What's happening in Iringa?

January and February is a pretty busy time for Saint Paul Area Synod partners visiting Iringa, Tanzania.  What's not to like about leaving Minnesota cold, snow and ice for the warmth of Iringa's January sun?  So I'd like to call your attention to a few currently active travel blogs.

http://lynandmollieintz.blogspot.com/  SOTV members Lyn and Mollie MacLean are about halfway through their two month stay in Iringa.  This week they are visiting secondary schools in the Iringa Diocese, meeting and taking photos of many of the students sponsored by congregations in our synod.

http://iringahope2013.blogspot.com/  Tom and Sandy Hendrickson are members of Christiania Lutheran in Lakeville, and are involved in the nonprofit organization Iringa Hope, which supports microfinance work in the Iringa Diocese.  They travel each day to another Tanzanian congregation and report on the successes and challenges of establishing a cooperative banking system in a country where 90% of the people have never had a bank account before.

http://gachurch-kipenzelo-tz.blogspot.com/ Pastor Bonnie Wilcox and a group from Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church in St. Paul depart this week to visit their partner congregation, Kiponzelo.  Her first blog entry tells a story of when she was pastor at SOTV in 2002, traveling to Tanzania for the first time, and some lessons learned along the way.

Finally, here are a couple reports from Day of Grace, an event organized by Bega kwa Bega and Iringa Diocese leaders.  Dr. Randy and Kari Hurley from Shepherd of the Valley were involved in the medical assessments given.

From organizers Rev. Tom and Beth Hansen:

The Day of Grace Program is a partnership, done in cooperation with the Diocese of Iringa (DIRA) Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania and Bega Kwa Bega, a ministry of the St. Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, together with Bega Kwa Bega affiliates; Shoulder to Shoulder, a medical ministry and St. Paul Partners, a ministry which provides wells and clean water. We gathered to celebrate the second Day of Grace program in Iringa, Tanzania during the week of January 13, 2013. Each Day of Grace gathering was a two-day event designed to offer a wholistic program of care and support to DIRA pastors and their spouses serving the gospel of Jesus Christ. This year around 300 pastors and their spouses attended one of the three Day of Grace programs, provided in honor of the late, Dr. Benjamin Ngede, who pioneered and nurtured the Bega Kwa Bega partner relationship.

The Day of Grace programs were presented at Kihesa Lutheran Church and Life Skills Center in Iringa. Each Day of Grace program included morning worship, a presentation and Bible study focused upon strengthening marriage and family relationships, presentations on entrepreneurship for both pastors and spouses and teaching on water hygiene, self-breast exams and physical health assessments. Last year, parish pastors were offered preventive physical health assessments by volunteer physicians and medical professionals from the Twin Cities area. This year, the pastor’s spouses had an opportunity to receive the physical health assessments (health assessment information is noted in Dr. Randy Hurley’s report).  A generous anonymous contribution was received this year to pay for transportation, accommodations, meals and programming for the pastors and their spouses who were invited to attend at no cost. Thus, a day of grace!  All those involved in the planning, organization, medical exams and care volunteered their time and paid for all their own expenses.

The Day of Grace participants were very appreciative for the opportunity to come together with their spouses for this time away. Dean Blastone Gavile, DIRA, Assistant to the Bishop, writes: “On behalf of the ELCT Iringa Diocese, the Bishop, all pastors and their spouses; I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to you for your marvelous love, kindness, generosity, compassion and cooperation on the program of the Day of Grace. Everyone who participated on the Day of Grace was moved with joyful and excited moment of resting, recreation and education. And this gave a new aspiration and insight toward serving our Lord God who has called to serve him in his ministry.”

The 2013 Day of Grace Leadership Team included: Dean Blastone Gavile; Rev. Lusungu Msigwa; Rev. Tom and Beth Hansen; Dr. Randy and Kari Hurley; Dr. Ken Olson; Dr. Mufwimi Saga; Jim and Betty Wolf.

Once again this year, we feel privileged and richly blessed to have had the opportunity to partner with our friends in Iringa for the 2013 Day of Grace programs. The Holy Spirit continues to grow us more deeply together in our love for God and for one another. We give thanks to God for his love in Christ and the grace we have come to know in him.        

And from Dr. Randy Hurley:

Day of Grace, 2013, took place on 3 separate occasions during the week of  Jan 14^th 2013 at Kihese Life Skills Center in Iringa Tanzania.  Intended as a emotional, spiritual and health-related retreat for Lutheran Pastors and their spouses, each 2 day event featured bible study, community time, informational sessions on relationships and physical health assessments for pastor’s spouses.

 The physical assessments included blood pressure, pulse, height, weight and vision screening.  Attendees were offered blood glucose checks and a history and physical exam.  Female participants were offered cervical cancer screening with visual inspection with acetic acid (according to TZ Ministry of Health guidelines) and were taught breast self exam. 

The physical assessments were conducted by physicians, a GYN nurse practitioner, pharmacists, a medical student, pharmacy students and a nutrition specialist and were assisted by Swahili interpreters.  Medications such as paracetamol and ibuprofen were available onsite for dispensing without charge.  Glasses for near-vision reading were dispensed without charge.  Patients needing prescriptions for hypertension of diabetes were given small sums of Tanzanian shillings to cover the costs.  A record was kept of those needing more specialized health care services with the intent to raise funds for this care thru the BegaKwaBega companion congregation program  of the  St Paul Area Synod.

One hundred and eighty two attendees registered for the physical health assessment component of the event. Of these, complete records are available on 161 attendees of which 123 were female.  The median age was 43 (range 22-80).  The median number of children per female attendee was 4 (range 0-9) and the median number of people living in each household was 6 (range 1-17).  Thirty three of 161 households had experienced the death of a child under 5 years of age (with two families suffering the death of 3 children under 5 each).  Eighty six of the 161 households (over 50%) did not have access to water in the home.

 

Shepherd of the Valley received follow up reports on two members of its congregation who need eyeglasses, treatment for hypertension, and a simple surgical procedure.  Funds are on their way to Iringa to provide the needed medical care.

Over 100 women underwent cervical cancer screening but no cases of malignant or pre-malignant lesions were identified in these women. One case of locally advanced (stage 3) breast cancer was identified.  Twenty two attendees (13%)  had an elevated blood pressure (greater then 140/90).  Six cases of previously undiagnosed diabetes were identified.  Prescriptions for medications were written for 69 attendees.  Recommendations for additional care were given to 47 attendees. Glasses for distance vision was the most common reason for referral for additional care  (30 attendees)