Charles Porter’s

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Nellie appeared in our lives and added so much joy. I’ve said for years that young people in Africa are not into the traditional church. They want to be challenged. Here is the testimony of one of those young people. Nellie is amazingly gifted. She showed up with her guitar, but we needed a bass player. So with her wonderful attitude, she jumped right in, learned, and we think she’s the bomb.
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Someone recently asked me, who inspires you the most? In a heartbeat, without any doubts, I said my Pastor. Pastor Charles.

My name’s Nelly, 27, Tanzanian. Right now I’m doin my Post-Grad in International Relations & International Law. Before I came to the Ocean, I was born again but I was miserable and had begun questioning God alot about a bunch of stuff. Physically I was healthy and everything was fine but my spirit was on empty. I was bored with “church.” I started thinkin, if this is what salvation is all about I want out. I felt there’s nothing to it, its boring…!

I had stopped attending a church where for two years in every service the sermon was about getting rich, having more money, driving fancy cars, getting a promotion, being above the others…Even the songs we sang were “bless me,bless me” songs. In the beginning I didn’t see anything wrong with that but after a while I became totally sickened by the same same sermons. I no longer wanted a better car, I no longer wanted expensive things, I wanted more of something, I was so hungry for something, didn’t know it at the time but I was hungry for a real relationship with God. I wasn’t growing, I became full of myself.

One day a friend invited me to the Ocean. I walked in as people were praising God, it was wonderful! It was beautiful! The atmosphere was totally different, the songs were totally different, I didn’t know a single song they sang but the words were beautiful. They were exalting and glorifying God! Immediately I told my friend, this is beautiful! She said, “Nelly, you haven’t even been here for five minutes!”

After praise, we had a break for drinks, snacks and fellowship and everyone was so kind. I thought something’s truly different about these people. They were not faking their smiles and their warmth, they were real and genuine. We got back inside and it was time for the word. Pastor Charles preached. When he got up, he was so down to earth, he called himself just “Charles”. (For me this removed a huge barrier, from that day I’ve always felt that Pastor Charles is very approachable, you can have a heart to heart conversation with him. This is indeed true with all our leaders.)

I don’t remember the title of the sermon that day but I remember what he spoke about. He talked about serving God, specifically about laying down our lives for God. This touched me deeply. It was a different kind of message, it wasn’t a bless me, bless me kinda word, it was a call to lay down everything for Christ. Pastor Charles spoke so passionately, he had tears in his eyes, you could tell it comes from his heart. I was convicted that day, I got a glimpse of God’s heart and I saw my selfishness, I wept as I realised that God is still God and He’s still a good God and He’s passionate about me and He’s passionate about the lost and He wants to use my life for His glory. Pastor Charles told a story of a missionary many years ago who went to a village in China and died there. His wife bought a piece of land to bury him. Years later the church in that village was threatned by the government that they will be kicked out unless they have proof of right to be
there in that area, as it turned out all they had was that piece of paper of that wife who bought a piece of land to bury her husband. This was many years later after the guy had died. What would have happened if he had been unwilling to go and serve God in China? Its amaizing how God still used his obedience even after he was gone. So I learned that day that my life is not just for me. God has a plan and a purpose and as I live for Him He can do so much through me, far beyond what I can imagine.

I love my community the Ocean. Ever since that day this has been the place where I grow daily, in love and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. I was baptised by Pastor Charles late last year and ever since my baptism my relationship with God has never been the same. Its been a real joy. I truly love my walk with God.

The Ocean has also been a place where I’ve grown in talent. Pastor Charles and Tahnya opened their home and I’ve been able to go there and learn how to play the bass. They both have been very encouraging. Even when I was still terrible at it, just as I was on the verge of quiting, Charles and Tahnya would always tell me you’re doing a good job Nelly, keep it up. One saturday I came to practice and I found Pastor Charles had cleaned up the bass and had put new strings for me. That just blessed me so much. Also at one time Pastor Charles arranged for me to get classes from one the best bass players in town. That just shows me that he cares, he cares even about the gifts and talents that God has put in us. I now serve in the praise team and its a joy!

The Ocean has also been a place where I learn leadership skills. I love the concept of leadership at the Ocean: Leadership is really servanthood! I have found such joy in being able to serve God and serve others.

The first time I saw Pastor Charles, I saw Christ in him. The love of God is so real and I have seen it over and over through him. That’s what I am inspired most to be like, I want to be a vessel of God’s love to people. Its more than saying nice words. Its about the heart. A heart after God and the things of God. That same heart I see it in so many members of the Ocean. I truly thank God for the Ocean and for Pastor Charles, my life has not been the same!

