The team members rested that evening.  While they were resting, I had many discussions with World Mission Frontier local committee, headed by Rev. Patrick Lameck.  Our discussion covered our meal plan and renting a land rover and how much we should pay for the meals and the car as well as the next two week¡¯s plan for VBS and the adult leadership seminars.  It was a long busy day.

The lake water is stored in 1000 gallon tank, and is used for drinking and cooking.  We bought many bottles of drinking water for two days until Elisha returned to Mwanza Mission Center and brought us a water filter.  After the water filter arrived, we had the lake water boiled and filtered before we drank or brushed our teeth.  This also became the source of the problem for some young team members.  They sometimes used the lake water directly for brushing their teeth, because it looked clear.  Some of them suffered severe diarrhea for several days, and some had bleeding because the  diarrhea became so severe. 

The whole island has no electricity unless powered by a mobile generator.  At night we had to use candles in our room to read.  In the court yard where we eat meals and gather with African friends, they provided a kerosene lamp.  Also without flash light or candle light, it is nearly impossible to go to the outhouse at night.  Also there is no telephone on the whole island except one person who has a cell phone.  Because of poor reception, they built a raised plat form about 20 ft high for the use of cell phone.  It  was possible to communicate to the rest of Tanzania on this plat form using a cell phone only at night between 8 PM to midnight.  There is no paved road on the island and there were only two land rovers on the whole island.  We made an arrangement to borrow one at the rental rate of about US $ 40.  All 10 of us plus two or three local people could fit into one land rover.  Sometimes the driver assistant and some of us had to sit on the roof of the car.  Nevertheless we were happy because we could do with one car instead of two and save some money.  There is no sanitary piped water system either.  I saw just one mechanical hand pump that can draw water from the underground on the whole island.  All use the water from Victoria Lake.

On Sunday, July 18, we split the team into two groups and one attended Anglican church and my group attended Foursquare Church.  Andy Lee gave a sermon at Anglican Church and I gave one at Foursquare Church.  Rev. James Magembe is the senior pastor in the Anglican Church and Rev. Patrick Lameck is the senior pastor in the Foursquare Church.  My sermon was about the love of God toward us.  I introduced my talk by explaining the God¡¯s plan for our salvation for Jews or Gentiles by quoting Genesis 12:1-4 and John 3:16 and 10:10.  Then I continued to explain how sin separates us from God and how Jesus Christ¡¯s atoning death brings us back to God.  All we have to do is to believe!  I told them that our salvation is by grace through faith.  I used Luke 15:11-32, the story of a prodigal son, to describe the heart of God toward us.  Then I gave them the closing blessing.

Starting Monday, July 19, we had a busy schedule.  The VBS program was essentially the same as in Mwanza.   On July 19, we visited Lugata A Primay School and Lugata B Primary School in the morning, and our team members went out for door-to-door evangelism in the afternoon.  In the evening, we showed the movie on the life of Jesus Christ at Ntama village where we were staying.  On July 20, we visited Izindabo Primary school in the morning.  Chairman of Ntama village accompanied us to the school.  It happened that he is the brother in law of  Rev. Patrick Lameck.   In the afternoon I taught how to do door-to-door evangelism to the local church leaders for two hours at Swedish Church.  By giving this teaching session, I want the local church leaders instead of us to go out and reach the unsaved.  This allowed our team members to have a free time in the afternoon.  In the evening we showed the movie Ten Commandments at Ntama village.  On July 21, our car broke down, and could not do any ministry.

On July 22, we visited Nyakasasa Primary School and Nyakabanga Primary School in the morning and showed the movie Ten Commandments at Nyakasasa town in the evening.  On July 23, we visited Bugoro Primary School in the morning and showed the movie Ten Commandments at Nyarwara town in the evening.

All the movies shown were done by the initiative Mr. John Son took.  He brought CDs for two movies, brought his new PC, and a video projector, and a speaker.  We bought a generator that matches voltage requirements of the PC, the video projector, and the speaker.  These movies were used as a very effective tool to reach multitudes and deliver the gospel message.  Without Mr. Son¡¯s initiative, the ministry using movies could not have been possible.  When the speaker blew up several times, Mr. Woncho Kim fixed it.  God had assembled all the necessary talent in the team.  Praise the Lord!

