Dar es Salaam, Tanzania:  Sitting on a restaurant patio that first Sunday, I idly watch an SUV pull into a parking space and notice that its spare tire cover bears the words www.thetask.net, one of the websites I used in my research of unreached people groups.  Hmmm.  Also printed on the wheel cover is a list of unreached people groups in Tanzania, including “mine”, the Alagwa!  "Okay, Lord.  You’re up to something."  So, I’ve got to meet the lady who stepped out of the vehicle.  I get up and approach her table; she is sitting with two children ordering lunch. And the surprises begin.

 The SUV belongs to one of the team leaders of *Wycliffe/SIL and their office is located a hundred yards up the road.  I explain my interest in the Alagwa and learn that the driver, Cindy McGarvie, is the recruitment coordinator and is currently working with an American couple,  Paul and Melissa Hefft, who are praying about going to work with the… you’ve guessed it …the Algawa.  Before leaving we
exchange contact information and pledge to be in touch again.

Caroline teaching in Tanzania 
                                                                                                                
All this began back in 2002 when I became friends with Greg and Deb Snell during their assignment at the ICM office in Bakersfield, California. All it took was one simple invitation from Deb to go to East Africa with them in winter 2003.  The encounter with the African people changed my life. 

In January 2007, I transitioned out of Women’s Ministries (First Presbyterian Church of Bakersfield) to focus on missions. I enrolled in “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement” course for graduate credit.  One course requirement was a paper on an unreached people group – I chose Tanzania which was a logical choice, given my church’s connection with ICM Tanzania. 

Searching the Internet for resources, I found sites for the language and translation projects of Wycliffe and SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics).  Reading down the list of unreached people groups, I noted various factors – population, location, faith practices and was drawn to a group called the Algawa, located near Dodoma (Tanzania’s political capital). Algawa has a population of 40,000 and is currently Muslim.   So I made my selection, proceeded with the course, did my research and completed the paper in May of 2007.

So, if missionaries are going to work on the Bible translation, there will soon be a need for church planters among the Alagwa, and there are pastors trained at ICM who have church planting on their hearts…. So, here in hot muggy Bakersfield, sitting in my air-conditioned office, I ponder these wonderful things that God does to accomplish His purposes.