From March Mayhem

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Please join our bracket and send us back to continue investing in young people like Nellie!

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I remember the morning Simon and Jessica walked in. It was a great moment for our church. Here was a businessman, a believer, but who was new in town and looking for a place for his family to find a home. Awesome to have them at Ocean.

THE SIMON’s
It’s been three years now, since we left our country Kenya. With the faith of believer, we believed without question what we read in Scripture: “My God shall supply all your need in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) God’s Word was true; He would provide. The issue was settled.
So when I found myself in a predicament one day, when the company that Invited me to Tanzania was sold out and I was left jobless in a foreign country with my family all dependent of me. The situation worsened Day by Day and I almost lost hope. Although I knew my heavenly Father would provide. I just didn’t realize how miraculously the answer would come.
In those six months I prayed every morning “Father, you know where I am,” I prayed. “You know how many days I have waited and I am the only one my family is dependent on Please provide a way.”
My natural mind figured one of two things: Either the Lord would arrange for a friend from the church I went to then to help me out or I’d “just happen” to get a job from those who knew me..
I knew the possibility of either of those coincidentally occurring seemed almost impossible. But I really believed he could do it.
But God chose to go even further than my limited, natural mind could fathom, that day. He wanted not only to answer my prayer — he wanted me to know, beyond any shadow of doubt, that it was He who answered it!
I Had no fears of living or facing the Days as they came by and I kept on reminding my Wife and children as it is written in the book of Luke 12:27-31. “Consider the lilies how they grow… seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind… your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things… all these things shall be added unto you.”
“…your Father knoweth that ye have need…” No need to inform the Almighty of the situation! He knew where we were and what we needed. And if anyone could be trusted, surely it was He. He would provide.
Before the end of the Six months in waiting my wife got a job and I also got a Job two weeks after and at that point in time thought of how God has been faithful to us. By then we used to fellowship in a [ Conservative] Baptist church in Dar es salaam- But although that is where we worshipped both myself and my wife always felt a disconnect probably it could have been due to our background orientation in Kenya where in the past we worshipped in a contemporary Christian church { Kenya Assemblies of God at Burururu} and another thing that brought more disconnect in the Baptist church that we worshipped is that there was a leadership void . Since at the time the church didn’t have a pastor and was beign led by a counsil of elders [reasons best Known to the leadership} My wife kept on asking me to look for a different church ans she became very adamant telling me that “ we cannot go to a church without a shepherd, we warned me that we will soon start wondering around like lost sheep” I headed to her concerns and as we continued to pray for a place for us to worship I came across an advertisement of a new English speaking church dubbed the Ocean in Dar.
The following Sunday, me and my wife we decided lets just go check out the church then if their doctrines are any different we could still go back to the Baptist . So when we arrived at the Ocean we were puzzled to realize that the service was being conducted in a cinema hall so cautiously we got in and took a seat at the time there were not more than 10 people in the congregation so we whispered amoungst ourselves “Are we eve more lost”
As the Pastor rose to speak I recall he introduced himself as Charles Porter and he also introduced his wife , son and daughter then he went on to say” Welcome to the Ocean, We are a Christ centered culture creating community church” and he went on to explain the goals and the vision of the church and further what moved me was when he said “ At the Ocean we exist and focus everything around the gospel of Jesus christ who is our lord and Saviour, that he died on the cross because of our sins and that whoever be;liveth in him shall not perish but have an everlasting life”
That’s how we came to the Ocean and since then its been Two years now since we became members. We thank God because of our Pastor Charles Porter. He is a great man who loves God. We believe that it is out of the God speaks through Charles because he truly loves GOD.
As God’s Vessel Pastor Charles has been a mentor and we consider him our earthly spiritual father because he has been there for us and other church members in many occasions.
God Bless him and His Family. We will continue to pray that he may return soon in Dar es salaam.

From march mayhem

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Nicholas came to us as an answer to prayer. In the early days of our churchplant, we had a lot of ladies who were coming with their kids but their husbands were no where to be seen. So we made this a matter of prayer, and Nicholas began to come with his wife Shylate. He has been a faithful servant and a loving caring example of Christ-like behavior ever since. Here is his story.
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My name is Nicholas Poshayi and I am a Zimbabwean.I have been a christian for more than five years now.I and my late wife joined the Ocean in 2009 when we came to teach in Dar es Salaam.The love we have experienced under the Ocean family is out of this world.While I have been pleasant to many at the Ocean,they have reciprocated this in a way far beyond my expectations.God continues to show his mighty and grace in a way He alone understands.When my wife passed away late last year I was shattered,everything become lifeless.My fellow christians at the Ocean helped me tremendously in this trying period.I will serve God with all that I have because of this LOVE I tasted at the OCEAN.

