The Gift of Prayer

By -
Evangelist Alex Kidisangu holds a picture of his prayer partner

During our visits to Tungamalenga, we exchange many gifts. Some are tangible, the gifts of resources and supplies and tokens of our affection, and others are intangible, the gifts of hospitality and understanding and the faithful witness to the power of God's love.

Our Tanzanian partners have been especially generous in sharing their gift of prayer with us. From the start of our partnership, we were told of how representatives from each of twenty village congregations would gather at a central location once a month to pray for Shepherd of the Valley and for the ministry we do together. Some of these evangelists would walk or bike for hours to spend a day in prayer for us.

When we visit our partners, our days are filled with prayers. At the start of any journey, even a ten minute drive to a neighboring village, we pause to pray for safety on the road and for the skill and attentiveness of our driver. At the end of each journey, we give thanks for its conclusion. At the start of a meal we ask a blessing and give thanks for those who have prepared our food. At the start of a meeting, we ask God's guidance. When we visit a new village, we ask God to bring us together in unity.

A few years ago, one of our confirmation classes made prayer cards as gifts. They took photos of people at SOTV and printed cards with the person's name and a promise to pray for our partnership. We had about 25 prayer cards to distribute during that trip, and they were the most requested item that we brought. It was clear that our partners valued the prayers of our congregation and individual members. As we distributed the prayer cards, we took a photo of the Tanzanian recipient holding the SOTV prayer card, and we were able to bring those photos home to give to the prayer partner. It was a beautiful exchange for both partners.

So we're doing that again. So far we've collected about 150 photos of individuals and families. We'll be taking photos again this weekend before and after worship, so stop by and be part of the gift of prayer!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Idodi Secondary School

By -
Image
July 10, 2017 On Monday we headed out to Tungamalenga and Makifu parishes, ready to be offline for the next eight days.  Our first stop was at Idodi Secondary School.  Idodi is the first village we come to in the parish, and we have about 75 students attending the secondary school. Headmaster Christopher Mwasomola welcomed us to his office for an introduction and update. He said that Idodi is known as a community school -- the infrastructure is built by the community (in this case, heavily supported by a group known as Friends of Ruaha) and teachers are provided by the government.  Fun fact: the Friends of Ruaha at one point received a donation from Roy Disney, whose name is included on the dedication plaque for the school's library. The school was registered in 1999 and has 889 students, 437 girls and 452 boys. There are 41 teachers. The government supports salaries, books, lab equipment, desks, and other basic supplies. There are 11 non teaching staff, wi...
Read more

Safari 2013: the journey of a lifetime

By -
Image
Safari in Swahili means journey. We'd like you to consider taking the journey of a lifetime with other Shepherd of the Valley members next summer.  For two weeks in August, you could be ambassadors from our congregation living among and getting to know our partners from Tungamalenga Parish. What's a journey like this look like? We'll fly from Minneapolis to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Dar es Salaam with a short stopover at Kilimanjaro (alas, it will be dark and we don't get off the plane at Kili). That's about 24 hours from start to finish, with a four hour layover in Amsterdam. Arriving at the Landmark Hotel just before midnight, we get a good night's sleep in Dar before the eight to ten hour cross country bus ride to Iringa. notice the US and Tanzanian flags on the dashboard of the bus?   Highlights of that cross country ride include driving about 100 kilimeters of the way through Mikumi National Park -- and if we're lucky, we'l...
Read more

Karibuni sana

By -
Image
Pastor Naftal & Anjelina Ng'amillo In just a couple short weeks, we will be hosting guests from Tanzania. Pastor Naftal and Anjelina Ng'amillo from Tungamalenga Parish, along with Dr Mufwimi and Dora Saga from the Ilula Lutheran Hospital, will arrive in Minnesota October 21 for a stay of just over two weeks. What better way to welcome them than to learn a few words in their language? Karibu sana or, if you are addressing more than one person, Karibuni sana , means "we warmly welcome you." It's pronounced like this: KAH ree boo SAH nah or KAH ree boo nee SAH nah. Jambo means "hello." Another greeting is Habari, which is more like "how are you," to which a Tanzanian might respond Nzuri [good], Salama [peace], or Njema [fine, well, good] and then they might add, Habari yako [and how are you?]. When Tanzanians are in a gathering, like at church or at a meeting, and they rise to speak to the assembly, they almost always start by say...
Read more