Bibi Rose

Bibi Rose, 1946 - 2012

Normally, this is a place for updates from Tungamalenga, a place for news of our Tanzanian partners, a place to tell stories of Tanzanian lives changed by the grace of God and through our partnership. 

Today, it's a place to remember one of our Minnesota travelers, Rose Mahlum, who died last night after a year long battle with cancer.

Rose traveled with Shepherd of the Valley members in 2008. We were a fairly big group of twelve.  Rose was the senior member of the group -- there were four other adult women in their 30s and 40s, and seven young adults ranging from 17 to 23.  Rose was quickly nicknamed "Bibi" or Grandmother. Coming from the Tanzanians, that was a sign of respect.

Rose was a nurse and spent several days of our visit in the Tungamalenga Dispensary.  At the time, the doctor was away at school, upgrading his skills.  The clinic had been staffed by a lab technician for the past year.  When Rose came to observe, she was seated at the doctor's desk and put right to work seeing patients, dispensing advice and prescriptions.  She was taken aback, but she jumped right in and got to work. 

At the end of our visit, the members of our group were presented with gifts of Tanzanian clothing.  They were beautiful blouses and skirts made of fabric showing Tanzanian animals -- giraffe, lions, zebras.  Beautiful safari dresses. 

At the end of the farewell ceremonies, Rose was called to the front of the sanctuary.  The congregation broke into a traditional song that shows great respect -- "Bibi, Bibi weyo, Bibi, Bibi, weyo, Bibi" concluding with three loud claps.  It was a song we had heard sung to introduce the Bishop and other honored guests.  Now it was being sung to honor Rose as the elder member of our group.  She came forward and was draped in yet another kitanga, a beautiful length of traditional cloth.  I remember that Rose was beyond surprised, so touched by this honor.

Bibi Rose continued to be a strong supporter of this partnership after her return to Minnesota.  She helped coordinate our handcraft sales, artfully displaying Tanzanian baskets and jewelry to raise funds for chapel construction in our villages.  She helped prepare the next travelers, providing healthcare information.  She sorted through donated medical supplies, sending what was useful and redirecting what was not.  She prayed for our partners and supported scholarship students.

And just a couple days before her death, she asked after specific people she had met in Tungamalenga.  How was Enock, the man she had visited who was recovering from a stroke? How was Daktari Barnabas, and his ailing father?

Our partners prayed for Rose on the Sunday before she died.

So many times, we measure our partnership by the number of students sponsored, by the number of chapels constructed, by the number of beds in the new clinic building, by the number of loans provided by the microfinance cooperative, and by the number of dollars sent from SOTV to Tungamalenga.  Those are important measurements, yes, because they represent lives changed for the better.

But today I'd like to measure our partnership by the number of prayers exchanged, by the number of people we know by name, by the number of people who will think of this partnership in their final hours before they see their savior.

With deepest gratitude for the life of Bibi Rose Mahlum, and with prayers of consolation for her family.  You can read Rose's obituary here.