Tanzania Partnership

We left the house this morning at 9 AM and returned home at 9 PM.  Great day! We started the day at Shannon Park Elementary in Rosemount.  Whereas Rosemount Elementary is an older, traditionally built school, Shannon Park is very new, built with an open layout.  John showed these kids where Tanzania is, and then we listened to them make morning announcements. We planned for a tour lasting 30 - 45 minutes at this school and ended up enjoying an hour in the company of Principal Mark Guthrie.  A kindergarten teacher called us into her room, and when she heard John was from Tanzania, "Karibu!" This kindergarten class learns a little Swahili each year, so the teacher pulled us in for an impromptu lesson.  John showed the students his flight pattern on the map and we had a quick conversation about life in Tanzania. After the elementary school, we popped into Shepherd of the Valley's Celebrating Preschool classroom with Carol Read and the 4/5 y...

Today we visited an elementary school and a college.  Here we are in the nurse's office at Rosemount Elementary with Jeanne Fifield.   We spent an hour in Mrs. Kelly's kindergarten class, observing the student's morning routine. We got to talk with students as they worked on their writing projects.  At story time, John was impressed with how the teacher would pause at key points in the story, asking children to predict what might happen next. He noted that Tanzanian education systems do not foster the critical thinking skills being developed even at this early age. John found a special friend. We spent the second hour in a second grade classroom equipped with a Smart board.  The teacher here is a member of Easter Lutheran in nearby Eagan, and had visited Iringa and Nyanzwa in 2006.  She had shared some of her photos and experiences with the children, who prepared questions for John. What are your homes like? Do you live in a city,...

We are having wonderful days with John! Seeing new places, meeting old friends, making new friends, and sharing our perceptions of all these things. One of our ongoing jokes is "The Schedule."  The Schedule is an ever-changing document that details our appointments each day, even down to who is coming to dinner each evening.  With so many different activities and hosts throughout the visit, The Schedule is a necessary thing.  And every time someone asks John what he will be doing during this visit, he responds with mock seriousness, "Let me consult the schedule." We have added a few things to the original schedule at John's request -- a meeting with a member of the church staff who oversees the vision implementation, a meeting with a staff member who oversees human resources management. John explains very well the cultural differences in the way Americans and Tanzanians view time.  Americans, John says, use the clock for time.  Tanzanians use events. ...

Sunday mornings at Shepherd of the Valley are a whirlwind of worship, music, people, people and more people.  Today John worshiped at the early and late services and was the speaker at Adult Forum during the middle service. Between services, he met many people in the narthex. Old friends Ken and Birdie Olson from St James Lutheran Church in Burnsville came to greet John. He met many new people who support our Tanzania Partnership, like David & Juanita Brandenburg, above. Pastor John was a dynamic speaker in Adult Forum.  Randy Hurley interviewed him, giving him the opportunity to tell stories about his growing up years, his school experiences, his recent courtship and marriage to wife Addy, and his plans for the future. John gave a heartfelt word of thanks for the scholarship support he has received from Shepherd of the Valley. More dear friends -- Ben and Char Kilgore.   John served communion during the 11 AM worship service. ...

Day three of our visit was spent at Shepherd of the Valley.  We arrived at 8:30 AM and left at 7:30 PM.  What a great day! The morning was spent preparing for two confirmation worship services with 80 young people. There was breakfast, rehearsal, photos, and a light lunch. Then two worship services, another light lunch between.  Here's John congratulating confirmands after the services. The SOTV pastors are a fun group to hang out with. From the left, that's Pastor Diane Sponheim, Pastor Chris Smith, Pastor John, Pastor Duane Paetznick, and Pastor Mary Lund.  On the left his Dave Johnson, who works with Bega Kwa Bega and the Agriculture Institute in Iringa.  Dave's granddaughter was confirmed today.  He and Pastor John have a lot of Tanzanian friends in common. John with three of today's confirmands. Between confirmation services and the regular 5 PM worship service, John had a conversation with Pastor Duane, who exp...