Tanzania Partnership

  For the first time since our Tanzania Partnership began in 2001, our annual journey from Shepherd of the Valley to visit our partners in Tungamalenga, Makifu, and Usolanga Parishes was cancelled this past July. We describe our partnership as Bega Kwa Bega, the Swahili phrase that means shoulder to shoulder . We name three pillars of our companionship: prayer, presence, and projects. All of these imply spending time together – or do they? How can we be companions when we are apart? That is the question we have wrestled with for the past six months.   Our prayers for one another can be more fervent. Our companions are leading the way in this area, reporting that their parishes are meeting weekly to pray for us. Their prayers for us are full of trust that God will shelter us and protect us from the virus, and keep our relationship strong until we can meet again face to face. August Zoom meeting with Makifu leaders ·        Our presence can be ...

Here we are in the time of COVID and there's no travel to Tanzania, but we still held a partnership meeting with our friends from Tungamalenga on Tuesday via Zoom. Our Tanzanian friends traveled by bus from Tungamalenga to Iringa where they were hosted at the Bega Kwa Bega office by Deacon April Trout and Pastor Lusungu Msigwa.  We began the meeting at 2 PM Iringa time, 6 AM here in the Central time zone.  Pastor Randy rubs the sleep from his eyes (above). Attending the meeting from Tungamalenga were Pastor Rahai Mgeveke, Parish Treasurer Lukimbililo Mkuye, Partnership Committee Member Noeli Kalulu, and Pastor/Doctor Barnabas Kahwage. Attending from Shepherd of the Valley were members of the Partnership Steering Committee: Judy Anderson, Sharla Wagy, Tom Thompson, Christina Nissen, Mollie & Lyn MacLean, Brenda Krueger, Kirsten Levorson, and Pastor Randy Brandt. The big news of the day was that Tungamalenga Parish has again grown so much that a new parish has been created f...

I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phillipians 1:3-6 Most of the time our partnership with the people of Tungamalenga, Makifu and Usolanga Parishes in the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania focuses on things that happen in Tanzania – a visit, a project, a celebration. This month, travelers share what makes them grateful about this partnership. There is much to be grateful for by joining other travelers in fellowship with our Tanzanian family and frequently I think of the lessons I learned. I was reminded of the value of second-chances, of being open to new people and soaking in new experiences without judgement. It was a living meditation and an opportunity to revel...

As SOTV Travelers walked around the city of Iringa, Tanzania last July, one commented that “every time we turn the corner, we meet up with someone” who has a connection to our partnership. We met Enock, a former scholarship student and now the manager of the Toyota service station. We stayed at the Lutheran Center where Addy, another former student, is the assistant manager. Vumilia was a new hire at the lodge in the village, and Maria is the outstanding teacher at the Mpalapande Primary School. Pastor John is the new assistant headmaster at a diocese secondary school. Consolata, a 2004 scholarship recipient, established a career in business and has sent her own daughter and three siblings to secondary school and college. Meritho is working in wildlife conservation. 18 years of providing scholarships for secondary and university students has made an impact. The impact of our partnership was even more visible in the villages as we received thanks for bikes and m...

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...

Usolanga Parish visit: welcome, chapels, making bricks, collecting photos and stories for prayer cards, and planning for three guests to visit SOTV in November. We visited Mtera Secondary School on Friday. What a welcome! x On our way to Tungamalenga and Makifu We bought so much medicine we needed an extra vehicle to carry it out to the Tungamalenga dispensary. Spent the first morning in Iringa catching up with Diocese General Secretary, Nayman Chavalla, and Pastor Msigwa. Then lunch at Neema and a walking tour of the market. Still to come, a visit to Huruma Center and dinner at Mama Iringa’s. Ran into a former student, Diana Saga, now a nurse at the regional hospital. Today (July 8) we drove to Tungamalenga and Makifu, enjoyed a warm welcome, participated in the final stages of the pipeline project to Ikwavila, walking the pipeline path, and then worked with the experts to figure out why the system is at less than optimal condition. The...

Blessed for travel - some leaving the beginning of July, others leaving on July 15.