In honour of the Rev Kenneth Mwaitolage who went to be with the Lord on Tuesday 16 December 2014. Many years ago he told me a story from his early ministry as a pastor of a small church in Mbeya, Tanzania. He had been struck by James 1v27, the verse in the Bible that says “the religion that God desires is to look after widows and orphans”. He and his people were so poor they had nothing to spare so he called them to a month’s prayer and fasting to ask the Lord how they could fulfill this verse. At the end of the month they had prayed but nothing had changed. He told me this story 10 years later. 10 years in which we had been called to find him in Tanzania and start what is now called Grassroots. As he spoke hundreds of children, many of which were orphans, shouted with excitement getting ready for the meal they received each week in Kenneth & Joyce’s garden. Many of the children’s only carer was an elderly widowed grandmother – as so many of the younger generation of adults had died. Kenneth said, “You see, we thought nothing changed when we prayed. But everything changed. It just took a while to show its face.”
Kenneth’s funeral will be on Saturday and Sharon Anson is flying out to represent Grassroots.