We know that our prayers are joined with the prayers of the Itungi parish in the Iringa diocese in Tanzania, and that other Christians, other sisters and brothers in faith, await and welcome the coming of Pastor Marty, Ann, Lars, Siri, Peder, Heather, Tom, Deb, Dick, Janet and her sister Irene.
What's the weather like today in Tanzania?
If you would like to view the notes and pictures from the previous trip, click
here: Tanzania Trip 2005
Page 2: August 1 - 7 logs have been moved to an archive page
Page 3: August 8 - August 14 logs have been moved to an
archive page
Page 2: August 1 - 7 logs have been moved to an archive page
Page 3: August 8 - August 14 logs have been moved to an archive page
Thursday, August 31, 2008
Isimila was our destination today; the whole group went hiking except Pastor
Marty. He had to remain behind since he is preaching the next two Sundays
and he had some work to do. Dick was in rock heaven. The Stone Age site was
amazing; water, wind and time have created a gorge - with fascinating rock
formations - that we hiked through. Our guide told us all the history of the
site, starting with the first archeological dig in the 1950's by the Chicago
University, and then again in 1969 by the University of Illinois. A group
from South Korea came in 2003, but the most exciting part is that finally,
this fall, a group of Tanzanian students and staff from the University of
Dar es Salaam are coming to dig. The stone tools that were discovered here
date back 400,00 years, and along side them were found the bones of prehistoric
hippos. The positioning and type of stones used indicate an established market
and manufacturing civilization that existed that long ago.
The afternoon brought us to Neema Crafts, which is a production facility for
Tanzanian arts and crafts, all made by disabled and deaf citizens. The facility
is one of the few places in Tanzania which offers a job for them to support
themselves. You will see some of these crafts at the bazaar and the Mission
Auction this year! I enjoyed using my sign language skills with one of the
deaf employees. I was able to "talk" to her and she could understand
me (…my Kiswahili is not even close to passable)!
We enjoyed the company of Nelson, our interpreter, for the day. At lunch he
offered Lars and Peder language lessons, and taught them some key and helpful
phrases. Peder impressed Nelson with his ability to count to ten fluently!
Just another beautiful day in Iringa.
Respectfully submitted by the Blogger du Jour
~Heather Quale
"The group at Isimila - Heather, Siri, Lars, Ann, Peder, Deb, Tom and Dick."
"Lunch at Mikumi National Park, half way from Dar Es Salam to Iringa".
Sunday July 27th -Tuesday July 29th. On Our Way Rejoicing.
Mike Mead wants the group to bring him a lion cub. Or at least that's what
Deb Spivey says. Mike picked most of the group up after church and drove
us to the airport in the church bus, where we linked up with Heather Quale
and made the flight for the first leg of our journey completely without
incident.
After a three and a half hour layover in Amsterdam, we flew to Dar Es Salaam
by way of Kilimanjaro and arrived around 7:00 p.m., on what was now Monday.
We were greeted by a driver who took us to the Free Pentecostal Church of
Tanzania Guest House overlooking the Indian Ocean in Dar. And on Tuesday
we drove from Dar to Iringa, again arriving in the dark around 7:00 p.m.
Dick Young says, "The Eagle has landed." We're here safe and sound
and in good spirits. On the way we've seen amazing things: zebras, gazelles,
impalas, elephants and giraffes, women in brightly colored katangas carrying
heavy loads on their heads, lines of children in school uniforms hiking
to or from school, mud built homes with thatched and tin roofs, and all
the brightly colored food stalls that line the highways.
Yup, we're in Africa now. We were joined for dinner by Tom Nielsen, the
Companion Congregation Coordinator for Bega Kwa Bega and Peter Harrits,
a Yale Divinity Student now doing his Clinical Pastoral Education at the
Ilula Hospital and several parishes. Both are great and likable guys involved
in fascinating ministries around here. Tomorrow's schedule is filled with
explorations and little chores . It's good to have arrived, and all is well.
~Pastor Marty
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Today we woke up early and had a great breakfast at the Lutheran Center. We
got out to the market around 10:00am, and it was an amazing experience. Everything
was colorful and full of life - especially the vegetable market. We spent
all morning wandering the streets of Iringa watching and interacting with
a new culture. I enjoyed bargaining for wooden figurines and other souvenirs,
even though I'm sure most of us didn't get the best deal. We had a nice lunch
at Hasty Tasty and spent the afternoon relaxing. My favorite part of the day
was around 4:00pm, when my family went to the local soccer field. We were
welcomed with lots of smiles and giggles from a large group of younger kids
playing soccer. After about half an hour of playing with the younger kids,
a group of older teenagers and young adults showed up - and started suiting
up with shin guards and cleats. They played with the younger kids for a while
and then sent them home. I was invited to play in a game with them saying
"you will score on that goal." There were around 30 people playing
total, and it was a fun energetic game. It was filled with lots of impressive
moves, passes and goals. Everyone out there enjoyed playing and had a great
time - especially me. I had a great experience, and it was one that I won't
soon forget.
~Lars Ericson
"Lars having a great time playing soccer with the teenagers and young adults."
"Siri and Ann at the market (not a surprise that they zeroed in on the beautiful fabrics!)."