Tanzania Partnership

Friday was the group had a full day in Iringa.  We started at the diocese head office to hear General Secretary Naiman Chavalla give an overview of the work of the diocese and Bega Kwa Bega.  He highlighted the diocese work in areas of evangelism, education and healthcare, and explained the three pillars of the Bega Kwa Bega partnership -- prayer, presence and projects. Some of Chavalla's observations, particularly about the SOTV - Tanzania Partnership: "I saw you on Facebook this morning!" I know Shepherd of the Valley is very large and has many activities.  "You might think that what you are doing here is a very small activity, but here is has a very big impact." He noted that small things like the Mbu Project, providing mosquito nets to prevent malaria, is saving lives. He noted the generosity of SOTV's children, whose Godzone and VBS offerings have supported the Mahove water project, the pikipiki fund, and the Mbu Project. He noted the strength of...

Below are some updates from Pastor Randy Brandt, as he leads the second of two groups to Tanzania, August 7-20, 2014. Check out the full itinerary here . August 7:  First leg is a 9.25 hr flight to Amsterdam. And I am ready for a great nap!   August 9: Yes! In Dar es Saalam, TZ . The bus did not show up at the airport for us, so by midnight we took taxis to Wista Lodge. Today, the long bus ride to Iringa. Wow, what a great morning breakfast, devotions and morning prayer. Thank you, good Lord. August 10: Marsha Buie Brandt making a purchase at the market. Lots of walking and exploring and great food. .. now the afternoon at an ancient archeological site. Carol Orvick Larson watches on. That's Steven kneeling in the picture. He gave us a first day 45 minute walking tour of Iringa, it was worth a painting sale! Good strong Minnesota women in Tanzania.   Ismila Village archeology site. Wow. August 11: The photo above is at the Lut...

Boarding the bus to Tungamalenga and Makifu There haven't been any updates to the blog since last Friday because our travelers have been busy... traveling! Specifically, Group #1 has been busy visiting the various preaching points in the Tungamalenga and Makifu parishes. Since yesterday, they've been taking in the wildlife at Ruaha National Park. The full itinerary is listed here. Expect a new post from Tanzania this weekend. Just a few of the nearly 300 prayer cards   This Thursday, our second 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 Group #1 in Iringa on  Saturday. Thank you for the continued prayers for our travelers and the work of our partnership! Many of you recently had your picture taken in the narthex to create prayer cards ....

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!

January and February is a pretty busy time for Saint Paul Area Synod partners visiting Iringa, Tanzania.  What's not to like about leaving Minnesota cold, snow and ice for the warmth of Iringa's January sun?  So I'd like to call your attention to a few currently active travel blogs. http://lynandmollieintz.blogspot.com/   SOTV members Lyn and Mollie MacLean are about halfway through their two month stay in Iringa.  This week they are visiting secondary schools in the Iringa Diocese, meeting and taking photos of many of the students sponsored by congregations in our synod. http://iringahope2013.blogspot.com/   Tom and Sandy Hendrickson are members of Christiania Lutheran in Lakeville, and are involved in the nonprofit organization Iringa Hope, which supports microfinance work in the Iringa Diocese.  They travel each day to another Tanzanian congregation and report on the successes and challenges of establishing a cooperative banking system in a country w...

It's Monday, and early this morning Pastor Randy, Mark, Stephen, and Brandon boarded the bus with driver Peter for the long journey to Dar. They'll get in to the city in time to shop at Slipway (and I think they surprised themselves with the amount of shopping they ended up doing these past few days), have a nice dinner at Sea Cliff, and then get to the airport for their 11:30 PM flight to Amsterdam. In about 24 hours, they'll be landing in Minneapolis. May the roads be smooth and the traffic be light today. I'll miss their good humor and cheerful company. This was one of the most low-maintenance groups I've ever accompanied on this wonderful journey. They were always ready for the next adventure, and we had many. Stephen and Brandon had really studied their Swahili in preparation for the trip and were able to pick up lots of new phrases while here. For first time visitors, they all showed great insights and willingness to be open to the cultural differences t...