Tanzania Partnership

In our Bega kwa Bega companionship, we like to say our relationship is built on the three pillars of prayer, presence and projects. Several times we have exchanged prayer cards in order to strengthen our relationship through prayer.  When we have a face and a name and we commit to pray daily for that person, we deepen our relationship and our commitment to one another. This year during our visit to Usolanga Parish, our newest partner, we took photos, gathered names, and asked our partners how they would like us to pray for them. Here's what they said. Pray that we live a long life so that we can be faithful ministers here, and for the children to do well in school and to have good relationships with other people. Pray that my daughter's national exam results come on time and be good results, so that she can continue her education and get a chance to join the university, so she can reach her dreams. Pray that my children grow and know God better. Pray that my fam...

One of our partnership goals this year is to connect with one another more closely in prayer. In addition to prayers for congregations and projects, offered during worship on a regular basis, we are asking individuals to pray for one another.  Last summer, we took photos of 300 Shepherd of the Valley members who promised to pray for our Tanzanian partners.  During our July visit, travelers distributed those prayer cards and took photos of the Tanzanians who offered to pray for Minnesota partners. Recently, we distributed cards with the Tanzanian photos to our members. Namshukuru Mungu wangu kila niwakumbukapo, I thank my God every time I remember you. sikuzote kila niwaombeapo ninyi nyote nikisema sala zangu kwa furaha, In all my prayers for all of you, kwa sababu ya ushirika wenu katika kuieneza Injili, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now, tangu siku ile ya k...

30 days until the first of this summer's 25 travelers leave for Tanzania.  It's time to think about packing! Our travelers always carry one suitcase filled with gifts for our partners.  This year, we're collecting SOTV t-shirts, tote bags, solar calculators with scientific functions.  We're also accepting monetary donations for books to fill the Tungamalenga library, for indestructible soccer balls , and for purchases we will make in Iringa:  medicines, mosquito nets, and gifts for the orphanage. Another gift we will carry is the gift of prayer.  Four years ago, our travelers carried prayer cards to Tanzania as gifts from the congregation.  We had taken photos of our SOTV members, and created laminated cards with the person's name and a promise to pray for our partnership. These prayer cards were distributed at each village visit, and we then took photos of the recipients.  When we arrived home, more prayer cards were made showi...

God of overflowing promise, you call for justice to run over like living streams, and made water a sign of your ultimate righteousness. Reborn through the bath of your grace, we hear with new ears the cries of our neighbors; parched hearts and arid earth plead for reprieve. Move us in our response to all who thirst, that we and they might receive your water, poured out for all, that none would be forsaken. Amen. ~~a prayer from Lutheran World Relief

'Tis the season.... As these final shopping days before Christmas come to their frenzied end, I'll offer a few final options for gift giving. Gifts to the SOTV - Tungamalenga Partnership can be given in honor of a friend or relative. Please contact Kirsten.Levorson@sotv.org if you would like one of our "honor cards" to send to your gift recipient. Goats for the children of Huruma Center and for the evangelists of Tungamalenga Parish. We have a long and loving relationship with the children of Huruma Center, an orphanage owned and operated by the Iringa Diocese. In the past we have given milk cows and money for corn, we have collected shoes and purchased school supplies for the children, and we have provided scholarships for the children who reach the age of secondary school. Recently it has become difficult to sustain the cows because of the high cost of feed, so we are instead purchasing goats who will provide milk for the children's meals. Goats are also great ...

Rachel Joseph Elliot & Julie Ombeni Alice One of the really fun goals we had for this past summer's trip was to connect Shepherd of the Valley members and Tungamalenga Parish members more closely through prayer. During July, we spent Sunday mornings in the narthex taking photos of SOTV members, and then created prayer cards that said, "Jambo, Elliott and Julie are praying for you and for the partnership between Shepherd of the Valley and Tungamalenga Parish -- Mungu Akubariki!" (Jambo means 'hello' and Mungu Akubariki means 'May the Lord bless you.') We laminated and gave away the prayer cards at each village congregation that we visited, and we took photos of the recipients. Now that we're home, we created another set of prayer cards with the Tanzanian photos, for the SOTV members. This gift of prayer was accepted with great enthusiasm by our partners, who are eager to know us by name and by face. The faces of this partnership are many and...

Evangelist Alex Kidisangu holds a picture of his prayer partner During our visits to Tungamalenga, we exchange many gifts. Some are tangible, the gifts of resources and supplies and tokens of our affection, and others are intangible, the gifts of hospitality and understanding and the faithful witness to the power of God's love. Our Tanzanian partners have been especially generous in sharing their gift of prayer with us. From the start of our partnership, we were told of how representatives from each of twenty village congregations would gather at a central location once a month to pray for Shepherd of the Valley and for the ministry we do together. Some of these evangelists would walk or bike for hours to spend a day in prayer for us. When we visit our partners, our days are filled with prayers. At the start of any journey, even a ten minute drive to a neighboring village, we pause to pray for safety on the road and for the skill and attentiveness of our driver. At the end of...