By Miriam Johnson and Ellie Girage, Perimeter School Teachers

partnerships in tanzania and guatemala

For over 14 years, Perimeter Church has partnered in ministry with a Tanzanian pastor, Pastor Wariaeli, in a remote village in Northeastern Tanzania. Initially, several church groups went to Tanzania to further men’s ministry, widows’ ministry, discipleship, medical ministry, and business ministry. Many of those ministries are now Tanzanian-run. Church families also began sponsoring children in Tanzania through Compassion International, and we now have our own sponsorship organization called Project Child. Through Project Child, not only can families sponsor children, they can meet the children they sponsor and watch them grow up to be the future leaders of Tanzania.

Pastor Wariaeli also had a vision to impact his village and nation through a school. He asked Perimeter School teachers to partner with the teachers at this school in Karansi, Tanzania. Teachers and administrators from Perimeter (from both the church and the school) have been going once a year to train teachers using the same principles that guide Perimeter School. Several families and graduates from Perimeter School have also gone on GO Journeys to Tanzania through Perimeter Church. Many have met their sponsored children, visited the school, and seen the children’s homes. With ever-improving technology, families have been able to Skype and Facetime their sponsored children as well as receive letters, pictures, and updates from them.

Through Perimeter Church, families and groups have also gone to Guatemala to help in various ways, particularly through our medical partner there, Dr. Alb. Perimeter School teachers also partner with and train teachers at two schools in Guatemala: Mana De Vida and the Mountain School. Most students at Mana De Vida live with a relative because one or both of their parents are in jail. The Mountain School is a poor school. Many of the children’s parents are farmers who do not see the value of sending their children to school because they assume their children will also be farmers.

missions days are born

As these teachers returned from their trips to Tanzania and Guatemala, they wondered, “How can we get our STUDENTS to catch this vision?” Missions Days were born to help Perimeter School children catch that same passion to serve children and families half a world away.

Through donating money for Missions Days over the years, Perimeter School students and their families have helped meet needs in Tanzania and Guatemala in the following ways:

• Bought backpacks and filled them with school supplies for children in Tanzania and Guatemala who would never be able to afford such “luxuries.”

• Donated supplies to Guatemalan teachers so they could create classroom teaching aids.

• Helped send teachers to Guatemala and Tanzania for teacher-training trips.

• Supplied books for the school library and the village library in Tanzania where most families do not own books. A shipping container of 23,000 books is on its way to Tanzania right this minute!

• Paid to help a Tanzanian pastor purchase land for a church and school.

• Helped Mr. Scott fly to encourage the pastor from the village in Tanzania where many Perimeter School families sponsor children.

In the future, we hope this money will help send school supplies to Guatemala where many people have lost everything in recent volcanoes.

“What can $3 buy?” It is priceless not just in terms of material goods but in the hearts of our Perimeter School children who are truly “learning to serve.”

Missions Day is this Wednesday, October 17th. Come be a part of what God is doing with $3!