TZ 2015 First week
Today is Friday, I am about to leave the city of Iringa to spend a week in the villages. This will be a speed blog to catch you up on all that has happened since our packing and commissioning last Sunday.
How can a week have passed without a blog post? I suppose the answer is that somehow the travel days have become almost routine, and another answer is that the travel days can leave a body too tired to write coherently at the end of the day.
Last Sunday, after the travelers were commissioned in worship and packed the bags of gifts, many of us celebrated the marriage of BKB Director Rev. Peter Harrits and Jenny Buckley. There were so many signs of Tanzania throughout the day, from the colorful kitanga table cloths to the "Bwana Yesu Asifiwe" responses to the table blessing at the reception.
On Monday morning there were details to cover at church before driving to the airport. The flights all went smoothly. The only surprises were that remodeling construction at Schiphol Airport meant a longer walk than usual from the arrival gate to the departure gate, and I didn't have to go through a second security check before boarding the plane. My second surprise was when I arrived in Dar and didn't realize it -- the flight was direct to DAR from Amsterdam without the usual layover at Kilimanjaro. (Note to self: read, read, read those flight documents.)
So I arrived early in Dar, but with a full plane, offloading the luggage took longer than usual. After 90 minutes of watching for my checked baggage, I (and about 50 others) started filling out lost baggage claim forms. Then we were told, wait! Another truck of cargo had been found forgotten on the tarmac. Another 30 minutes later, I had my bag and was out the door, met by a smiling Rev. John Mhekwa.
We had a short but restful night in Dar, a taxi to the bus station, and an uneventful nine hour drive by bus to Iringa. By then my legs needed to walk, and my luggage was light, so we started walking toward the Lutheran Center. Not two blocks away from the bus station, our friend Tutsi, who manages the Lutheran Center, drove past and pulled over. She insisted on giving us a ride. Dinner that evening was a lovely conversation with John and Addy.
Thursday morning (what day is it? I kept asking) was the start of many happy reunions. I attended morning devotions at the diocese head offices. So many dear friends -- General Secretary Naiman Chavalla, Dr. Mufwimi Saga, BKB Liaison Rev. Lusungu Msigwa, Scholarship Clerk Frank Mkocha to name just a few. I had a good long chat with Chavalla to catch up and outline some of the goals of my trip. He suggested dates for a few additional meetings.
The rest of the morning was spent kuzunguka-ing around the Iringa market -- it may look like we're walking in circles, but it's with a purpose. My tasks are to purchase the medicines we will take out to the dispensary, and mosquito nets. I can order the nets but they will not be available until next week. For the medicines, we need to wait for Dr. Barnabas to bring the list. My email of last week asking his assistance has gone missing, so he had not planned to come to town. We connect by phone and he graciously alters his plans.
After a few more errands to this shop and that shop, we have time for a quick lunch at the Hasty Tasty Too. Then Pastors Eva and John and I decide to take a quick trip to Ihemi to see the site where John is in charge of constructing a new secondary school for the diocese. [I fall asleep along the way.]
We see a building whose walls are constructed, the next step is to add the roof. The school was originally the dream of the local churches who wanted a church school close to home for their children to attend. At some point the project became a diocese project and Pastor John was given the task of overseeing its completion. Unfortunately, the project has no funding available.
We return to Iringa and it is almost evening. John and I walked from the market area up to the Mlandege area where he and Addy rent a room. They have prepared a delicious meal and welcome me to their home. Twenty month old Patricia provides the entertainment. She has the confidence of a well loved child and the busy-ness of any toddler. She pretend cooks in the corner while Mama cooks nearby. After dinner she began to sing and it took us awhile to catch her words -- and then it became clear she was singing Hallelujah. Amen.
This morning my tasks are to update the blog [check], purchase and load the medicines, and head to Tungamalenga. Companions on this journey will include Pastor Eva and Pastor John as interpreter, and also Mr.Frank Mkocha from DIRA. Frank is the new Scholarship Clerk (the scholarship program has grown so large that it needs its own staff) and is with me to see the scholarship program from the perspective of this partnership. We hope to arrange a meeting with parents, so that we can answer questions and hear their concerns after the initial year of a restructured program.
First thing on today's schedule once we arrive in Tungamalenga --well, after the welcome and dancing through the village -- will be a partnership meeting. May our conversations be blessed!
