Textbooks For Tanzania

Since 2003, the Presbyterian Seminary, a Christ-centered co-ed secondary school located in Morogoro, Tanzania, has raised up effective leaders of godly character who blend academic achievement and biblical truths to influence society for the glory of God.

Over 1,400 students have graduated from the Seminary since its doors first opened. As the Seminary continues to develop its academic program, the textbook management of the Seminary is an issue. Faculty oversight of monitoring and securing the classroom set of textbooks as well as determining whether textbooks assigned to students are returned in a satisfactory condition has gone unchecked. Since 2010, teaching materials, including textbooks, have been lost or damaged, including normal wear and tear, or outdated.

Here is where the Seminary needs your help. Pursuant to a Seminary wide textbook inventory review, the Seminary has a mass shortage of textbooks in all 9 core subjects; English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Geography, History and Civics. A single complete set of textbook (Oxford University Press) costs 110,000 Tanzania Shillings (approximately $50 US). The Seminary anticipates that each grade (Form I, II, III, & IV) will consist of 50 students; as such, the Seminary requires 200 complete sets of textbooks.

The Seminary has established expectations and procedures, so that everyone, faculty and students are responsible for supporting textbook management. Now all the Seminary needs are the textbooks which will provide organized units of work as a supplement with other teaching materials in the benefits of the faculty and students alike.

Please pray and consider in joining us as a financial supporter of this fundraiser.

Who is this Yo El guy?

Yo El Lee is an outlier; born in the US to South Korean immigrants, raised in East Africa, educated in Tanzania, Kenya, US & South Korea, licensed to practice law in Tennessee but has mainly worked in Seoul, South Korea. However, one thing that holds Yo El steadfast is that he loves Christ and desires to follow His will regardless of which continent or for whatever purpose it may lead him. Having grown up in East Africa, Yo El has always had a heart for Tanzania; although unsure how, when or in what capacity God may call him to that country. Since then, Yo El has pursued his undergraduate degree in Finance and graduated degree in International Law. Subsequently to passing the bar, Yo El worked for a full service law firm in Seoul, South Korea; mainly practicing in commercial transactions & other corporate related matters.

In the past few years, Yo El has gone on multiple mission and personal trips to Tanzania. During those trips, God opened Yo El's eyes to the need for professional missionaries in the mission field. Yo El saw and experienced the blessings and needs of the ongoing Christian ministries in Tanzania. Yo El is now stepping up and answering God's calling for him to serve in Tanzania.

How is Yo El going to Tanzania?

Yo El is a member of the Global Mission Society of the Presbyterian Church in Korea ("GMS") and will be sent out by Incheon Second Presbyterian Church to Tanzania. Yo El will be serving with the Korea Church Mission in the Republic of Tanzania. Yo El will be serving as the deputy administrator of the Presbyterian Seminary in Morogoro, Tanzania, overseeing the faculty, staff and students.  Furthermore, he will support the development of local church plants, its pastors and congregation in the region. Lastly, Yo El will focus on opportunities in connection with social development and at-risk youths.

KCM & Tanzania

The Korea Church Mission ("KCM") is the Tanzania branch of the GMS and has been faithfully serving in Tanzania since 1993. In 1994, the KCM established its ministry in the Morogoro province ("KCM Morogoro"). What initially started as a small bible study group in the hills of Mt. Uluguru, KCM Morogoro's ministry now consists of the Presbyterian Seminary, twelve local church plants, and a farm.

Rev. Young G. Lee and his wife, Sung B. Ko, are the founders and current head of KCM Morogoro  (and just happens to be the father and mother of Yo El)  With a heart to spread the gospel in the Morogoro province, they founded the Kiguruyembe Presbyterian Church. However, after praying about and for the needs of the community, the Presbyterian Pre-School was established. The church and pre-school were located in the same building and shared resources. For example, the small pre-school desks were designed to be used as church pew benches on Sundays.

Over the next few years, God continued to open doors of opportunity for the spreading of the gospel. In the early 2000's, opportunities for local students to further their middle and high school studies were few and scares; access to post elementary education was limited. In response, KCM Morogoro founded and established the Presbyterian Seminary, a co-ed full board Christian middle school located in the Kihonda district of Morogoro.  The Presbyterian Seminary strives to teach it students to know God and His word through Christ-centered education in order to serve Him in today's society in addition to encourage its students to use their God given talents both in and outside the walls of the Presbyterian Seminary and in all other ways that God may lead them.

A pillar of KCM Morogoro is to continually engage in local church plants and the spreading of the gospel. Currently, there are twelve local church plants in the Morogoro region. Each church and its congregation is cared for by  pastors and evangelists of the Presbyterian Church in Tanzania, a government recognized Tanzanian Presbyterian denomination. KCM Morogoro prays for and desires to continue its church plant and development efforts in the rural areas of the Morogoro region.

As the city of Morogoro has developed in the past decade, KCM Morogoro has been blessed in acquiring plots of lands that are devoted primarily to agriculture; an aggregate amount of approx. 680 acres. Currently, KCM Morogoro is praying for direction, knowledge and wisdom in the use and further development of the farm lands.

Raising Prayer and Financial Support

If you've come this far and are now reading this "Raising Prayer and Financial Support" section...then quite honestly, I give "Thanks" to God. My first and foremost request is that you pray for Tanzania. I am constantly reminded that God is truly doing something amazing in this country and it is up to each of us, regardless of where you are in the world, to ask God to shower the blessings He has in store for Tanzania in His perfect time and manner.

Secondly, I thank God for the opportunity to raise and increase financial support for ministry. Through this opportunity, God has allowed me to meet, engage and pray with private and collective group donors and share with what God has placed on my heart.

If you would like to partner as financial supporter of KCM Morogoro and its ministry:

For US based supporters, please consider making your donation through the Five Two Foundation.

For Korea based supporters, you may donate through the Five Two Foundation or a direct deposit to GMS designated account: KEB Hana Bank: 920-982395.754 (GMS 이요엘)

If there are any questions or you would like to receive updates and newsletters, please feel free to contact me at yoel307@gmail.com.