Tanzania Partnership

Rev. Dr. Benjamin Ngede leaving Kihesa Lutheran Church Bishop Mdegella Our friends in Iringa, Tanzania are reporting that Benjamin Ngede's funeral was the largest in anyone's memory, with estimates of a crowd as large as 3,000 attending the gravesite services. Here is an account written by Pastor Kent Claussen Gubrud from Christus Victor Lutheran Church in Apple Valley. Literally thousands of people came to mourn and remember Rev. Dr. Benjamin Ngede, gathering from far and wide across Tanzania. We were picked up at noon and brought to Kihesa Church gathering hall for a bite for lunch, as all of the pastors gathered together putting on their robes and stoles for the procession to the church, along with the faculty of Tumaini University all decked out in their academic robes. Our instructions from Rev. Msigwa were to go to the church ahead of time to be seated, which turned out to be in the middle of all the pastors, to the left of the family, who either sat up front or on the fl...

I'm now in Amsterdam, feeling the weird re-entry culture shock that always hits. About 24 hours ago we woke in Iringa. Pastor Julie received a call at 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning from the family of Benjamin Ngede; his body was on its way to Iringa and would arrive at his home in about one hour. We were invited to come pay our condolence call before our departure for Dar and eventually Minneapolis. We arrived just after the truck carrying the coffin, and followed a line of vehicles filled with people to the house. We could hear the amplified music several homes away, and the house was filled with family and friends. Thank God for our friend Tuti, who embraced us and led us through the unfamiliar cultural norms. We greeted family members as they watched as the coffin was unloaded. She led us into the house, past the men standing in the courtyard, past the living room full of women mourning, down the small hall to the bedroom where close family and friends were supporting Benjamin'...

Hearts are grieving all over the Iringa Diocese and the St. Paul Area Synod with the news that our dear friend Benjamin Ngede died suddenly yesterday afternoon. Benjamin was a pastor in this diocese, professor of theology at Tumaini University, a father, son, husband and friend to many. For those of in the Saint Paul Area Synod, he was one of the foundational members of this Bega Kwa Bega partnership. He had been the first Tanzanian pastor to come to Minnesota in the 1980s as part of a pastor exchange program. He befriended Rev. Don and Eunice Fultz, then from Faith Lutheran in Forest Lake, who later became coordinators of this partnership. In the early years, congregational visitors from St Paul frequently were accompanied by Benjamin as interpreter on their village visits, and many of us were honored to share a meal in his home--evenings which were memorable for the warmth of hospitality, good food, wonderful storytelling, heartfelt singing, and for the blessing of friendship in Chri...

I've visited Huruma Centre three times this week. Huruma is the orphanage operated by the Iringa Diocese and it is run by a small dedicated staff led by Mama Chilewa. She's amazing. There are partners from Germany who provide most of the buildings, friends from the Saint Paul Area Synod who provide gifts of school uniforms, and many of the visiting congregations (like ours) stop out to play with the children and offer gifts. Many of us bring t-shirts, toys, crayons, soccer balls. Shepherd of the Valley members provide scholarship support to twelve students who have reached the age of secondary school. Most of these attend local government day schools and sleep at the orphanage. However, in recent years the government has more strictly enforced the age limits for those housed at the center, and some of our older students have had to find places to live outside the center. I was back at Huruma Tuesday to take photos of the secondary students. Mama Chilewa gathered them in h...

Habari, Kamwene, How are you? One of the small but telling details about Tanzanian culture is the attention and care that is given to greeting people. Sometimes I am walking about with my Tanzanian friends and I watch them greet so many people they pass and find out only later that they barely know the person. But each person they pass or meet is greeted with the same respect and warmth. It's an interesting contrast to our american culture that teaches its children not to speak to strangers, and that emphasizes moving forward to the goal rather than enjoying the journey. Think about the time I spend in the grocery store at home. I'm focused on my list, on getting in and out in as short a time as I can. I don't stop for conversation with other shoppers. Yet here in the market we all stop for 'how are you' and to exchange a word or two or three. When I was at Idodi Secondary School last week, I had a young woman walk me across campus a couple times. She would hold my ...

