Tanzania Partnership

Judy and Happy trade scarves, 2012 by Judy Anderson Bega Kwa Bega , shoulder-to-shoulder, side-by-side, I have made three journeys to Tanzania with members of Shepherd of the Valley. The first time we were a group of 3 women, the second time a mixed group of 14, and this third time a group of 2 men and 3 women. The constant in each trip was our lead member Kirsten Levorson, traveling for the 13 th time this summer of 2016. Why travel there; why go more than once?  dedication of the Mahove water project, 2012 My first trip I was called to be part of a water project, called by God and the memories of my Mother and how she had carried water. The second trip was a need inside me to go back and see again the people we had met and how the water project had improved the community it was built for. The third trip was so very unplanned on my part. A presentation of the travelers from 2015 was given at church and there I met Geri Anglin.  She said she would love to...

Visiting our partners is often akin to being welcomed like visiting royalty. Our hosts greet us with songs, waving palm branches. We take turns introducing ourselves and speaking ceremonial words of greeting. We recognize fully that we are there as ambassadors on behalf of our congregation.  It's humbling, and can be oh so formal. These welcomes are amazing experiences that show the strength of the bond between our two congregations. But for many of our travelers, a highlight of the journey happens when we step away from the formal greetings and planned itinerary and are invited to do something spontaneous.  It might happen when the bus breaks down and we end up walking to the next village with our friends, having unplanned conversations along the way. Or you receive an invitation to come to someone's home for tea, and meet the extended family of a dozen who live in that home. This year, three of our travelers had the wonderful experience of receiving a tour of Geo...

General Secretary Nayman Chavalla (center) leads the meeting while Rev. Lusungu Msigwa translates for the American partners. In May, the foundation of a new primary school was dug in Mpalapande. The next step in the project was taken July 25 when representatives from the village, parish, district, diocese, and American partners all met together in Mpalapande. By this time, the rest of our group was back in Minnesota, but Jenny Harrits (in her last week as church council president) and I represented SOTV. General Secretary Nayman Chavalla led the meeting in Swahili while two colleagues from the diocese translated.  Rev. Msigwa was seated next to me, while District Pastor Ambrose Mwakikoti translated for Jenny.  Also present to provide advice was Mr. Amos Mkuye, the construction projects manager for the diocese (above, with Dr. Barnabas Kahwage and others from Tungamalenga Parish).  Mpalapande was well represented by Pastor Paulo Masinga, Yusuphu Kim...

Our driver, Kulwa, picked us up at 8 this morning for the drive to Usolanga.  He already had Pastor Lusungu Msigwa and his wife Gloria in the car.  Pastor Msigwa is the Iringa Diocese Bega kwa Bega liaison and served as our translator today. We drove out of Iringa, past the turn off to the airport, for about 45 minutes on a beautiful paved highway. At Isimani, we took a right and continued slowly on dirt roads the rest of the way.  Had to stop for directions once, and received the instructions to go past the school, then take a right.  We arrived, were greeted by Pastor Patrick Chaula, and had plenty of time to tour the new construction and also have breakfast before the start of the church service. Pastor Chaula has been here for 13 years - an almost unheard of length of tenure in a diocese where pastors are usually shifting from one parish to another every three to five years.  He and Pastor Msigwa joked that he had been here so long because the dioces...

Continuing the reports from our week in the villages, here are stories from visits to the Makifu Parish congregations.  I was there Wednesday the 13th, and the whole group Friday through Sunday, the 15th-17th. I had one of the best days of the trip when I visited Makifu while the rest of the group was at Ruaha National Park, enjoying Mwagusi Camp (Dean described it as "like going camping at the Ritz"). My driver Kulwa and I drove to Makifu chapel, where we were greeted by Pastor Nejabel Madembo and a few evangelists and church elders. I saw the progress on the pastor's home (walls up, ready for a roof). We continued on to Mahuninga, where the chapel is nearly finished after 12 years under construction.  Then to Ikwavila, where we checked out the water situation. Heavy rains earlier in the year filled their protected spring with sand, so they were sharing another spring with the animals.  Barnabas was with us and urged them to dig the protected area again, and fence it t...

Our group returned to Iringa last night after eight days in the villages.  I look at my notes from each stop along the way, and I have dates, places, descriptions of who and what I saw, what has changed from the previous year, words of welcome, words of pride in accomplishments, and words full of hope and anticipation of next steps. I have notes about introductions to church elders and parish leaders, notes about students sponsored from this parish, notes indicating gifts received from parents grateful for opportunities for their children, so different from their own life stories. In Namelok, bricks cover the dirt floor, waiting for cement to finish floors and walls. They have begun digging the pit for a latrine (a "modern toilet," the doctor stresses). Last week, they hosted a gathering of youth choirs. "We know that through this partnership, we share things in common with God," says the evangelist, thanking us for our support since 2006. At Kibaoni, we meet un...

Our day began today with the General Secretary of the Iringa Diocese, Mr. Nayman Chavalla, who spent an hour with our group. He talked about how we visit our partners at Tungamalenga and Makifu, and how we might get the idea that the Bega Kwa Bega partnership might be just about congregational partnerships like ours.  He used the time to help our travelers understand our own partnership within a broader context of the partnership between the St Paul Area Synod and the Iringa Diocese.  Some highlights follow. Prayer, presence and projects are the traditional three pillars of these partnerships. As partners, we pray for one another. The act of presence - sharing visits between partners - shows that we are serious about our partnerships, serious about learning about one another, serious about learning about our different cultural situations, and serious about our shared values. Finally, the projects that we undertake together are things that speak to the surrounding communities...