Safari Njema, Pastor Diane, Joan and Richard!

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packed and almost ready to go!


Prayers of commissioning were said last Sunday in worship as three members of our congregation are ready to travel to Tanzania again. Pastor Diane Sponheim and Joan and Richard Dornfeld depart on Friday.


They carry with them the love, good wishes, and gifts of this congregation. We've packed four suitcases with gifts: banners to grace the two new chapels that will be dedicated at Makambalala and Mpalapande; colorful VBS t-shirts for children and adults; assorted medical supplies; a couple hundred handmade caps for newborns (thanks to Cris Ireland and Karen Piehler-Shaw); a variety of bibles and study books at levels that range in appeal from child to adult interests; about a hundred totes and book bags, a gift from Godzone children; an assortment of flash drives for university students; a dozen 2012 calendars; laminated posters visually depicting bible verses; sundry personal letters from past travelers or from scholarship sponsors to their students. All will be appreciated, but the gift that will receive a joyous shout from all the children--ten soccer balls along with pumps, a gift from Godzone children.


Along with these gifts, our travelers will make some purchases in Iringa before going out to Tungamalenga and its preaching points. Generous donations from the congregation enable our travelers to purchase a hefty supply of medicines from the Acaccia Pharmacy and deliver them to Tungamalenga Dispensary. Proceeds from last spring's Children In Need Garage Sale provide the funds to purchase six bikes, enabling the many evangelists that serve the twenty village congregations to travel around the parish more efficiently. And funds from the Christmas Gift Giving program will allow our travelers, along with Tungamalenga congregants, to purchase goats for evangelists, and a special gift (yet to be determined) for Huruma Orphanage.


Sounds like our travelers will be busy shopping? Yes, that's a part of the travel itinerary. Here's a quick look at their day to day plans (which can always change to accommodate our partners' plans).


Friday, Sept 23 - Sunday, Sept 25 Air travel from Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Nairobi, arriving in Dar es Salaam on Sunday morning, then spend a restful day in Dar, perhaps at the carver's market or our favorite hangout, Slipway. Additional travelers from Minnesota and Arizona arriving Sunday late evening.


Monday, Sept 26 The long bus ride from Dar to Iringa, sharing the vehicle with people from three other congregations. Great time for conversation and for watching the varied landscapes as you travel inland, from tropical heat and humidity, across the savannah and into the highlands of central Tanzania. My personal favorite? driving through the baobab forest.


Tuesday, Sept 27 - Thursday, Sept 29 Spending time in Iringa, a district government center, also the city where the diocese head office is located. These days will be spent visiting the diocese office, the university, the orphanage; taking care of the shopping mentioned above, probably with the assistance of Pastor Naftal and others from Tungamalenga.


Friday, Sept 30 Drive to Tungamalenga, probably about four hours over rough roads. Down into the Great Rift Valley, and the temps get warmer. This trip, the time in Tungamalenga is relatively short, just Friday through Sunday, October 2. During this time, there will be dedications of two chapels (a big celebration!), probably a partnership meeting, Sunday morning worship, and hopefully a visit to Mahove. There will be discussions about the next steps in a variety of ministries -- the other eight chapels under construction, scholarships, dispensary needs, the water project, the future of the agricultural demo plot, microfinance, and anything else that comes up. The days will be packed!


Sunday, Oct 2 - Following worship, our travelers return to Iringa. Pastor Diane will pack, because Monday morning she'll board a bus back to Dar. Pastor Naftal will escort her, for company, translation, and more conversation. Monday evening, she'll fly back, a shorter route from Dar to Amsterdam and then to Minneapolis.


Joan and Richard will stay in Iringa for the next five months, to teach at Tumaini University. What an opportunity to build relationships and strengthen this partnership!


Safari Njema, rafiki! Safe travels to our dear friends.

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