Tanzania Partnership

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...

By Jenny Buckley, Group #1 Traveler Last September, I decided to commit to a trip to Tungamalenga, Tanzania with Shepherd of the Valley. This is something that I had always said I would do...someday.  I decided it was time to get uncomfortable and start doing those things that I had only talked about. Signing up for Tanzania was a bold decision to let go and let God work in me.   In the eleven months leading up to our departure, I didn’t quite know how to prepare or what to expect, I just kept praying that my heart would be open to what God had to show me; that He would erase my inhibitions and let me fully engage in the experience.  On July 29th, with a fluttering heart, I boarded a plane with 14 others from our church.  I spent the next 20 hours alternating between fear and excitement as I wondered what I would discover when I stepped off the plane in Dar Es Salaam.    And what I saw astounded me.  Women and children, in bright techn...

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 ....