Because I hold you in my heart

Today we are in Iringa, where we have internet access, and we are catching up by posting stories from the past weeks.  This was a sermon delivered at Tungamalenga Congregation on July 27 by Kirsten, before the first group of travelers arrived in Tanzania.

 

Namshukuru mungu wangu kila niwakumbukapo, sikuzote kila niwaombeapo ninyi nyote nikisema sala zangu kwa furaha, kwa sababu ya ushirika wenu katika kuieneza Injili, tangu siku ile ya kwanza hata leo hivi.  Nami niliaminilo ndilo hili, ya kwamba yeye aliyeanza kazi njema mioyoni mwenu ataimaliza hata siku ya Kristo Yesu.  Vilevile kama ilivyo wajibu wangu kufukiri haya juu yenu nyote; kwasababu ninyi mmo moyoni mwangu.

Wafilipi 1:3-7a  (moja: tatu kwa saba)

 

[I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that the one that began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.  It is right for me to feel this way about you, because I hold you in my heart.]

 

From the first day until now – I have been thinking a lot lately about the first time I visited this place, and all the times until now.  This is my tenth visit to Tanzania, and next week will be the first time my husband joins me in this place.  Our congregations have been partners through three changes of pastoral leadership, and it has been my pleasure to meet Pastor Eva and Pastor Bryson and to envision working together with them for years into the future.

So because I have been remembering my first time with you, and all the times until now, I want to share with you some of the reasons I say ‘kwasababu ninyi mmo moyoni mwangu [because I hold you in my heart].”

During my first time with you, I met a young girl named Atu.  She was only three years old, almost a baby, not ready to be away from her mama, and she came along with her parents and our group when we went on safari to Ruaha National Park.  All day as we drove around in search of animals to see, she would sing little made up songs.  Tembo, tembo, tembo….twiga twiga twiga… and when there were no animals to sing about, she sang ‘baba, baba, baba…” and then her father would take her into his loving arms. By her singing, she taught us all the names of the animals in Swahili.  Even pundamelia I still remember.  I still remember and pray for that little girl, kwasababu ninyi mmo moyoni mwangu.

During that same visit, I met a woman named Mama Petro. She had a sad story of a son whose behavior was rather bad and disgraceful, and she was concerned for him.  She asked us to pray for him.  Two years later, when we visited, she rejoiced and told us that God had saved him from his wayward ways, and she thanked us for our prayers.  You should know that young man is now studying to be a pastor. Next she asked us to pray that a chapel would be constructed in her village so that the congregation could have a place to worship.  Next she asked us to pray that a source of water be brought to her village.  She spoke eloquently about how long and how hard the women and girls of her village worked every day to bring water, and her stories touched our hearts.  You know the rest of the story – eventually we worked together to bring water to her village and to construct a chapel.  All these years, I was challenged and impressed by the priorities she lived and articulated for us.  Her first concern was for her son, her next was for a place to worship, and last was for the water source that would ease her daily burden.  I asked her last year, what do you want us to pray for next? And she said, that our partnership be strengthened forever. I still pray for that woman, kwasababu ninyi mmo moyoni mwangu.

Another person I remember from several visits was Enoch Ndapisi.  He was the partnership chairperson during the early years, and he was a guest to Minnesota in 2006.  I remember his kindness, his wisdom, and his courage when he was recovering from a stroke.  I am not the only one who loved him – when he died this past year one of our members said that the light of God shone in his eyes and that she thought there was rejoicing when he reached the gates of heaven that day. I still remember Enoch and his partnership in the Gospel from the first day, kwasababu ninyi mmo moyoni mwangu.

Another person I remember with great joy is your Evangelist, Absalum Kilipamwambu.  He was among the first I met, and we have met many times in the years since.  I love it when he leads the singing, or when he sits next to me in worship and encourages me with the whole hearted way he sings praise to God.  I am thankful for all the construction projects he has been involved with – I think he was even finishing the lovely railing in this sanctuary just hours before our arrival one year. I am thankful for his voice and opinions during many years of partnership meetings.  He didn’t always say exactly what I wanted to hear, but he always shared his opinion openly.  I especially remember one time, when we were negotiating how to proceed with a project, and we wanted to go one way, and our partners wanted to go another way.  We thought maybe we could try to talk them into considering our way, and he very forcefully said NO! It was an important moment for which I am grateful, because it showed us how important the matter was to you, and we took care to listen more carefully thereafter.  I am grateful to Absalum and I am grateful that he is once again serving as an Evangelist in this parish, kwasababu ninyi mmo moyoni mwangu.

