“Even as you have done unto one of the least of these, you have done it unto me.”

We were on our way to dinner at LuLu’s, the premier “wazungu” eatery the other night. Its winter in Iringa in July and it gets dark, I mean real dark by 7:00 PM. As we continued our walk to dinner, we came across two little girls. Both were under 10, and the youngest maybe 7 or 8. Their clothes were well worn and ragged. They began to follow us. As we turned the corner a couple of blocks from LuLu’s, the younger of the two continued to follow us. The older one went a different direction. It seemed a little strange such a young child would be out on a dark street alone at night. We gave her little attention; she said nothing and followed as we entered the restaurant. We found an empty table and looked at our menus thinking she would turn and leave. She waited inside the door alone until one of the waiters began to speak with her. After he had finished speaking to her, he came to our table and said; “That little girl said she knows you!” I responded almost automatically saying; “I don’t know her!” The waiter walked her to the door, opened it, she turned and looked at us and out she went. She stood outside for a while peering through the window and then she walked into the darkness. As I sat and filled my belly, guilt and shame began to knock on the door of my heart and I was reminded of Jesus’ words from Matthew 25, in the great judgment scenario; “I was hungry and you gave me food…I was naked and you clothed me…Even as you have done unto the least of these, you have done it unto me…”. Was the little one I ignored and sent into the darkness, Christ? Did he come in her need, asking for help only to be told, “I don’t know you?” If we don’t recognize Jesus in the needs of the poor, then we will never know him. The poor are here, one can’t be constantly be helping the all the poor, can they? There are so many! Is that what Jesus is calling us to do? Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The average per capita income is under $400 per year. In effect, especially if you consider the relative wealth of American’s, everyone here would be considered poor, very poor. Poverty here is overwhelming. How can we help? The words; “I don’t know her!” still echo in my soul as I think about that night, as if the rooster had crowed the third time after Peter’s denial. To the question; “Lord, when did I see you?”, I answer; “ I saw you Lord, one dark night on the way to LuLu’s Resturant”. Jesus doesn’t call us to save everyone who is poor, or walking the streets late at night. Christ is present in each One in need and we are called to love One at a time. Whether the One in the night, or the One begging on the street corner, or the One suffering with AIDS or malaria or typhoid, or the One who needs financial support at Huruma Orphanage, or the One yearning to learn at Bomalang’ombe Secondary School. Wherever there are the poor and the suffering, Christ is present. I pray I recognize the face of Jesus next time a little one comes out of the darkness.

Dinner With the Bishop

As many of you know I don’t consider myself a great cook or even a creative one. So imagine my fear and trepidation when Tom announced that the Bishop of the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania and his wife were coming for dinner. We have been managing just fine with very simple meals mostly consisting of eggs and sandwiches. Now, I needed to figure out a full dinner menu so I went to all my resources, consisting of several older cook books and even the internet. Every recipe brought more angst as there were at least two items that I couldn’t get here. Finally, we agreed to try to make a chicken dish. We tried the local market and they did have chickens, but frozen solid and the dinner was in four hours. The other option was a live fresh chicken which we would have to kill and then clean and pluck. Again, this was not a realistic plan for two rookies. Then I spied lasagna noodles in a shop and thought even though we couldn’t do all of the layers (no cottage or ricotta cheese) we could do something resembling lasagna. They did have ground beef so we were ready to go. Tom suggested Apple Crisp which I made a week ago but I decided to go with Apple Cake which I had never tried. I spent the afternoon in the kitchen getting the sauce ready (we have an ample supply of roma tomatoes), the meat and then the noodles. Much to my horror, the noodles were very thin and they all stuck together as they boiled. I tried to pry them apart with a fork but they broke into pieces. I tried another box and the same thing happened although I left them to boil and it turned into a big hard clump of lasgana noodles. Now it was time to put it together and the largest noodle I had was one inch by two inches. So, I forged on and layered to the best of my ability certain that this whole thing would be a soupy mess by the time we served it. I added some garlic rolls and fresh fruit and prayed it would taste alright. The Bishop and his wife arrived at 8:00 PM. We all sat down and as I brought the lasagna around, it actually slid out in pieces onto each plate. Thanks be to God! Our guests were very gracious and said they thought it was delicious. One thing about Tanzanians is they love to eat and they try everything. We thought we would be eating lasagna all weekend but the whole 9x13 pan was gone. The rest of the evening was delightful as we relaxed and enjoyed the company!

