February 20, 2024
By Young Seon “Christina” Kim
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA – God has a way of working through challenges even when we are tempted to give up. The Global Mission Secondary School (GMSS) had been years in the planning. In 2020, God miraculously made a way to complete phase one, which included four classrooms, three laboratories, an administration block, a well, kitchen, public toilets, dorms, fence and playground. Our teaching team gathered, and God sent 41 students who came from lower income families or single parent households. I greatly appreciate all the donors who made it possible to enroll 41 students with scholarships that covered 50% of the school fees.
In 2022 and 2023, we completed phases two and three, which included a library, cafeteria, small dispensary, prayer tower, additional dormitories and an office building. The Cornerstone Church on campus was completed with support from First Korean United Methodist Church in Wheeling, Illinois.
The Rev. Sun Hyung Jo and two church members from First Korean UMC came to Tanzania to officiate at the Cornerstone Church dedication in September 2023, with the GMSS community, the Dar es Salaam district superintendent, church leaders and members of United Methodist churches in Tanzania.
Today, the GMSS community has grown to 148 students, nine full-time and two part-time teachers, two administrative staff, three security personnel and three cooks. It is located on the western outskirts of Dar es Salaam city. Through our parents, who volunteered to be GMSS ambassadors, the school has become widely known in Tanzania. When we were recruiting new students for the 2024 academic year, 182 candidates took the entrance exams, even though we had capacity for only 40 students. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, who has been helping us build a Christian school where lives are transformed, and global leaders are raised (the school vision).
In 2022, I baptized seven students in the beautiful Indian Ocean, which was an awesome experience. In 2023, we baptized 16 more students at the same place when Rev. Jo and his team were here in September.