 

There are so many of you for whom I pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel, from the first day until now.  I’m afraid if I try to mention each one I will leave someone out.  But I thank my God for all those who have served as Evangelists and church elders, for all who have served on the partnership committee, for all who have contributed to the construction projects, for all who have provided loving hospitality for us when we visit, for all who sing and invite us to dance with you in praise to God.

I am confident that the God who has called us into this partnership and who has begun a good work in us will indeed carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.

The hymnal and liturgy book that we use in Minnesota includes a prayer that reminds me of coming to Tanzania for the first time.  You will see this prayer on the t-shirts that my travelers wear when they come next week.  It goes like this:

O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

 I think this prayer is perfect for our partnership.  God is calling us, together, Hehe, Bena, Maasai, Barabeig and Americans, to venture into this partnership, not knowing exactly how any thing we do will end.  We begin a chapel not knowing when the funds will be available for the roof.  We send a child to school not knowing how that will affect his family at home, not knowing whether she will be successful, not knowing whether there will be a job available when she is finished with school.  We began a venture together to bring water to Mahove, not knowing how difficult the job would become, not knowing that we would sometimes disagree about the way to proceed.  Now God is calling us to provide a school for Barabeig and Maasai at Mpalapande, and we do not know exactly how that will turn out or what the perils will be along the way.

So we ask God to give us faith to go out with good courage, knowing that God’s hand is leading and God’s love is supporting us.

We have seen this happen many times in this partnership, have we not?

I remember a time when we were driving to Isanga, and we came to a place in the road where there was a steep ravine.  Perhaps a Land Cruiser could pass this way, very far down and then up again, but the bus we road could not cross.  Our Tanzanian friends got out of the bus to survey the situation.  There was yet another two or three kilometers to walk to get to the village, where the congregation was expecting us.  How would we get there?  Could we walk? Our Tanzanian friends did not think the Americans could do it, but we said we would try.  And that walk, side by side and shoulder to shoulder, sharing stories and songs along the way, friends helping friends carry back packs – that walk became the best memory of the trip.  We went out with good courage, knowing God’s hand was leading us and God’s love supported us.

You have sent church members to USA several times – Pastor Alfred, Enoch, Twandisyege; Barnabas and Alice; Naftal and Anjelina; and recently Pastor John Mhekwa.  None of these knew what their venture would be like, none of them knew what perils might await them.  I remember that Barnabas here told me he was sure the flight on the airplane would make him sick to his stomach, but he had the courage to get on the airplane anyway. God gave them the courage to travel to a distant land, where the love of God in their friends at Shepherd of the Valley supported them.

Just when we were getting used to a partnership between Shepherd of the Valley and one parish, Tungamalenga Parish, then last year the parish split into two.  We now are going ahead with good courage, not knowing exactly how this is going to go, but we know that God’s hand is leading us and that God’s love supports us.  Even if, as I have been told, Idodi preaching point someday becomes an independent parish, and if we become a partnership of three Tanzanian parishes and one Saint Paul Area Synod parish, we know that God’s love will lead us and that God’s love will support us.

So for all these things,

 I continue to pray, Namshukuru mungu wangu kila niwakumbukapo, sikuzote kila niwaombeapo ninyi nyote nikisema sala zangu kwa furaha, kwa sababu ya ushirika wenu katika kuieneza Injili, tangu siku ile ya kwanza hata leo hivi.  Nami niliaminilo ndilo hili, ya kwamba yeye aliyeanza kazi njema mioyoni mwenu ataimaliza hata siku ya Kristo Yesu.  Vilevile kama ilivyo wajibu wangu kufukiri haya juu yenu nyote; kwasababu ninyi mmo moyoni mwangu.

Asanteni sana,

Amen.