How can a week have passed without a blog post? I suppose the answer is that somehow the travel days have become almost routine, and another answer is that the travel days can leave a body too tired to write coherently at the end of the day.
Last Sunday, after the travelers were commissioned in worship and packed the bags of gifts, many of us celebrated the marriage of BKB Director Rev. Peter Harrits and Jenny Buckley. There were so many signs of Tanzania throughout the day, from the colorful kitanga table cloths to the "Bwana Yesu Asifiwe" responses to the table blessing at the reception.
On Monday morning there were details to cover at church before driving to the airport. The flights all went smoothly. The only surprises were that remodeling construction at Schiphol Airport meant a longer walk than usual from the arrival gate to the departure gate, and I didn't have to go through a second security check before boarding the plane. My second surprise was when I arrived in Dar and didn't realize it -- the flight was direct to DAR from Amsterdam without the usual layover at Kilimanjaro. (Note to self: read, read, read those flight documents.)
So I arrived early in Dar, but with a full plane, offloading the luggage took longer than usual. After 90 minutes of watching for my checked baggage, I (and about 50 others) started filling out lost baggage claim forms. Then we were told, wait! Another truck of cargo had been found forgotten on the tarmac. Another 30 minutes later, I had my bag and was out the door, met by a smiling Rev. John Mhekwa.
We had a short but restful night in Dar, a taxi to the bus station, and an uneventful nine hour drive by bus to Iringa. By then my legs needed to walk, and my luggage was light, so we started walking toward the Lutheran Center. Not two blocks away from the bus station, our friend Tutsi, who manages the Lutheran Center, drove past and pulled over. She insisted on giving us a ride. Dinner that evening was a lovely conversation with John and Addy.
Thursday morning (what day is it? I kept asking) was the start of many happy reunions. I attended morning devotions at the diocese head offices. So many dear friends -- General Secretary Naiman Chavalla, Dr. Mufwimi Saga, BKB Liaison Rev. Lusungu Msigwa, Scholarship Clerk Frank Mkocha to name just a few. I had a good long chat with Chavalla to catch up and outline some of the goals of my trip. He suggested dates for a few additional meetings.
The rest of the morning was spent kuzunguka-ing around the Iringa market -- it may look like we're walking in circles, but it's with a purpose. My tasks are to purchase the medicines we will take out to the dispensary, and mosquito nets. I can order the nets but they will not be available until next week. For the medicines, we need to wait for Dr. Barnabas to bring the list. My email of last week asking his assistance has gone missing, so he had not planned to come to town. We connect by phone and he graciously alters his plans.
After a few more errands to this shop and that shop, we have time for a quick lunch at the Hasty Tasty Too. Then Pastors Eva and John and I decide to take a quick trip to Ihemi to see the site where John is in charge of constructing a new secondary school for the diocese. [I fall asleep along the way.]
We see a building whose walls are constructed, the next step is to add the roof. The school was originally the dream of the local churches who wanted a church school close to home for their children to attend. At some point the project became a diocese project and Pastor John was given the task of overseeing its completion. Unfortunately, the project has no funding available.
We return to Iringa and it is almost evening. John and I walked from the market area up to the Mlandege area where he and Addy rent a room. They have prepared a delicious meal and welcome me to their home. Twenty month old Patricia provides the entertainment. She has the confidence of a well loved child and the busy-ness of any toddler. She pretend cooks in the corner while Mama cooks nearby. After dinner she began to sing and it took us awhile to catch her words -- and then it became clear she was singing Hallelujah. Amen.
This morning my tasks are to update the blog [check], purchase and load the medicines, and head to Tungamalenga. Companions on this journey will include Pastor Eva and Pastor John as interpreter, and also Mr.Frank Mkocha from DIRA. Frank is the new Scholarship Clerk (the scholarship program has grown so large that it needs its own staff) and is with me to see the scholarship program from the perspective of this partnership. We hope to arrange a meeting with parents, so that we can answer questions and hear their concerns after the initial year of a restructured program.
First thing on today's schedule once we arrive in Tungamalenga --well, after the welcome and dancing through the village -- will be a partnership meeting. May our conversations be blessed!
Love Hasty Tasty. Can almost taste it from here! Thanks for the report, and great all our friends in the name of Jesus! :-)
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