The Real Deal

The Real Deal

This past Sunday, Beth and I visited Bomalang’ombe Lutheran Church which is located in a mountainous region about 50 miles from Iringa. It was my first “real” driving experience here both in the mountains and on the real rural roads. The “real rural” roads are dirt, a slim two lanes and are what we call in the Midwest, “washboard”. The ride took about two hours. The ELCT Diocese Dean of Spirituality, Pastor Gaville and his wife, Pamela escorted us (If we would have tried to find the church alone, we’d still be out there driving around). We arrived at 9:45 AM for the 10:00 worship to a genuine welcome by a dozen of the faithful who “sang” us up to the church. As is usual, Pastor Jane Chusi, who has served the Church for 20 years as an Evangelist and ordained pastor, invited us into her home for the pre-worship tea and bread. At 10:30 we all marched into the church. I have never felt more surrounded by grace than on our march down the aisle to the altar. The church was full of people, but even more than that, full of joyful voices raising the roof to the glory of God. It was a spectacular moment. We made our way through the service. At least 4 choirs sang, each a different age, each beautiful. It came time for my sermon, and Pastor Gaville joined me at the pulpit to translate to Swahili. I had chosen Luke 10, the story of the Good Samaritan. As I began to work through the sermon, pausing occasionally for the Holy Spirit to do what She does, the reality of the Word hit me squarely in the heart. I used a number of Good Samaritan real life stories we had experienced while in Tanzania to illustrate the sermon. Illustrations like, the trucker that had apparently lost his brakes and intentionally hit a tree along the road on a mountain pass, instead of going off the edge of a cliff and our bus driver who immediately stopped the bus and ran to help; he was the Good Samaritan! Or the person we had visited, who had a small house, with two children of her own to support; who also invited her niece who had no where to live into her home, then invited a friend’s daughter, husband and new baby in also, to share a place so small, you could hardly turn around in it; she is the Good Samaritan. Then it occurred to me, that nearly everyone we’d met here has invited friends or relatives into their homes out of the goodness of their hearts. If someone was in need, they responded with love. Almost every home has more than just their family living there. It was one of those; “Aha! Moments”. Here I was preaching a gospel message to people who were living it everyday. They were the “real deal”. These are people who had taken Jesus’ message personally, and who had stopped to help the ones waiting for love by the side of the road. There are so many waiting for help here, it’s almost overwhelming. With little or nothing so many of God’s people I met willingly show mercy and like the story of the “Widow’s Mite”, they offer all they have to give. The faithful at Bomalang’ombe must have thought it odd for me to be using such an obvious example of Christ’s love to follow. Yet they welcomed the Word that morning with the same grace with which they were living their lives. I’m glad somebody heard that old story in a new way, and I’m thankful it was me. God does work in mysterious ways.

