Karibuni sana, Mchungaji Paulo and Evangelist George!

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Evangelist George Kioniani

Mchungaji Paulo Masinga

We are delighted to welcome our friends, Pastor Paulo Masinga and Evangelist George Kioniani, to Minnesota and Shepherd of the Valley!  They will arrive Friday, April 1st, and be with us for two weeks.  The tentative itinerary is here - check back for updates as plans firm up.

George is a dear friend whom we met on our first visit to Tungamalenga in 2002.  He is a farmer, is married and has six children, and also cares for the children of his deceased brother. He is a lay evangelist, a member of the parish staff who ministers to congregants, assisting the parish pastors.  He currently serves as secretary/treasurer of Makifu Parish and is involved in planning and executing partnership projects.

Pastor Paulo was the first Maasai pastor ordained in the Iringa Diocese and has been an associate pastor of Tungamalenga Parish since 2004. He is married to Leah and they have six children.  His oldest son, Amon, serves as an evangelist within the parish. Pastor Paulo lives in Mpalapande village.

We are delighted to have this opportunity to host our dear friends at SOTV. So many travelers have experienced their gracious hospitality during our visits to their home, and now we are grateful to have the chance to reciprocate that hospitality. 

During the visit, our friends will meet many of the donors at SOTV who provide scholarships and financial support for projects within Makifu and Tungamalenga Parishes.  They will experience our daily life, especially our congregational life, and will understand our culture in a new way.

Here are a few tips to help our guests feel welcome at Shepherd of the Valley.
  • Greet them! If you see us walking around church, please come up and introduce yourself. Join them for pizza in the atrium on Wednesday evenings.
  • Share your SOTV stories with our guests.  Tell them why you volunteer in the food shelf, or what you enjoy about being a confirmation guide, or what's so special about our summer youth trips. They want to understand our congregational ministry.
  • Try out a Swahili greeting.  Karibu means "welcome" and Karibuni is a welcome for more than one person.  
  • When our guests say Bwana Yesu Asifiwe! please respond with an enthusiastic "Amen!" They are saying, "praise the Lord Jesus" and that is a typical opening statement when one starts a speech, especially in church.  Pastor Paulo might start his comments by saying Msisi Yesu! and your response is again "Amen!"  Msisi Yesu is the Maasai equivalent of Bwana Yesu Asifiwe!
  • Plan to attend congregational events during their visit -- there's an open house to welcome them, a partnership meeting with dinner, a congregational potluck dinner, and a farewell event the night before they leave. Karibuni sana, you are warmly welcomed.

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