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Nicholas is now a single father of a college age son in Zimbabwe and a preteen daughter.
One of our goals in planting a church was that it be “culture creating.” By that, we originally were thinking in terms of arts and music and media. What we’ve discovered is creating a culture of acceptance and love is even more important.

From March Mayhem

>>>>>>Join the bracket by clicking on the donations page and following the link.

My first encounter with Victor was on a wednesday night teaching series. I remember a group of young men I didn’t know showing up for leadership training. I was walking through a 4 part leadership training and part 2 is Developing Core Competencies, how all leaders need hard skills (technical know how) and soft skills (interpersonal skills). Victor took that idea and really tried to apply it. Here is his story in his own words.
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My name is Victor Mwenda .Am a Kenyan but decided to come and live in Tanzania Dar es Salaam. Am turning 28 this October. When I came to Dar es Salaam in June Last year, I had just handful friends. The first two months were very difficult for me. Had no job the few friends I had also kind of deserted me and despised me since from their point of view there seemed to be no hope and future for me. You can imagine how its like …so alien, my family back at home wanted me back to Nairobi but something deep within me kept my hope alive even when friends lost hope on me.

It was not until I found another home away from home and that was The Ocean, this somewhat was a turning point for me. With Pastor Porter a Life Cartographer (I use a process called Life Cartographer-Using the bible as a map for teaching young people how to make decisions with their lives) taking us through the leadership training ,I have never forgotten the soft skills he taught me,

I was really motivated and soon I got a job ,Glory be to God .Though it was really a low paying I knew it was just a preparation for a better one. The Ocean has been a place with rare experience With Pastor Steve and Porter, I have learnt to leave a fulfilled life, I now know what’s important in life, a currency called love has become my bill of exchange, I am trading in Love. My hunger and thirst for His Word has grown and through the platform offered by pastor, my prayer life has really grown and I’ve adopted a lifestyle of worship. My life has been totally transformed and is still is through the leadership of our pastors. The Gospel of Christ has been made simple and every friend I have come with has since been part of our family. I thank God that The Ocean is community serving and culture creating,i have been an opportunity to serve in the campus crew and on the job, God has real favored me. Beginning in March, I will be a general manager of a portfolio of Companies.
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Victor’s story is typical of what I’ve seen. Amazing young men and women with tremendous upside potential but lacking training and someone to believe in them. I see myself not as just a teacher of the word of God, but a mentor to develop life skills in these young men and women to see their lives transformed by the power of God, and learned through engaging with His Word consistently.

Charles
(Remember, if you want to join the bracket, its 64 at $10, 29 at $20 to 40 (3 places already gone), 15 at $40 to 80 (1 already gone), 8 at $80, 4 at 100, and 2 at 150. Here’s the link once again to make that monthly commitment. Make sure you tell us if you do so we can keep our numbers updated http://worldmissions.ag.org/agwm_commit_form.cfm?AcctNo=258102)

I remember the first I met Mtei, he wondered into a prayer meeting one Sunday morning. I assumed he was a friend of someone on the praise team. I even called him down to join in our circle of prayer. After prayer, I was heading out to my car to go get my wife when one of the leaders in the church comes over and says “This young man wants to give his life to Christ. Here is his story.

Turns out, he was and is Tanzanian special forces. His unit was recruited because non of them were of any faith whatsoever. Mtei now has found Jesus.

I first saw Mikko from a distance, sitting up in the crowd while I was speaking one Sunday. His father works with a different mission, but he and his sister attend our church.Tahnya and I are delighted that MKs have found a safe place to discover Jesus at the Ocean. We have MKs from a number of different orgranizations who attend. Here’s one of their stories.
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My name is Mikko Nygren, im a missionary kid who has lived in Tanzania for 18 years ( my whole life). Ive always been a good student and picked up things very fast and achieved top grades with the least of effort. I was in grade 11 doing the AS course when I first started attending The Ocean, that was about a year and a half ago. During my 11th grade year my grades started slacking as I continued in my style of not putting much effort and spending a lot of the time out with my friends. In June when I had my final exams I failed three out of four subjects..Math,Physics and Chemistry…only passing Business with a C.

During my time in attending The Ocean I learned that God does not reward the lazy and that prayer is a very powerful weapon, this was emphasized many times in the Sunday services. In August I thot I was going to have to repeat grade 11 and the AS course instead of continuing to the A2 course and 12th grade and then going to University after but my headmaster gave me a second chance…just like I believe God gives each of us. I took that second chance, and I continued into grade 12 and the A2 course but I had to resit my AS exams in November 2009. Through persistent prayer and hard work, ( I didn’t join the school soccer team because I wanted to study) I achieved my potential, I got an A in Business and passed physics and math with flying colours. I also did my SATs during the same period and again through persistent prayer and work I succeeded, I got 2160 in the reasoning test and 760 in each of my subject tests.

Then came applying to Universities. My home country is Finland where University education is free but English is my first language I decided to apply to the States. Being a missionary kid my parents don’t have huge savings from where to pay my fees and also the current economic crisis made me wonder how am I going to ever afford schools that are 50gz a year?? I applied to 8 universities and have prayed persistently ever after I sent in my applications. God moves mountains through prayer…my mountain was finance for University! About a week ago ( February 2010) one of the universities accepted me and awarded me 40000usd out of 47000usd annually! God answers prayer, I have sometimes thought otherwise but during the last 9 months I have learned prayer is the most powerful thing to a believer! I continue in persistent prayer for answers from the other universities and any other mountains I may have in my path and I believe and trust that my Father will work them out for me!

In the future I plan to continue in persistent conversation with God. I ve always hated politics but for some reason Ive always wanted to be a prime minister or minister in Tanzania, just like Joseph was the prime minister of a country that he was not born of, and I want to succeed like he did!
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Tahnya and I are both missionary kids. For years we worked with MKs in various programs. I have always felt MKs were part of my life’s calling, but for a number of years, we hadn’t had many opportunities to work with these amazing young people. Now, the circle is coming together again.

Remember, during march, we’re trying to have new teams join our “Road to Tanzania” with 64 $10-20 a month pledges, 32(30 now) $25-35, and so forth. Go to the donations page to make your commitment and make sure you email me to let me know that you are joining the team to return us to Tanzania so that we can continue to work with awesome young people like Mikko.

Welcome to March Mayhem, a 30 day sprint for Tahnya and I to raise our entire budget to enable us to return to Tanzania and continue working with young men like the one you are about to meet in this video. A little setup. I rented a property in Tanzania where we lived and started the Ocean, our international/emerging generation church. Mo was the landlord’s live in property manager. I hired him to continue on and trained him to help me set up my sound system, since we were starting the church with no team, no help, just my family and I dream from God with a mandate from our leadership “make it different.” So Mo attended this first Christmas Carol Sing because of his job requirements, not because of any religious pressure from me. Here is the story he told the day he was baptised.

March Mayhem is a full basketball bracket of new people believing in us being “boots on the ground.” Join the first 64 at $10-20 a month, join the $32 (actually 30, 2 have already joined”, the sweet 16 at $40-60 (15, one already signed up), the Great 8 at 60-80, the final 4 at 100, and the final at $150. If you believe in us, and are able, go here to sign up today for a reoccuring monthly commitment. Then send me an email letting me know you’ve joined the team. Also, follow us on facebook under the Cause “March Mayhem”.

From 2001-2003, I lived in the Sudan. At times, you could go down to the market and purchase relief and development products. Like sacs of flour stamped “USAID: Not for resale” right on the package. Today in Haiti, armed guards make sure that the free gifts remain free, not the next commodities market of the corrupt.

The same is often true of grace. Expensive product, it cost the life of the Savior. Amazingly, it remains free. Until it lands in the hands of people who see the opportunity for a profit. The profit could be better morality, improved social behavior, not just financial gain, though many have made it that. Whatever the motive, grace is a gift entrusted to man to pass along. Let us guard it carefully, and give it away generously, extravagantly, to the vagrant, rebellious one as well as to the morally self-righteous, elder brother.

What do you think that would mean? Comments welcome…

Tonight I go to bed hungry. Much like two out of every three days for the last 40. Last year, my community joined me for a 40 day fast to begin the year. I did every other day. This year I upped it a bit. I wanted to get some of my reflections down before they are forgotten.
1. Getting started and finishing are the hard parts. The middle was easy. I was in a rhythm. But the first few days were hard. Then, about day 30, it was a mental battle to finish.
2. When you are hungry, you don’t want to fill up on junk. I wanted steak and potatoes, real food. When I eat all the time, I fill up on junk and don’t even realize it.
3. I missed soda more than I missed any kind of food. I took all 40 days off of soda, and for 20 days, I craved soda (pop, or whatever).
4. I noticed that it didn’t really bother me to sit with other people while they ate.
5. My sense of smell improved drastically.
6. The first days were a mental battle, but I didn’t feel real hunger until many days later. I dropped a bunch of weight at first, but once I got hungry, the weight came off much slower.
7. My prayer life didn’t automatically get better.