Driving in Tanzania

Driving in Iringa is tricky. I’m just starting to get used to this right-handed driver’s side with the left-handed 5 speed stick, going down the wrong side of the road. Everything seems backward inside the cab. (We’re using a Toyota Landcrusier) The windshield wipers are where the turn-signals are in US cars, so I’ve been signaling turns with my wipers. But few signal turns here anyway. Just yesterday, after being here over three weeks, I saw someone signal for the first time. The traffic here is challenging. By that I mean, there are not only cars, trucks and motorbikes, but two-wheel carts full of anything you could imagine being pushed down the street, there are bicycles, people walking and carrying huge loads of wood or big plastic containers of water on their heads. Cars and trucks just stop and park, or they go by so fast it sends chill down my spine. The Daladala, or public transportation vans are the scariest of all. They are always overloaded with people who are packed in like sardines, hanging out the doors and windows. No doubt the drivers of the Daladala must see themselves as invincible and immortal by the way they drive, No Fear! There’s a lot of horn honking here. If someone is in the way or walking too far out on the road (two lanes) you give them a short honk. If someone is really in the way or stopped or sleeping at the wheel, it’s a long honk. The honking is expected, it’s part of the program here. Everyone seems to be honking at us most of the time. Most of the main roads in Iringa are fairly good. But once you’re off the main roads, look out. There are deep ruts and ditches and lots of running in first and second gears. Minnesota’s “pot-holes” aren’t even close. Each time Beth and I drive somewhere, it’s an adventure. And each time we’re given directions to someplace, we usually get lost for a while. Luckily, the people here are friendly and always willing to help a “wazungu” (white person) with directions, even to the point of actually getting inside the car and showing you the way. They aren’t hung-up about riding with strangers. I am amazed at the number of people carrying heavy loads up and down the streets. And bicycles are commonly used to carry huge loads of firewood, or 150 pound bags of grain, or cement or bananas. They push the bikes for miles with these loads. The other day we even saw a man pushing a bed down the street on a bike. Diesel fuels most vehicles here. We filled up yesterday, it cost over $100,000 Tanzanian shillings, or about $80 US. It’s equivalent to about $6.00/per gallon, which makes $2.50 gas look pretty cheap. Imagine that! It has been quite an experience to drive here. I’ll never gripe about traffic or drivers at home again. Keep us in your prayers!

Worship in Tanzania

Worship services in Tanzania are quite a bit different that they are in Minnesota. We arrived at Mkimbizi Lutheran Church last Sunday at about 6:50 am for the 7:00 am worship service. One might think that’s a little late for the preacher to show up, but Beth, I and mostly the church elders were the only ones there. As is the custom, we were escorted into a small office where we were greeted and made to feel welcome and served tea, fresh bread, hard boiled eggs and jam. Pastor Ambrose Kikioti, an energetic, young pastor with a fun-loving spirit, filled me in on the service and at 7:10 am we (me, Beth, Pastor Ambrose, Pastor Hasborn, and several elders) marched into the sanctuary. The church was half full, until the first hymn 15 minutes later, and then in typical Lutheran style, the other half of the congregation filed into the sanctuary. The service would last for the next 2 hours, yet the enthusiasm and joy of the people made time irrelevant. I preached and Pastor Ambrose’ translated into Kiswahili. It’s tricky to preach when the culture is so different. But the people love Jesus, are so very gracious and the Holy Spirit had control of the Word anyway. The choirs sang there were 15 minutes of announcements; we had the usual two processions to the front of the church with offerings, and a whole bunch of liturgy. Near the end of the service, Pastor Ambrose leaned over to me and said, “It’s time for the Pastor’s Choir to sing”. He gently took my hand and led me to join him, Pastor Hasborn, and another visiting pastor to harmonized one of my all time favorite African hymns, named: ?????, which I’d never heard before, and didn’t have a clue what we were saying (I hummed most of the time) None-the-less, when we were done, the congregation erupted with applause and cheering. As is always the tradition, when the worship is over, the congregation gathers outside the church and after an elder auctions member offerings of eggs, milk, or something homemade, the pastor blesses the congregation. Pastor Ambrose took the opportunity to allow the guest preacher to bless and send the people by handing me the Swahili Service Book and asking me to read the Swahili blessing. I’m not a very strong Swahili reader, but I gave it my best shot. All I know is that when I was finished the people laughed and clapped and once again, and we enjoyed the moment together The second service started at 9:30 am and included the ordination of an Evangelist (Evangelists preach at the outlying preaching points, which are small groups worshipping together, but not large enough to build and support a church yet). The service ended at 12:15 pm, and was followed by the baptism of a very sick baby. At 1:00 pm we joined the pastor for lunch in his office (Rice, beans, cabbage, beef and peas) Last week at Kihesa Lutheran Church we had all of the above, except goat instead of beef. Around 2:30 pm we started for home, it was a full morning, full of God’s love and grace. God is good and our friends here are wonderful. We were richly blessed and honored to be with them.

