Final Day in Tanzania

We stayed in Arusha last night and had a nice meal at the New Safari Hotel, which is owned by the ELCT. It was also a good place to celebrate Nancy's birthday. 

Since our flight from Kilimanjaro airport doesn't depart until 9:50 pm, we have one final opportunity to do some shopping. Some of us will also visit a cultural museum in town. 

It will be a long journey home, especially with an eleven hour layover in Amsterdam. We are anxious to get home but also sad to leave our friends in Tanzania. Last night at dinner each of us shared some of our reflections of the trip, and gratitude for hospitality and new friendships was a clear theme. We saw Christ's love reflected in so many people here-from the Bishop and staff to our guides to the directors of important church programs to families in the villages who graciously invited us into their small homes. Each of us will bring home powerful memories. 

Judith has already been in touch with us via text message asking about our next visit. As we told her, we will begin preparing for and praying about our next trip to Tanzania soon! 

Safari: Day Two

Add to the list giraffes, impalas, monkeys, and cheetahs. 

We learned that a group of elephants is called a herd, a group of lions is a pride, and a group of giraffes is either a tower or a kaleidoscope. So what's a group of Lutherans?

Safari in Ngorongoro Crater

Safari: Day One

Among the list of animals spotted today:

Elephant 

Rhino

Warthog

Zebra

Wildebeest

Flamingo

Hippo

Buffalo

Hyena

Ostrich

And the highlight of the day, Lions!

Goodbye to Bukoba

We had a long and emotional farewell on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. It's amazing how close we have become with our hosts in just one week. As Judith said, it is because Christ has already made us one. 

Grace, Judith, and LuAnn all came to the airport with us this morning to see us off. They even remained there on the other side of security throughout the weather related delay. Before too long, we boarded the plane and flew back over Lake Victoria, saying farewell to Bukoba--at least for now. 

After a second flight and a long car ride, we have settled into a gorgeous resort in Ngorongoro region, right next to the famous crater. Tomorrow we will enter the national park in search of wildlife. 

Before we begin that part of our journey, however, we would like to say one last thank you to our new friends in Bukoba. Here's a picture taken at Judith and Solomon's house after they surprised us with a cake for Linda's and Nancy's birthdays. 

Mushemba Foundation

Linda M. writes...

Later in the day on Monday, we visited the Mushemba Foundation. After hearing about the work of the foundation we were able to visit the Mushemba

Trinity School. Right now it is a day program, but they are building a dormitory for girls so they can expand the opportunities for attendance in October, 2015. 

We split into smaller groups and visited a number of homes to put a face on the needs of so many who have so little. It is disturbing that we bring more with us when we travel than many have. The people are so rich in spirit and faith, however. We have much to learn from them. 

A highlight for some of us was to renew our friendship with Samson Mushemba who attended Holy Trinity 1981-1984. We met many of his family members and enjoyed a special dinner at his son's home which also houses the offices for the Mushemba Foundation. 

Our friend returned to Tanzania to become the bishop of the NW Diocese and then the presiding bishop of the ELCT. We were thrilled to spend time with him in his retirement. He hopes to welcome more Holy Trinity family and friends in the future, and he sends greeting to all. 

HUYAWA

Terri writes...

HUYAWA stands for "service for the children." We met briefly with the director to learn about the various areas of their mission:

Education

Medical

Legal

Psycho-social

180 field assistants identify families in need throughout the region. We visited two fatherless homes. 

The first mother we met, Martina, cares for two children. She is strong and healthy and works at her small shamba for sustenance. HUYAWA built her a sturdy masonry home. The children need to go one km to carry water home. 

The second mother we met, Savilina, lived in a more traditional house, made of mud and thatch. The head of the house cares for her 75 year old mother, her two children, and three children of her brother. She has eye problems (possibly cataract?) HUYAWA pays for secondary school for the eldest daughter who shows great promise. They anticipate Adelaide will be able to aid the family in the future. 

New Clothes

Many of us bought fabric in the market and brought it to a local tailor to make dresses and shirts. They turned out great. 

Father Christmas even got a new suit!

Market

Lynda Nordholm writes...

Like baby ducks in a line behind their mother, we followed Mama Grace Buberwa and LuAnn Kibira through the Bukoba market. The jagged and winding stone path led us into a maze of shops filled with colorful dried beans, fresh pungent fish and sweet bananas. With the sun beating down, we wound our way through the afternoon crowds. Merchants called from their shops to get our attention in hopes of a sale. Bartering on the price of goods is a cultural expectation in Tanzania, and so we watched LuAnn go back and forth in Kiswahili on the price of hand carved wooden spoons -- finally settling on a price of 500 shillings, or about 35 cents each. As we walked on, our eyes were drawn to the beautiful African fabrics  from which the people of the area have clothing tailored. We went about choosing our favorites, which was not necessarily easy given all the choices. With fabric in hand, Mama Grace led us around a few corners to a tiny shop with 3 beautiful women and their treadle sewing machines. We chose dress styles by pointing to photos and using hand gestures to indicate length or width. Yet only with Mama Grace's detailed translation were each of us able to purchase a gauni (dress), sketi (skirt) or khanga (wrap). 

Retired Pastors Fund

Many of you know that Holy Trinity began a fund several years ago to support retired pastors in the Northwest Diocese here in Tanzania. Pastors do not receive a large salary here, and they receive an especially small pension after retiring. Still, they are often expected to serve in their communities by teaching and providing care. The income from our endowed fund is given each year to subsidize the pensions of these pastors. 

Today we met with Rev. Joas Kaijage, a retired pastor who gave us an update on how the funds are being distributed. Currently there are 24 retired pastors and 19 widows receiving gifts. 

Sunday Worship

Worship this morning at the cathedral was a great gift. We were prepared for a long service, but it was only about 2 hours. Our group had a chance to share a greeting and to introduce ourselves. Chris spoke in Swahili, and the congregation was especially impressed with "Father Christmas."  

An auction is held after worship in the courtyard when produce brought forward for the offering is sold. We bought a few good things to bring back to the hotel. 

We will be thinking of our Holy Trinity friends as you meet for worship this morning as well. How wonderful it is to worship with sisters and brothers all over the world. Bwana asifiwe! (Praise the

Lord!)

Kibira Shamba

LuAnn welcomed us to her shamba (farm) Saturday evening for dinner. It is a beautiful and peaceful place, located next to Josiah's parents' home. Some of you may know that Josiah's mother, Martha, died recently, so we saw her place of burial which is now decorated with many flowers. Josiah's older brother is living in the house now. 

Several other guests joined us for dinner, including Bishop and Grace Buberwa and three other local pastors. Tomorrow is Sundayorning, so we are preparing for worship at the Lutheran cathedral.