, not knowing what fate awaited me, but I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to follow him.

We stood by a huge rock far from everyone else. He said, “My brother, I want your God.”

I was shocked. How did he know my God? I hadn’t preached to him in the five months I had been there!

Years before, in my fourth year of secondary school, someone preached the gospel to me. I didn’t want to be laughed at by my fellow Roman Catholics, so I was a secret believer. When I finished school, I openly confessed to following Jesus. My family wasn’t happy; in fact, they disowned me. Eventually, I moved to a different province in Tanzania and joined the Tanzania Assemblies of God.

Despite serving in my local church, I still felt hunger for God, for more service. In 2017, five years into salvation, I attended a missions seminar and I felt the desire stirring. Soon after, I joined the East Africa School of Missions in Dar es Salaam.

On my first day at the school, God spoke to me about unreached people. I had a big burden for them. I realised that many churches don’t know about missions, and I wanted them to be informed. I also wanted to be an example for them. I started mobilizing and also going to preach the gospel to the unreached.

I wanted to reach the Wahadzabe in northern Tanzania. They are nomadic and are said to be hard to reach because of their lifestyle and hostility. I knew they needed someone to live among them and share so they could see Christ. I talked to my local church and they caught this vision and passion, and sent me to live among the Wahadzabe.

For 5 months, I stayed without sharing the gospel; living among them, hunting in the forest, and learning how to shoot arrows. They protected me in our hunting sprees. They got used to me. One morning as we were getting ready to hunt, I made a statement and said, “I thank God.” The whole village postponed the hunting; they were very anxious. To them, this was a bad omen. I made a point to learn their ways.

I ate their delicacies – monkey and tortoise meat – and dug water from underground springs with them. After a while, it was concluded that I must be one of them, a Muhadzabe who had gotten lost and now returned to them. I’m from the Mhaya tribe. Then Musa, my translator, became a believer.

He said they have been investigating me ever since I arrived. He was crying as we talked.

“Many people have come and preached to us. We didn’t accept because they don’t drink our water or eat our food. They brought their food and their water. If they don’t eat monkeys, then we can’t have their God.”

The Wahazdabe also felt unloved because other missionaries would bring their tents instead of living in their houses. I was broken for them. That day, Musa became a believer. The gospel penetrated the village and Musa was instrumental in preaching.

We now have a viable church, and Musa is its pastor.

Please #pray:

For Musa to grow in the knowledge of Christ and the Word in order to lead this new church.
For God to lift more people to reach the unreached in Tanzania
For The Wahazdabe to grow in the faith.