Impact

As SOTV Travelers walked around the city of Iringa, Tanzania last July, one commented that “every time we turn the corner, we meet up with someone” who has a connection to our partnership.

We met Enock, a former scholarship student and now the manager of the Toyota service station. We stayed at the Lutheran Center where Addy, another former student, is the assistant manager. Vumilia was a new hire at the lodge in the village, and Maria is the outstanding teacher at the Mpalapande Primary School. Pastor John is the new assistant headmaster at a diocese secondary school.

Consolata, a 2004 scholarship recipient, established a career in business and has sent her own daughter and three siblings to secondary school and college. Meritho is working in wildlife conservation. 18 years of providing scholarships for secondary and university students has made an impact.

The impact of our partnership was even more visible in the villages as we received thanks for bikes and motorcycles that enable the pastors and lay leaders to better serve their parish congregations. We saw chapels, a school, and a clinic that would not be there without SOTV’s contributions. We celebrated the completion of one water project and participated in work to complete another. We could see how life changes for our friends when we work together.

We learned that students who had spent their first two years at Mpalapande Primary School were the top ten scorers on national exams at their new schools. The school we helped build, and the teacher whose training we supported, has made an impact in that community.

During the month of October, we are asking you to continue this work by making a financial contribution to our Tanzania Partnership. Our partners have big plans for the coming year, and we would like to support their work of evangelism, education and health care. We’d like to strengthen the partnership by bringing guests to Minnesota in the spring. Here’s what we need:

·       $30,000 to support scholarships and education projects

·       $10,000 to bring four guests from Usolanga Parish to Minnesota

·       $10,000 for projects that support evangelism and healthcare in three parishes

Thank you for your strong support! Please give online at www.sotv.org/give or make checks payable to SOTV, with “Tanzania” in the memo.

With deep gratitude,

Shepherd of the Valley Tanzania Partnership Steering Committee

Pastor Randy Brandt, Pastor Rick Summy
Judy Anderson, Joan Dornfeld, Brenda Krueger, Kirsten Levorson, Ken Loher, Mollie & Lyn MacLean, Christina Nissen, Jim Odland, Kristen Pahl, Jeff Taphorn, Tom Thompson, Sharla Wagy