I woke up in the night and my younger brother was crying

This personal story was shared wth us just this week by one of the leaders we are meeting with.

Mathias, along with Simon his younger brother, lost both parents by the time they were in high school. Taken in by poor relatives it was almost impossible to find school fees. Mathias started a small business while still in high school by selling cosmetics he bought from town and selling them out in the village areas. He did this to try to keep himself and Simon in school. But it was not enough.

The younger brother, Simon, was getting good marks but could not continue for another year. The funds were simply not there. It was his crying that woke Mathias up.

“Something disturbed my sleep and I realized it was my younger brother crying because he knew he would not be able to start the new school term.”

Mathias, himself, was in his last year of high school hoping to save enough to go on to university. But when he heard his brother crying and asked him what was wrong, he turned to his brother and said, “I promise that you are going to be able to finish school.”

With no other options to fulfill his promise, Mathias made the decision right then and there that he would give up his own education dreams and support Simon’s schooling. So that is what he did! In fact, to this day, over 10 years later he has not returned to school.

Instead, he worked hard and built a small business that began to thrive. He put Simon through high school and then university. After that, Mathias married and had two children supported by his growing business. And today, in addition, he leads one of the strongest emerging movements of disciple-makers that we have seen in a long time. He is an amazing young man. He says today, “my life is so good.” But, when it came down to it, he was willing to sacrifice it all for his brother.

This is the character and commitment of a young man that you invest in with us who is becoming a truly apostolic force in the nation of Tanzania.