The Adventure of a Lifetime

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This August and again next summer, and the summer after that, Shepherd of the Valley members will travel to Tanzania to meet, live among, and get to know our brothers and sisters in Tungamalenga. We gather to share stories of our lives, our communities, cultures, and our common faith. For two weeks each year, we live, work and play bega kwa bega or shoulder to shoulder as sisters and brothers in Christ.

You are invited along on one of these journeys. Karibu sana, you are warmly welcomed, as our partners would say.

As you consider taking this journey, we ask you to be mindful of a few things:


  • This is a mission of the church. As such, the focus of the trip is upon building relationships with our partners. We will need to be culturally sensitive and aware of the difference between being tourists and guests.

  • Traveling to another part of the world is a challenging, exciting experience. Expect to be stretched--you will not have all the comforts of home at your fingertips. However, you will experience the community of Christ in rich and amazing ways that are far more valuable than the small sacrifices you will make.

  • Both SOTV and Tungamalenga Parish bring important gifts to this partnership. We work bega kwa bega to achieve God's mission in the world. In addition to building relationships, we work together to support evangelism, education, healthcare and economic development. We bring home to our congregation the gifts of our partners' fervent witness of the Gospel, as well as their hope and joy in faith.

  • Travelers and travel leaders together discern ways to represent SOTV as ambassadors and to uncover gifts and interests that can be used in service of the partnership.

  • Our hosts will be very generous and even sacrificial in their hospitality. We travel with the intention to be hospitable guests who put the needs of our hosts and our companions above our own.

Interested in the adventure of a lifetime? Please contact Kirsten or Pastor Diane for more info. Travel applications are available at www.sotv.org.

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