July 25, 2005

Greetings from Tanzania!

The photo is the sunset we saw Monday night as we were nearing Iringa where we are staying. The drive from Dar es Salaam, around 290 miles, took about 10 hours. We had lunch at a game park where we saw an elephant, water buffalo and baboons come to the watering hole. When we were on the road again, we saw zebra and giraffes as well as many more baboons and impla crossing the highway. We saw many glimpses of life in Tanzania. Almost all of the drive we saw people walking or riding bicycles, many carrying food, water charcoal, and many more things.

We are on Africa time and learning to flow with it.

Tom and the Tanzania Gang

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Tanzania-time has a clock all its own. Nicholas, our driver here showed up promptly at 9:30. Pastor Benjamin Ngede, our guide who was not our guide, showed up around noon instead of 9:00, and brought with him a line full of local dignitaries and Pastor Aleck Mhanga who turned out to be our actual guide. As we met with them, we kept Bishop Mdegella waiting for more than an hour from the time he hoped to meet with us, so he moved on to other things and returned in a fashion that kept us waiting for him later in his office also. Pastor Lambert who works with the St. Paul Partners well drilling project met with us to receive filters and drilling parts that we brought with us. And Mrs. Topis Maegahe from the Iringa diocese' Kindergarten was a gracious guide to our unannounced drop-in at the kindergarten building. As the day went on, everyone we hoped to meet with today was met with, goods were delivered, and much of the rest of the week was laid out in good humor and good fashion. This is an extraordinary place, filled with grace in all that happens.
--Pastor Marty

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Today we caught more than a glimpse of the Hand of God at work in the Iringa Diocese. We visited Tumaini University and Huruma Orphanage, and we stand in awe of what has been accomplished and what yet needs to be done. Tumaini University, begun by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT) 10 years ago with 14 students, today serves 700. Almost the entire campus (at least a dozen buildings) was built by donations from the St. Paul Area Synod. The Huruma Orphanage was also begun 10 years ago by the ELCT. It presently serves 35 orphaned children - almost all of whom were orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. We have only just begun this journey and we are developing a sense of the difficulty we will have sorting through all the needs we have seen and will see. We trust that the same Hand of God that is present in this place will guide us in our discernment.

Blessings to all of you,
Dick and the Tanzania Missionaries

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Jambo, that's Kiswahili for hello. Today we went to the Image, ee-ma-gay, school and the Ilula medical center. Image is a Lutheran secondary school where we currently sponsor two students, we met Nicodemo Ngendelo, one of them. There are 247 students in forum, or grade level, 1 and forum 2. They will add forum 3 next year and another each year. There are a total of six forums. Next was the Ilula medical center where we met Alfred Mwakalebela, the head doctor. They are trying to become a hospital which will require hiring a third doctor and 32 additional nurses and adding 20 more beds to the 80 they have. There are currently four nurses in training and they have six that are ready to start nursing school as soon as finances are available.

I am seeing a real recurring theme around the need for providing financial assistance for education. This would provide the access to better lives and health.

God's Peace,
Tom and the Como Park Tanzania Gang