Mchungaji Paul Edstrom
I was very sorry and sad to learn this evening that Pastor Paul Edstrom died this afternoon.
Pastor Paul and his wife Ruth have served many people, but to our Tanzanian partnership, they were some of our earliest supporters and most honest and trusted advisors. Paul and Ruth had served as missionaries in (then) Tanganyika and Kenya during the 1950's, '60's and '70's. They retired to Shepherd of the Valley a number of years ago, and Paul served as a visitation pastor for many years.
There are many people who support our partnership in varied and important ways. Pastor Paul Edstrom supported our partnership by sharing the aquired wisdom of his years of experience working in Tanzania. He gave honest advice about what kinds of support could be helpful and what kinds of support would build dependencies. He helped us think deeply about our partnership, our actions, and unintended consequences.
Pastor Paul made me practice my Swahili in between visits, greeting me on Sunday mornings with "Habari!" and waiting for me to answer with the appropriate response. If I included a little Swahili in a letter to donors, Pastor Paul always sent me corrections if I wrote "Mungu Akubariki" when I should have written "Mungu Awabariki."
When we hosted Tanzanian guests, Pastor Paul and Ruth always spent some time making them feel at home, conversing with them in Swahili.
I am so grateful for his life, and especially for the ways he mentored us in our early days of partnership with our Tanzanian brothers and sisters. We pray for Ruth, and for their family, that they may be comforted and find peace in the presence of our Lord and Savior.
Asante sana, Mchungaji Paul.
Pastor Paul and his wife Ruth have served many people, but to our Tanzanian partnership, they were some of our earliest supporters and most honest and trusted advisors. Paul and Ruth had served as missionaries in (then) Tanganyika and Kenya during the 1950's, '60's and '70's. They retired to Shepherd of the Valley a number of years ago, and Paul served as a visitation pastor for many years.
There are many people who support our partnership in varied and important ways. Pastor Paul Edstrom supported our partnership by sharing the aquired wisdom of his years of experience working in Tanzania. He gave honest advice about what kinds of support could be helpful and what kinds of support would build dependencies. He helped us think deeply about our partnership, our actions, and unintended consequences.
Pastor Paul made me practice my Swahili in between visits, greeting me on Sunday mornings with "Habari!" and waiting for me to answer with the appropriate response. If I included a little Swahili in a letter to donors, Pastor Paul always sent me corrections if I wrote "Mungu Akubariki" when I should have written "Mungu Awabariki."
When we hosted Tanzanian guests, Pastor Paul and Ruth always spent some time making them feel at home, conversing with them in Swahili.
I am so grateful for his life, and especially for the ways he mentored us in our early days of partnership with our Tanzanian brothers and sisters. We pray for Ruth, and for their family, that they may be comforted and find peace in the presence of our Lord and Savior.
Asante sana, Mchungaji Paul.
Wow, so sudden! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete