The Bishop's House

We were treated to a very nice visit at the bishop's house at the end of our day on Thursday. Grace wanted to show us the house, a parsonage owned by the diocese, and her husband was home as well. We saw the view of the lake from the backyard, learned a Swahili children's song, and prayed together in the living room. We didn't see any monkeys, though, which disappointed Grace. 

Tumaini Children's Center

Nancy Moe writes...

Children living in the streets of Bukoba because of psychological or physical abuse or because rural kids think life is better in the city can find help at the Tumaini Center. Here they can get counseling, food, clothes, and a safe place to live and go to school. Counselors work to find family members who will take the children in. This is in the best interest of everyone. 

The shamba (small farm) we visited had 57 kids who sang and danced for us. We saw the new building project, a dining/chapel hall, and learned about how they hope to keep mold out of the building by weaving dry banana leaves into a mat and putting that between the foundation and ground. This shamba also has pigs, chickens, corn, and a vegetable garden that the children help with. 

When the children asked us if there were children like them where we come from, we had to say, "yes." I didn't want this to be what we have in common. 

The staff are committed to the success of these children. I saw in them patience and hope. They are very proud of the children they helped to make a better life. 

The Hills Are Alive...in Tanzania

Meghan McLaughlin's reflections on Thursday. 

Today was another amazing day in Tanzania. We began the day with a visit to the ELCT Women’s Center, which is an educational center for young women raising children, along with a kindergarten program. The purpose of the program is to invite young women living in villages to come to the center for seminars that are designed to empower women and their children. They provide training in specific trades that will help them support their families, as well as up-to-date information about health and wellness, finances, and other topics that will strengthen families. The greatest challenge they face is funding. They have in the past been able to support the women’s seminars two or three times a year by renting space and services for other organizations holding meetings or seminars, but because their space is quite out of date (ie, no computers, wifi, or private rooms are available), and they don’t have the funding required to update the space, they have found themselves unable to hold the seminars for women as they would like to. This program feels like an incredible resource for the future of Tanzania that, like so many other things, can’t be utilized because of lack of funding.

 

The kindergarten classroom was a real treat! The children were so excited to have visitors to their classroom, and had prepared a very special greeting for us in the form of songs, our first music of the day. The classroom looked like a very typical American preschool, with the exception of the Swahili on some of the posters on the walls—legos on the floor, hand-print paint projects on the wall, posters about colors, weather, and numbers—sound familiar? The only thing missing was outdoor playground equipment—they have not been able to secure funding for that.

 

On to the English Medium Primary Day and Boarding School sponsored by the ELCT! Again the students were really looking forward to visitors, and called out “welcome, visitors” and stood up as we entered the classroom. Once again, we were offered a song—Twinkle Twinkle Little Star—and we felt that our own performance of “Jesus Loves the Little Children” was our best yet! Students at the school come from many different villages, and many of the families live in poverty. Again, as with all the private schools, many children require sponsors to stay in school. Education is seen as such an important priority that parents support their children’s education at almost any cost, but with an unemployment rate that is staggering (about 20% of Tanzanians have regular full-time employment) it is no wonder that private education even at a cost of a little over $800 a year is seen as out of reach for many.

 

Our final stop of the day was several different college programs that share the same campus: a Bible College, Ruhija School of Music, and the Bukoba Lutheran Teachers College. It was interesting to learn that students qualify for either a diploma, allowing them to teach secondary school, or a certificate, allowing them to teach primary school. It is quite rare for a student who has the educational background for the diploma program to opt to teach primary school, because the need in secondary schools is so great. The Bible School prepares students to be Evangelists, trained assistants to pastors who can teach, minister, and preach but not provide sacraments. Evangelists are necessary because most pastors in Tanzania serve multiple congregations—some as many as 9 or 10—and they can’t possibly be at every congregation every week. It made us feel lucky to have both Jay and Ingrid with us at Holy Trinity!

 

By far, the highlight of our day was the Ruhija School of Music. The hills were not only alive, but shaking as we were entertained by drums, singing, and traditional Tanzanian dancing by the student and teachers, which we later learned were from several different tribal traditions. They even got some of us to dance! We felt very moved, filled, and renewed by our time with them. We were served a traditional meal of Bukoban bananas and beans, during which we were presented with hand-made shakers instruments to take home. What an incredible afternoon!

