Mission Aviation Fellowship flew Rev Philemon Masui and his team to the remote village of Chidudu, enabling them to provide maternal and child healthcare, share the Word of God and even baptise a young boy.
“I know that my son will serve the Lord,” said Elizabeth Mwika, a mother who came to an outreach in the remote village of Chidudu.
“Because I was also baptised, that is why I want my son to be baptised as well.”
Elizabeth had brought her two children for vaccinations, but what she didn’t expect was that one of them, her 5-year-old son Eric Dadi, would also be baptised during the same visit.
This outreach was made possible by MAF, who flew a team of evangelists including Rev Philemon Masui to Chidudu. Located in Tanzania’s Singida region, Chidudu is a place where roads are difficult, health services are few, and the gospel is still not widely heard or received.
“When we come, we preach the Word of God,” Philemon said.
“We baptise, pray for people, and they are healed. But we also bring medical workers, especially for mothers and children.”
Philemon, a minister with the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Central Tanganyika, was the one who baptised Eric.
“When I baptised that boy, I felt joy. I felt at peace,” he said. “I was fulfilling God’s command that we go into all the world and make people His children through baptism.
“We were taking him out of the group of the world and bringing him into the fold of Christ.”
We baptise, pray for people, and they are healed.
Philemon is part of a small team based in Dodoma that regularly travels to hard-to-reach villages like Chidudu.
“Where we are right now, in this village of Chidudu, the Word of God rarely reaches people properly.
“And even on the side of healthcare – especially maternal and child health – services are not good here at all.”
The outreach began with evangelism. After the spiritual work was complete, MAF returned with nurses to provide essential health services. Children were vaccinated, and pregnant women received checkups.
“Some of these women used to give birth without knowing their due date,” Philemon said.
“Others had no vitamins, or dangerously low blood levels. There was no one to check them. But now, through these visits, their lives and their babies’ lives are being saved,” he added.
Thanks to MAF, what would take many hours by road now takes only 35 minutes.
“We thank God for MAF. They’ve helped us reach people who were once unreached. Because of that, people are coming to know God. Their lives are changing— for the better, even socially.
“There is no hospital here. None at all. It’s only when we come once a month that people receive both spiritual and medical care. Without MAF, this would not be possible.”
Challenges in the village go beyond health.
“There is only one government teacher for seven classes,” Philemon said. “Some young people volunteer, but they’re not paid. Children finish primary school without a proper education.”
I know that my son will serve the Lord.
For Philemon, serving in these areas is more than a mission: it’s personal.
“I was born in a village. I studied in one. That background helps me serve here,” he said.
“When I come to these places, I understand the people. I know their struggles. I speak their languages. I try to humble myself and be like them so I can bring them the Word of God.”