Once You See It, You Can’t Unsee It

Editor’s Note — Some names have been changed for privacy reasons.  

One of the first things that stood out to Peter and Eunice when they visited Reach Tanzania Bible School was that the teachers drank out of the same plastic cups as the students. In their denomination, the leadership would remain distant from those under them. Visiting guest pastors would choose the best hotels and restaurants. And certainly, they wouldn’t socialize with their students.  

But they knew they had found a unique Bible school in Tanzania when they heard the philosophy of the director, Mark Dunker, a ReachGlobal missionary. “If you are looking for a paper to hang on your wall, this is not the right place for you,” Mark told them. “Here we teach for life change.” 

Peter and Eunice were instantly hooked—this was the place they had been looking for. They didn’t realize their lives were about to change far more than they could have ever imagined. 

Repent and be baptized 

By the time Peter and Eunice stepped into Reach Tanzania Bible School in early 2017, they had already been full-time pastors and missionaries for 20 years. Originally from Kenya, they had joined their denomination (founded by American missionaries) as young adults with a sincere desire to serve God wholeheartedly. They received some mentoring and then were sent to locations all over East Africa, evangelizing, pastoring churches and discipling others.  

They were shining stars in their large international denomination, faithful to teach the truth about how to be born again from Acts 2:36-38: Repent and be baptized. Peter explained that repentance meant regularly making lists of your sins, publicly confessing, and often being publicly rebuked and humiliated in front of the church. Once you’d cleaned up your life enough, you were ready to be baptized—and you weren’t saved until that moment. And even once you had been baptized, you lived in daily fear that you might mess up too much to keep your salvation. 

Like Cornielius or Apollos, Peter and Eunice feared God, earnest in their pursuit of Him. Before being assigned to his denomination’s church in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Peter took classes at a Pentecostal seminary. He agreed to go to Tanzania in 2013 with permission from his leadership that he continue to pursue Bible education, but theological education is sparse in Tanzania. So in 2017, when Eunice saw a Facebook ad for Reach Tanzania pop up in her feed and noticed it was not far from their home, they decided to check it out. 

They quickly signed up and started classes shortly after, but Eunice was disappointed to see that the first required course was on Bible study methods. “I have already been studying the Bible for 20 years,” she thought. “What else are they going to teach me?” 

She was about to get the shock of her life. The first of many. 

This changed everything 

“On the first day, the introduction alone got me thinking, ‘What have we been doing all this time?’” Eunice remembered. “It was so fresh. It was challenging. It was eye-opening. We talked all the way home. These were new things that we had never done before.”  

Eunice’s denomination had taught her to approach the Bible topically. She used a concordance to look up verses on a topic and put together lessons. She had never considered literary or historical context. She had never read a book of the Bible all the way through.  

Eunice continued, “I immediately started putting into practice those things we were learning, and my Bible study has never been the same.” 

This was only the beginning. 

They moved on to theology courses, including one on the book of Romans. For the first time in their lives, they heard the concept of justification by faith alone.  

Initially, they pushed back. Peter argued with Gil Medina (my husband, also a teacher at the school), even accusing him that what he was teaching was dangerous. Peter wrote one of his class essays on baptism as a requirement for salvation.  

But Reach Tanzania trainers—Mark, his wife Alyssa, and Gil—patiently pointed Peter and Eunice back to Scripture. Unlike other teachers they had experienced, Peter and Eunice noticed that Gil and the Dunkers weren’t keen on spoon-feeding their students. Students were put into discussion groups and encouraged to study for themselves. Peter and Eunice put their newfound Bible study skills to work and did a deep dive into finding Scriptural evidence of salvation by works.  

Eventually, Scripture itself brought them to the point of surrender to salvation by faith alone. Peter says, “You can imagine the shock. You can imagine the transformation as this was sinking in.” Eunice says, “However much we tried to run away from it, it was on every page of the Bible. Once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it. There was nowhere to hide.”  

Though she had already been a Bible teacher and missionary for 20 years, Eunice credits Reach Tanzania for introducing her to saving faith. Both Eunice and Peter now rejoice in the freedom this knowledge gave them. No longer are they weighed down by the impossible task of earning their salvation. They praise God for Reach Tanzania: “We are so thankful that God chose to take us to Reach Tanzania. We were so blind, and our eyes were opened. Now we can help others to see too.” 

Sharing the good news 

Peter and Eunice had just finished the two-year diploma program at the Bible school when their denominational leadership suddenly and inexplicably recalled them back to Kenya. Devastated, they did as they were told.  

Initial conversations with leadership were tense, and Peter and Eunice seriously considered leaving the denomination that had been their home for so long. But they began to see humility and teachability in their leadership and decided God was calling them to stay. By God’s grace, their leaders gave them permission to teach others what they had learned.  

Joyfully, Peter related, “We saw it as a mission field. We thank God we stayed on. Quite a great shift has happened.” 

In the last few years, Peter and Eunice have carefully but faithfully taught what they learned at Reach Tanzania. They apologized to church members for the false things they previously had taught them. And they’ve seen some monumental changes.  

In the past, the person of Jesus wasn’t emphasized in church services or leadership meetings. Once, Peter and Eunice heard a 55-minute sermon without one mention of the name of Jesus Christ. Because of their influence, Jesus is the center of church life and teaching today. Peter and Eunice have also seen their church leadership show an increased motivation to attend theological school and grow in their biblical knowledge. There’s also a new willingness to recognize that salvation is not found solely in their denomination.  

Peter explained, “People are saying this openly. This is such great progress.” Eunice added, “What we are teaching is making sense. We are seeing people really appreciating it.”  

Now, Peter and Eunice sense God calling them to an expanded ministry. Both are gifted teachers, and they have a burden to train pastors and ministry leaders. They know that many African denominations lack a deep knowledge of Scripture and biblical theology. Africa’s population is projected to double in the next 25 years, overtaking both India and China combined. By 2060, 40 percent of the world’s Christians will be found in sub-Saharan Africa. But how grounded in the Word will those Christians be?  

Reach Tanzania Bible School was forced to close in 2020, but Peter and Eunice have a vision of seeing its model and curriculum replicated all over East Africa. They aren’t sure where the funding will come from. But they know that the God who could use ReachGlobal missionaries and a Facebook ad to open their eyes to the truth of Scripture can move mountains to make their God-sized dream happen, too.  

If you want to learn more about Peter and Eunice’s dream or get in touch with them, please contact mark.dunker@efca.org.