So what spiritual “take-aways” do I have that relate to these.
1. Making real change is hard to start. Its a mental battle. Then, finishing what you started is a spiritual exercise.
2. Am I surviving on spiritual milk and cookies? Where am I being challenges to the core of who I am, eating real spiritual food? While I was fasting, my stomach shrank. So I didn’t want to eat junk, because I wanted room for real food.
3. We are often controlled by appetites that we don’t realize are really controlling us. Things that are not even on our radar may have real control in our lives.
4. Not sure what that means yet. Maybe not everyone is at the same place, and we should be ok with that.
5. Take some of the clutter away, and your spiritual sensitivity jumps exponentially.
6. Real hunger comes from a real trip into the desert of denial.
7. Spiritual disciplines don’t make you a more spiritual person. or a better person. It really is all about relationship and intimacy.

Maybe I’ll have more later on, but hey, that’s it for now.

First things first: After praying and consulting with the specialists at the Muscular Dystrophy at the U o Minn, we have decided to continue in missions, returning as soon as possible to our work in Tanzania. When Joshua’s condition changes, we will have to re-evaluate, but for the time being, we can continue.
Song of dreaming
I had a strange dream last night. No, this isn’t literary license, I actually dreamed this. I can’t remember where I was, or why I was there, but some company was launching. Their stock was worth pennies, nothing at all. No one knew if investors would jump in. I know I thought I didn’t have any money to invest at all. The stocks started out at something below a dollar. Within moments, it doubled, then doubled again. I kept telling myself I needed to invest, but remembering what things used to cost, I hesitated. In my dream, there was this kind of rolling meter, going up and up . The last I remember of my dream, the stock had reach $1300 a share.

I know nothing of these kinds of things. I wouldn’t know how to buy a stock if I found one I liked. I know this, if I had jumped in at the penny level, my investment would have born millions. However, if I had still jumped in at the $1000 level, in moments, I would have made $300 bucks.

I wonder if that’s me in Kingdom work. The cost used to be much less for such a great return that I’m no longer willing to invest in the best opportunity out there. Sure, it’s costly. The rewards are very real though. Don’t believe the fatalists, God’s kingdom is on the move, growing every day. I want to continue to give my life, no matter the cost. Even when the cost is higher.

News:
After the initial shock of learning that Joshua has MD, we are now in the process of learning about this condition, and as we wait for God to heal him, we are doing all we can. Stay connected with this process on Facebook, join “Joshua’s Joy”.

Its been a sick period in the Porter household. Alana has had ongoing ear infections, so she will get tubes in her ears on the 16th. Riley is having a study done on the 25th because of problems with swallowing. Appreciate your continued prayers for our family’s health.

We have decided to continue because at this point, there isn’t medical care that Joshua can get here. He will go on a steriod treatement that aims to delay the onset of the disease, and we will have to return to the US every year to check in with the MD clinic at the U of M. We expect this term to last 2-4 years, depending on his health.

MARCH MAYHEM: I love basketball, and the best Bball of the year is played in the NCAA tournament. Millions of guys and ladies fill in a bracket to try and determine the Road to (wherever). In concurrence with this event, and because of the special health considerations my family is having, we are trying to raise our entire budget during the month of March. The idea of simple. 64 people at $10-19 a month, 32 at $20-30, and so forth. What we are looking for is a “selection committee.” This committee will use their email list, twitter, and facebook status every day for the month of March to post links to 30 testimonies, one each day, of real lives that have been transformed in Tanzania.There will be a fund-raising appeal in this. Would you consider being part of this committee? If you would, write me and I’ll send further directions.

What’s happening in Tanzania? While we are here, Missionary Steve Kuert continues to pastor the churchplant in TZ. Numbers are about 140, lives are being touched, and 30-40 people are gathering at the weekly prayer meeting, its an exciting time. We want to be back by August.

Did you know: There are 2 places at least where it has been known to snow in Tanzania.

Its an exciting time to be involved in God’s work in Tanzania. Our partner church is planting 7500 church in the next 10 years, this year they started 20 church planting schools, and the aspire to win 2 million souls to Christ. Its a big vision, and we are happy to partner with such an amazing group of men and fellow missionaries.