 

At the end of this, our second full day in Bukoba, we are very aware of the time, energy, and thought our hosts put into our visits. They have all gone out of their way to welcome us, providing special food and drink, entertainment, prayer, and an invitation to come again, soon! It seems like, as much as our experiences, resources, language, and culture many differ, there is a far stronger bond of faith and common humanity that unites us.

Bukoba Lutheran Secondary School

The last stop of the day on Wednesday was a secondary school run by the diocese. Primary school goes through grade 8, then secondary school begins and consists of Forms 1-4. After the four years of secondary school, students are prepared for two years of high school and perhaps college. 

Our very gracious host, headmaster Fidelis Kabigiza, gave us a tour, spoke with us about the school, and introduced us to teachers and students. On the way out, we started taking pictures with students and then were treated to some singing. 

We thought our visit was over, but then Fidelis showed us to an outdoor set of tables and invited us to tea and treats (our second of the day). 

We arrived back at the hotel after 7:00 quite tired out from the long day. 

JoKUCo

The Josiah Kibira University College was named for the first African bishop of the Northwest Diocese of the ELCT. Many of you know the bishop's son, also named Josiah, who is a Holy Trinity member along with his wife, LuAnn, and three children. 

The original goal of the college was to fill a need for higher level science education. The diocese acquired land just outside of Bukoba, partly donated by a Lutheran congregation there, and built a brand new college campus. In 2012, 380 students enrolled to comprise the first class. Now they have another class of similar size, and the first graduation will take place next year, after the original students have completed their three year degree programs. 

Currently they only offer education degrees but hope to offer programs in science, business administration, and law very soon. 

The provost and one of our hosts is Rev. Wilson Niwagila. He spent a sabbatical in the Twin Cities several years ago and visited Holy Trinity. We frequently sing his hymn, "Come, Holy Spirit, Come" found in the ELW. He and several other staff and faculty shared tea (and treats) with us and shared more about the college during a tour. 

Rev. Niwagila writes in the prospectus, "We can all testify to the wonderful deeds of the Almighty God who guided JoKUCo  to exist and continue to grow. JoKUCo is still very young as compared to other constituent colleges of TUMA, but it is an institution of great hope."

We all agree that JoKUCo is an impressive school with an important mission...and a great name!

Namalira Mother House

Sister Rachel Laban welcomed us to the house where she lives and works as a Lutheran Deaconness. Women are trained here before receiving further training in a particular area of service (e. g. social work, teaching, etc.). Below is a picture of two sisters making communion wafers to sell to churches. If you want a closer view of the wafers, come to Holy Trinity in a few weeks. They might show up in our worship. 

Happy Birthday, Linda!

We celebrated Linda's birthday today. Here she is with our guides, Grace and Judith, just after we sang to her. 

Ntoma Health Care Center

The health care center provides medical care and medicine for people in the area. There is also a maternity center for mothers and children nearby, which is what people mean by "clinic." Here is Meagan in the delivery room. 

The biggest challenge for this clinic is that  many of their patients are choosing to travel farther to the government health centers. They are cheaper but provide inferior care. 

Ntoma Orphanage

Founded in 1952, the Ntoma orphage cares for children whose mothers have died in childbirth from the time they are born up through age 2. Typically, a father or the hospital contacts the orphanage about a child in need. Evangelina Kamazima and her staff then care for the child with great love for the first years and then return the child to the father or another family member. Sometimes there is no relative to whom the child can return, in which case he or she is available for adoption by another family. There are currently more applications by potential adoptive parents than there are children. When a match is made, it is after a year long process involving the orphanage staff and a government social worker. 

Eva said she is happy about a declining number of children at their orphanage because it is a sign of better maternal health care in the hospitals. Mothers are doing better, and fewer babies are in need of Ntoma's care. However, they still have over 20 children living there. 

We made our way through the orphanage, starting in the room with the oldest children (where Lynda is pictured below). In the newborn nursery, we heard about a pair of twins who were born premature, weighing less than 3 lbs. each, and came to Ntoma to be cared for. The staff kept the babies warm with a hot water bottle, and nursed them to health and strength with rehydration formula. Amazing! It seems that they have so few resources available to them. Eva explained several times that they "work with God."

The orphanage is a ministry of the diocese, with several sources of support, especially churches in Germany. Holy Trinity members may know Eva's husband, Deo Gratias, a pastor who lived in Minneapolis for a time and worshipped with us. LuAnn Kibira volunteered at the orphanage for two years, so she was glad to return for a visit. It was a wonderful visit for all of us. God is present and working at Ntoma Orphanage. 