Tom and I were very intentional about bringing only as many clothes as we really needed as we always tend to over pack when traveling. However, the unexpected happens and you need to be creative. Our first week in Dar Es Salaam, I was wearing my everyday black skirt while walking downtown. Suddenly, I felt a pull and heard a tear. I looked to see my skirt caught on a low fence. Now, I’m down to two skirts! Tom brought one pair of dress pants for Sundays and our second Sunday in Iringa, he caught the back on a chair and ended up with a small but noticeable hole on his backside. Thankfully we brought some first aid tape and both garments are fully functional for now with the help of our own 3M!

With our internet being down so much of the time, we have not been able to post about our first adventures in Dar Es Salaam. This was such an amazing experience we have to share it even though this took place two and half weeks ago.
We made an email connection before leaving the states with a young couple, Amanda and Brandon living in Dar Es Salaam. They have both been teachers in a private school this past year and began a soccer ministry for children in a small village near by. A friend of Amanda’s asked us to bring them a large duffle full of clothes for the children in the village. We made arrangements to meet Amanda and Brandon to have dinner, hear about their experiences in Dar and to give them the clothes we brought over. Imagine our surprise when we met and Amanda looked at Tom and said, “Weren’t you one of the pastors from Marine on St. Croix?” Tom immediately recognized Amanda McMahon, a former parishioner. (We only had heard her married name before this). We had a wonderful evening hearing about this past year and seeing the beautiful pictures of their ministry with the children. A wonderful surprise and incredible blessing for all of us!

Happy Fourth of July!

I checked our email this morning and was reminded it is the 4th today, a fact I had forgotten since there are no big Fourth of July sales or fireworks! So we will celebrate quietly but miss the great fireworks at the cabin in Amery. We are finishing up our work with the five groups that have been here since we arrived. They are completing their trips and have had amazing experiences, especially in the villages with their parishes. We get to hear their stories and they are a blessing. Tom and I decided to go to the market yesterday to get some provisions and drove because we knew we would get too much for us to carry. We haven't mastered carrying the baskets on our heads! We ended up on a one way street the wrong way and totally frustrated so we came home and asked Sarah, a Tanzanian woman who works at the office to help. I told Sarah if she came to the U.S I would take her to the grocery store to show her how it works. She said,"I will take you to the market." She led us through the market bargaining with the vendors. Now we have food to prepare and especially wonderful fruit and vegetables!

We're finally online!

Thank you for your patience. With Shari Hamilton's help we can now access the blog and the internet is up which are two huge blessings! We have been in Tanzania for 2 weeks now and we have had both ups and downs but we are getting settled. We have been welcomed by many and look forward to the time with the people of Iringa and the villages around here. In our role as coordinators we have been assisting the five different church groups that are here presently, learning the accounting systems and meeting so many pastors whose names all start with M or N like Ngede, Mbegala. We will be going to Kihesa church tomorrow which is the partner church with St. Mark's in North St, Paul and where we spent our time last trip. Tom will be preaching at the two, two hour services. One of our challenges has been living "in community" with two other pastors in the apartment for the past week (although they have been gracious, we all have our quirks!). We will be moving to our own apartment on Sunday!! We will try to update frequently (when the internet is up) these next weeks as so much has happened in the past two weeks. Kwaheri! Beth & Tom

Getting Ready!

We look forward to hearing from you and hopefully will post our first entries when we get to Iringa.