“Without your prayers and financial support, I wouldn’t be here today”

James Sabuni Kadama was born in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city in eastern Africa. Although raised in a Christian environment, James was challenged by the Gospel by his mentor/youth minister and gave his life to Christ at 18 years old. While serving with the Tanzania Students Christian Fellowship in his high school years, he felt called to be a full time minister and pursued his Diploma in Christian Ministry at a Bible college in western Kenya. He worked with the Anglican Renewal of Kenya in the Evangelism and Mission department, helping coordinate revival meetings and crusades in rural areas of western Kenya, before graduating in 2002.

Back in Tanzania, he joined Scripture Union as a School and Youth Coordinator for four years, training and mobilizing volunteers, organizing camps, building relationships with young people and their families and introducing them to the ministry. As he visited the homes of young people and realized most were coming from poor families that didn’t know how to overcome their struggles, James says, “I felt challenged to do something to help.” He was introduced to Cornerstone Christian College (CCC) in South Africa and is now pursuing his Bachelor of Theology degree in Community Development.

In the meantime, James is doing fieldwork with Act of Grace 7 (AOG7), an organization started by a Baptist church to help the community in a suburb of Cape Town. Currently, they are running a youth learning center, children’s music school and a village market. The organization is also training people to start businesses and giving loans to help their endeavors. James says one of his tasks is to “talk with business people and the community to find out the challenges they face and how AOG7 can help to improve.” He says being with the organization “has helped me…prepare to work with any organization dealing with community development.”

After graduation, James plans to return home and use what he has learned to partner “with the community to overcome the giant of poverty in their lives. I know it’s a huge task, but God, who sent me to CCC, will be my guide….Thank you for your prayer and financial support toward my studies….Without your prayers and financial support, I wouldn’t be here today….I assure you that I will do my best in my studies and share what I am learning to help others.”