Tanzania Partnership

2017 Travelers (L to R) Matt, Bobbie, Kirsten, Pastor Rick, Andrew, Christina, Isabella, Lydia Last week in worship, the travelers were commissioned. Pastor Duane: During the month of July, eight people will represent Shepherd of the Valley as we work shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in the Tungamalenga, Makifu, and Usolanga parishes. Pastor Randy: These travelers are not going for vacation time, but they will grow in Christ’s love, serve in Christ’s name, see Jesus in others, and experience God’s presence and power. Mission trip participants, listen to a reading from First Peter that gives you a task and purpose for your journey:  “Love each other deeply... and share with each other without complaining. Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others… Anyone who speaks should speak words from God. Anyone who serves should serve with the strength God gives so that in everything God will be praised.”  (I Peter 4:8-11, New Century Ver...

Thanks to a generous gift from the SOTV Endowment Fund, we were just able to send some funds to Usolanga this week.  The gift will be used to establish solar power for their main chapel and parsonage. Last year when Jenny Harrits and I visited Usolanga for Sunday morning worship, we were surprised to find this sound system in use. The professional audio system served as a call to worship.  For about thirty minutes prior to worship, contemporary Christian music played loudly from the chapel, broadcasting to the neighborhood that it was time to come to worship. The music was hard to ignore. The downside was that the chapel had no electrical power except what came from this generator.  The generator was almost as loud as the music. They placed it as far from the chapel as they could. So when we met with the partnership committee, they told us that one of their strategic goals was to install solar power. Lights in the chapel would enable them to h...

stained glass cross necklaces Aren't these lovely? This morning after worship Gene Oberlie delivered 23 stained glass cross necklaces, beautiful gifts that our July travelers will carry to Tanzania. They will be gifts for pastors and evangelists in our partner congregations. Thank you, Gene, for using your skill to make these beautiful gifts! We'll be packing a few other items to share with our partners as well.  There are hand towels for the people who prepare our meals, some infant supplies for the day care at Huruma Center, a few bags of candy to share.  Tim Schafer is making a wooden cross for the altar at Usolanga.  In addition to the gifts we carry, we hope to have funds to purchase some gifts in country.  Bicycles for the evangelists, rice and corn for the orphanage, and medicines for the clinic are items best purchased in country. Your contributions toward these gifts are greatly appreciated! Give online or write a check payable ...

This morning in worship at Shepherd of the Valley , our hymn of the day was "Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?" It's a Scottish hymn written by John L. Bell in 1987 after being accepted into the Iona Community. Also known as "The Summons," this hymn is based on Mark 1:16-20 . The first stanzas are in the voice of Jesus, calling his disciples to follow him; the final stanza is the singer's response to that call. The questions asked in the song resonated powerfully as I thought about preparing for another trip to Tanzania in a few months.  "Will you come and follow me if I but call your name? Will you go where you don't know and never be the same? Will you let my love be shown, will you let my name be known, Will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?" People often ask us what makes us want to travel to Tanzania? What calls us out of our lives of comfort to go on a journey that can be exhausting, fu...

On February 10, members of the Bega Kwa Bega and Iringa Diocese staff took another trip to Mpalapande to inspect construction of the primary school. I'm told it was very hot, so you can see above people taking advantage of the shade. Program Coordinator Julia Hubbard provided this report: We began with a tour of the of the site.  Things to note from the work progress report are: Window Frame Works have all been assembled, but 9/18 are still yet to be installed as you can see from the photos   Electricity Works (aka sockets and accompanying wiring) were installed in 2/3 classrooms, but have not yet been installed inside the third classroom.   They also added a cement platform around the school after we had expressed the concern of rain water affecting the foundation The next three work areas are the toilet, finishing the windows, and painting Inspectors: Bega Kwa Bega Director, Rev. Peter Harrits; Iringa Diocese BKB Liaison, Rev...

Just one month ago, this is what the Mpalapande Primary School looked like.  The walls were nearly completed up to the rim beam. Look at the amazing progress made by December 14, when a delegation from Bega Kwa Bega and the Iringa Diocese went out to inspect! Here's the report received from Julia Hubbard, our connection in the BKB office. The BKB Office [Julia Hubbard, coordinator for BKB/SPAS, and Rev. Lusungu Msigwa, coordinator for BKB/DIRA] along with Amos Mkuyu [Iringa Diocese construction project manager] and District Pastor Ambrose made a visit out to Mpalapande today.  The Ruaha road is still alright, so we made it out there in not too much time.  As you can see from the photos, SAMA is making good progress, so much so in fact that they are requesting more funds to continue the work.   We had a short meeting after touring the site where Pastor Eva Msigwa as well as several  [elders  of the]  Masai were present alon...

We received a fabulous report today from our Bega Kwa Bega friends in Iringa, Tanzania.  The first phase of the Mpalapande Primary School is almost complete! Above, the foundation and walls are well underway. By the end of the week, we expect to have the rim beam and three additional rows of brick atop the walls. We're grateful for the photos and report provided by BKB Program Coordinator Julia Hubbard and for the oversight and assessment provided by our Iringa Diocese officials, Rev. Lusungu Msigwa and construction project manager Amos Mkuye. We just got back about from a quick trip out and back to Mpalapande.  We arrived when it was just starting to roast, and yet the laborers were still hard at work.  As you can see from the photos, they are just finishing up the bricks for the walls of the 3 classroom building.  They plan on completing the rim beam later this week and then a final 3 rows of bricks before beginning framing next week. We a...