Worship at the cathedral

First up this morning was an early Wednesday morning service of Holy Communion at the cathedral. It was small and held in the chapel rather than the large worship space. It was also all in English. We used a worship book that set the liturgy to East African melodies, but for the hymns we turned to the green LBW's. We even used the long prayer of the church from the LBW, which some of us found quite moving given the context. Did the writers of that prayer ever imagine it would be prayed in a place as far from the U.S. as Bukoba? It was another reminder of what unites the many and various parts of the body of Christ. 

After worship, the entire assembly (about 30 in all) formed a circle in the courtyard. There we were introduced to Bishop Buberwa had a chance to introduce ourselves, too. We'll go back to the cathedral on Sunday, when each of the two morning services are typically attended by over 1,000 people. We expect the service is considerably longer, too. 

Back at the hotel we took this photo of three new friends: Grace, Judith, and Anne Marie, a missionary from Denmark who has lived and worked in Bukoba since 1967. 

Bukoba

We have arrived in Bukoba to a wonderfully warm welcome. Judith Bukambu met us at the airport with remarkable enthusiasm (even despite a case of malaria). After a short walk to the ELCT hotel, we also met Grace Buberwa, the bishop's wife, and deputy General Secretary Jonas Lwezaura. We settled into our rooms before enjoying a delicious buffet meal. 

There would have been a blog update last night, but it was interrupted by a power outage around 9:00 which cut short our internet access and sent us to our rooms. We've been assured that this does not happen every day, but it happens regularly enough to require flashlights being made easily accessible in our rooms. 

We will wait until tomorrow to give a report on our first day of visits in Bukoba. However, we do want to say how grateful we are for Joel and Nancy Wiberg and Josiah and LuAnn Kibira for their preparations for this trip. Each of them is well loved and respected here in Bukoba, and it is an honor to be part of the church partnership that they have helped maintain over many years. Thanks also to Linda, our excellent travel agent. 

There will be much to write about in our next post. Stay tuned!

Until tomorrow...(assuming we have power). 

Warren and Sue

Today we received a visit from two good friends of the Nordholms, Warren and Sue, who moved to Tanzania a couple of months ago as directors of an orphanage. Some Holy Trinity members will recognize Warren from his work at Global Health Ministries. Here they are with their driver, Lawrence. 

Day in Arusha

We are taking it easy in Arusha today rather than leaving for Bukoba right away. Thanks go to Linda for that suggestion. We are tired enough as it is today after our long journey getting here. 

We had a very nice breakfast at the hotel this morning, where some of the conversation centered on differing trends in church participation between the US and Tanzania. Then we headed out to explore Arusha a little bit. We found a place to exchange our US dollars to shillings, with the help of some self-appointed guides (for a small tip). We also shopped for souvenirs at a Maasai market and then had lunch at the New Safari Hotel across the street, a hotel owned by the ELCT. 

We all are slowly picking up some Swahili words, but we gratefully rely on LuAnn's help with communicating. At least we can tell our hosts "Asante" (thank you), and we repeatedly hear a warm and gracious "karibu" (welcome) from the people here. 

Dinner will be at the hotel tonight, and then we will prepare for the flights in the morning. By tomorrow afternoon we will be in Bukoba. 

Africa!

We arrived at Kilimanjaro airport tonight and drove 45 minutes to Equator Hotel in Arusha. Our host, Patrick, has been very hospitable and took this group picture. 

After a refreshing beverage, we are all ready for bed-finally!

It is good to be in Tanzania. The people have already shown us a warm welcome, and we have enjoyed opportunities to learn about one another. Tomorrow will be a day for rest and exploring before we complete our journey to Bukoba. 

Arrived in Amsterdam

Everyone is doing well after our first flight. We're in Amsterdam and waiting just a couple of hours until we fly to Arusha. 

At the airport

We're at the gate and ready for our adventure. 

Getting ready for a change

Today we will fly from Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Arusha. A time difference of 9 hours. A temperature difference of 80 degrees. What other differences will we find (and love)?

Just a few days away

Our trip to visit Tanzania will begin Saturday, January 25. We will spend much of our time in Bukoba, in the northwest part of the country on Lake Victoria. We'll try to share as much of our experiences as we can through this blog, so keep checking back!