While we were having our VBS ministry, Dr. Park and his wife were busy treating sick people of Kome Island.  There are a couple of dispensaries where people may come and get medical treatment.  A couple of young member of our VBS team members helped out treating people as well as dispensing medicines as their time permits.  Many people visited our sleeping quarters to obtain treatments, asking for Dr. Park.   There is no medical doctor on the island, and only paramedical staff serve in the two dispensaries.  There were so many people who were sick yet could not obtain any medical treatment on the island.  Most of them did not have resource to go out to a large city like Mwanza.  HIV virus is rampant over the island, and some one told me that 80 % of the household on the island is affected by AIDS.  There are many orphans because parents died of AIDS.  Dr. Park¡¯s medical ministry was very useful on the island, and the medical missionary ship Missionary Kim is planning to build and operate on Victoria Lake could heal many people and touch many lives.

There was a German missionary on the island in the beginning of 20^th century, and built Nyakasasa Primary School.  Our team is the first missionary team that visited the island since the German missionary.  One of the interpreters told me that he considers us comparable to Dr. Livingston or Dr. Albert Schweitzer.  I realized how important our ministry is to them by his remark, even though I never dreamed to be anything comparable to the stature and achievements obtained by Livingston or Schweitzer.  I felt that I should be much more serious on what I do in the missionary work I would do.  Also I want to tell anyone who would be doing missionary works that one should be as serious as one can be, because they would treat the person as they would Livingston or Schweitzer .  

This completed our 2 weeks of VBS program, one week in Mwanza and one week in Kome Island.  I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to my team members who did VBS ministry for the two weeks.  Without their sincere dedications from each one of the team members, this VBS ministry could not have been successful.  The VBS ministry had touched so many people.  It touched not only school children, but also teachers, community leaders, church leaders, and all the suffering people we met. 

During the week, we celebrated Mr. Peter Hahn¡¯s twentieth birthday.  Peter Hahn was the youngest, but had been leading VBS.  He started the leading song with children, and then Ms. InYoung Yang followed with the rest of singing with children. Then the skit, ¡°Sin Chair¡± followed, and at the end Peter told the story of the lost sheep followed by his own personal witnessing.  Without his dedication, the VBS ministry of our team would not have been such a success.

Dr. and Mrs. Park tried to leave the island by the boat that arrives and leaves at around midnight on Thursday, but the boat never arrived Thursday night.  They were trying to leave the island at Friday night again, but finally left the island at dawn on July 24, Saturday using a car, going through Sengerema, because Pastor Patrick was concerned about the safety on the ship that arrives and leaves around midnight.  This route to Mwanza takes a long time, about 12 hours, and cost much more money, but safer.  The boat fare was about $ 2.00 per person, but the renting a car for a trip to Mwanza cost over $ 100.00.  Along with them, three members of the team left, Ms. ChangSook Kim, Ms. InYoung Yang and Mr. WoonCho Kim.  Ms. ChangSook Kim was taking care of money management for the past two weeks for the team, and she was leaving.  Therefore, I made an arrangement for Ms. SooKyung Park to take over the responsibility of the money management from her.  For Ms. Kim and Ms. Yang, I let Ms. Park give them about $ 90.00 each; $ 30.00 for VISA when entering Uganda from Tanzania, $ 30.00 for transportation fee, and $ 30.00 for food for one week.  Mr. Kim had the sufficient money and did not want to receive the additional money from the team. Our financial situation had become much better because the food cost on Kome Island was much lower than at Mwanza. The rest of the team member left also at dawn using a car on July 26, Monday, going through Sengerema, except Mr. John Son and myself.  Mr. Son and I stayed on the island for the adult leadership seminar. 

On Sunday, there was a joint worship service by several churches and I was asked to preach.  I used John 1:1-18 to tell them who Jesus Christ is.  I gave some introductory remarks on the nature of John¡¯s Gospel comparing to synoptic gospels.  I told them Jesus Christ is the Word, a part of Trinitarian God (vv 1,2), and He is the creator of all of us and the universe (v. 3), and He gives us life and light (v. 4).  I also told them we become co-heir with Jesus by believing in Him (vv. 10-13, and Romans 8:16).  I told them Jesus Christ is fully a man and fully God (v. 14).  I also explain What Jesus Christ means to us (vv. 16 –18).  Finally I gave them blessings that come from understanding that Jesus Christ, God-Man, died for our sin so that sins are forgiven and we can be together with God as co-heirs of the Kingdom with Jesus Christ.  This was the third time I was preaching in Africa.  I may never have a chance to preach in US as a lay person, but in Africa I was treated as a pastor and requested to preach all three weeks when I was with the people of Tanzania.  I was so compelled by Holy Spirit that I felt that I was thinking and speaking by the power I never knew before.