Tanzania Partnership

It's 5 PM on Thursday, July 31 and I am in Iringa after a wonderful and full week in Tungamalenga and Makifu Parishes.  I arrived in town about 2 PM and the first group of SOTV travelers will arrive here between 7 and 8 PM. For the first time ever, by next week I will be able to say I have visited every village congregation or preaching point in one year.  Both Tungamalenga and Makifu now have 8 preaching points each.  Here's where I've been.... Tungamalenga Namelok Idodi Mpalapande Mapogoro Kisilwa Ikwavila Mahuninga Makifu Malunde Isanga Makambalala Mahove Kitisi Kibaoni ....I've been everywhere except Msembe, which I will visit next week when we go to the game park. There have been wonderful visits, productive meetings, many new friends and renewing friendships with many old and dear friends. As always, one of the saddest parts of the visit is learning who is no longer with us.  In April, Jacob Ngulo died.  He was an ...

Our fearless leader, Kirsten Levorson, keeper of this blog and partnership coordinator, is incommunicado until Thursday. So you're stuck with me until then. ;) This Tuesday, our first group of travelers will begin their 2-day travel to Tanzania, beginning from MSP to Amsterdam. From there, they will fly to Dar es Salaam and take a bus to Iringa where the Lutheran church's Diocese (what we call a Synod in the US) is located. They will meet up with Kirsten in Iringa on Thursday, and travel together to Tungamalenga on Saturday. The full itinerary is listed here. Be sure to check it often. As Kirsten states, it could change at any time "when amazing opportunities to arise." Please pray for our travelers and the work of our partership!

"Babu" Israel Kiponda   Our groups don't usually spend too many days in Iringa, the big city in this region of Tanzania, preferring to spend our limited time in the villages of our partners.  On this first leg of the trip, I have two nights in the city.  It becomes a rather hectic day of renewing dear friendships, checking in with diocese and Bega Kwa Bega friends, and some rather hectic dashes around the market to purchase things we want to take as gifts to our partners, then arranging the logistics of transport.   Today was not much different from other first days in town.  I started by attending morning devotions at the diocese head office.  Rev. Lusungu Msigwa was a helpful translator.  It occurred to me that often when translating from our English speeches to Swahili, our translators sometimes speak for longer than we do -- explaining something we've said that might not mean the same thing to our audience.  Msigwa is the master of ...

Kids attending Shepherd of the Valley's Vacation Bible School during the past two weeks have been raising funds to purchase mosquito nets during our visit to Tanzania.  The nets will be distributed throughout Tungamalenga and Makifu Parishes, targeted to children under the age of five, who are most susceptible to the risk of malaria. Over the two weeks of VBS over $1,500 was raised! Children collected what they called their Zawadi Coins -- Zawadi means gift in Swahili. The children learned that mosquito nets are important because they protect children when they are asleep and most vulnerable to the mosquitos who carry the disease. Thank you, children of Shepherd of the Valley! You are truly making a difference in the lives of our Tanzanian partners.  Last year, Dr. Barnabas told us that since the beginning of the Mbu [Mosquito] Project, the number of children in the area who suffer from malaria has decreased significantly.  Dr. Barnabas ...

Over the course of the next month, 25 Shepherd of the Valley members in three waves ( see our itinerary here ) will travel to visit our brothers and sisters in the Iringa Diocese and in our partner congregations at Makifu and Tungamalenga Parishes. The number one question we are asked is, "What will you do?" We will not be building a school, or digging a well, or going house to house inviting people to come to church.  Our Tanzanian brothers and sisters do those tasks of ministry very well all on their own. On our trips, we build relationships. 2002 2006 2006 2008 2009 2013 2013 2013 This year, we will have the privilege of getting to know two new pastors serving Tungamalenga Parish -- Senior Pastor Eva Mnemna and her husband, Pastor Bryson Msigwa, in addition to Pastor Nejabel Madembo of Makifu Parish and Pastor Paulo Masinga of Mpalapande. We will renew friendships with Dr. Barnabas and Alice, Rev....

As our group of 25 travelers prepares to visit our Tanzanian partners in the next few weeks, one thing we are especially looking forward to is meeting the students we sponsor. Scott, Rich and Nancy Nonini met  Mwanne K. last year Shepherd of the Valley provides scholarships to over 150 secondary and university students each year.  As we travel around Iringa and to Tungamalenga and Makifu, we are often met by students or former students, or we meet their parents. Kambona K. is one of our recent graduates.  Last summer as we traveled from village to village, he stepped up to translate during our visit to Mpalapande.  We've recently learned he was accepted into a university program in which he will earn a certificate in community development.  Congratulations, Kambona! Two years ago, Sharon Mertz, a retired nurse, was delighted to meet these nursing students working at the Tungamalenga Dispensary.   We've been providing scholars...

Packing is a process! I am an over packer. I am the  ‘let’s put this in just in case’  packer. So packing in a carry on suitcase for my upcoming two week trip to visit our brothers and sisters in Tanzania is going to be a process!  I have been making lists and checking them with those that have made this trip before me, crossing off things I don’t need to be bringing, adding new things, with the knowledge that everything on this list has to fit into my small carry on.  Planning for this trip began years ago for me, from having interest in going to actually being able to go.  Getting over to Tanzania is the end of the planning and packing process and the beginning of a new process, that of new experiences and friendships with those we will meet and spend time with, walking with them in their faith. I am honored to be able to travel around the world to share in community and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I am thankful for...