It's Monday, and early this morning Pastor Randy, Mark, Stephen, and Brandon boarded the bus with driver Peter for the long journey to Dar. They'll get in to the city in time to shop at Slipway (and I think they surprised themselves with the amount of shopping they ended up doing these past few days), have a nice dinner at Sea Cliff, and then get to the airport for their 11:30 PM flight to Amsterdam. In about 24 hours, they'll be landing in Minneapolis. May the roads be smooth and the traffic be light today. I'll miss their good humor and cheerful company. This was one of the most low-maintenance groups I've ever accompanied on this wonderful journey. They were always ready for the next adventure, and we had many. Stephen and Brandon had really studied their Swahili in preparation for the trip and were able to pick up lots of new phrases while here. For first time visitors, they all showed great insights and willingness to be open to the cultural differences t...

We're back in Iringa after an eventful week in Tungamalenga. Each day was filled with so many experiences that it feels as though we were there at least three weeks, not just one. We worshipped with our brothers and sisters, sometimes in chapels and sometimes beneath the shade of beautiful trees. We saw three new babies born at the Tungamalenga Dispensary, and we gave our condolences to at least three families who have experienced death in recent weeks. We prayed with those who are sick, we visited schools and dispensaries, and we learned much about the challenges and joys of living in the rural areas of Tanzania. We are always so grateful for the ways our partners open their homes and their lives to include us on our visits. We also sat together in meetings--meetings at the diocese head office, a partnership meeting, a meeting with all evangelists, a meeting with leaders of the SACCOs (microfinance cooperative), a meeting with the elders of a remote congregation and their loca...

It's Saturday morning in Iringa, we've completed our tasks in the market, and soon will be on the road to Tungamalega. We will spend the next six days in the villages and on safari, meeting our brothers and sisters and learning more about what we can do together to support evangelism, education, heath care and economic development. As we have spent time in Iringa, we have met old friends and made many new ones. Barnabas and Pastor Naftal have been with us much of the time, assisting us as we purchased medicines, solar lamps, school supplies and other gifts for our partners. We had an especially moving time yesterday at Huruma Orphanage, where as always Mama Chilewa is facing the challenges of caring for children who have overcome many challenges themselves. What a joy it is to see them playing, to share a few gifts, to see their smiles. We brought t-shirts, school supplies, and huge bags of maize. Looking ahead, we are ready to meet close friends in Tungamalenga. There is much ...

After two eight hour plane rides, an eleven hour bus ride, and a time change that puts you in a zombie-like state, we are finally here! Immediately upon our arrival in Africa, many things came to my attention. But the most significant thing that I have seen in the few days since our arrival is the quality of life that the men and women of this country seem to have. Although many Americans attempt to quantify quality of life with money earned or job positions held, our brothers and sisters in Africa have a different measuring system for their happiness (And no, it's not the metric system!). Poverty in Africa is widespread and very sad to see. It's easy to imagine how many Africans live from the comfort from our homes in America. But in order to fully grasp the life that these men and women live, I believe a firsthand experience is necessary. Driving through downtown Dar es Salaam yesterday could be very painful at times to see how the other half lives. Many families live on a da...

Stephen, Brandon, Mark, Pastor Randy, & Kirsten We're packed for the journey and ready to go. Stephen, Brandon & Mark will depart Monday evening, with Pastor Randy & Kirsten not far behind them on Tuesday morning. We'll all meet in Amsterdam for the flight to Dar es Salaam. Here's our rough itinerary for the next few weeks: August 5 bus ride to Iringa August 6 visit Iringa Diocese head office, market, orphanage August 7 bus to Tungamalenga August 8 worship at Idodi village, tour Namelok village in the afternoon August 9 partnership committee meeting, tour Mpalapande village August 10 Mahove village tour, meet with elders & local government leaders to discuss water August 11 most of group goes on safari to Mwagusi Camp, Ruaha National Park; Kirsten continues village visits at Malunde, Makambalala, Tungamalenga Dispensary, and gathering with evangelists August 12 Idodi Secondary School visit, Kibaoni village tour August 13 farewell gathering in Tungamalenga, ...