Old Moshi, Day four (July 12, 2008)

Sunday, our final day in Kikarara. The day started early, as the church bell is rung at 5 AM on Sunday morning. Most of us managed to get a few more minutes of sleep before getting up and getting ready for Church. Kikarara has two Sunday services, at 7:30 and 10:00 AM. We attended both – the first is a very traditional Lutheran Service, in Swahili. The second service is what we might call blended – a guitar band leading part of the service, but the choir also sang a capella. This service is in Chagga, or whatever the Chagga tribe calls its native tongue. We were just as fluent in Chagga as we were in Swahili...

There are some notable differences compared to our service. The first is that they have two offerings per service, and you all file past a plate or basket to deposit the offering. The first offering is your usual pledge, and the second is called a "Thanks Offering". One of the Kolili High School math teachers sat next to me during the second service and interpreted, so I had a better idea of what was going on.

We were all introduced to the congregation during each service, and Pastor Rick gave the sermon, while Godbless translated.

The second big difference from our services occurs right after the service. We all file out the back of the church, and gather around the back steps for the Auction. Some parishioners contribute goods instead of cash, so the bananas or eggs or other fruits & vegetables are auctioned off, and the cash goes to the offering. The Math teacher asked if we did this in Cupertino, and I had to explain that we did not. Several of the items were purchased in our name; we had some fabulous fresh bananas and something called a Jackfruit, which had the texture of a green bell pepper but tasted something like an apple.

We had some time available after church, which we spent organizing our luggage, repacking and giving out some of the gifts we brought for the parish. We had a late lunch, which overlapped with our intended departure time, so our farewells were a bit rushed. We rode our tour bus down to the Keys Hotel, where the Kilimanjaro group is staying overnight, said some more goodbyes, and headed to the airport.

As I write this, Elaine, Lois, Sharon, Terre and myself are in Amsterdam, awaiting our connecting flight home.

I expect to have some summary thoughts later, after I've had a chance to catch up on my sleep and figure out what time zone I'm living in. Stay tuned.

Old Moshi – day three (July 12 2008)

Saturday was a Tourist Day in Moshi. We started by checking out of the Keys Hotel, and loading all our gear into our hosts vehicles. We headed into Moshi, and visited KCMC – Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center, where we got a short tour and visited one of Pastor Godbless' parishioners, who is recovering from some injuries. He was in a ward with 10 other patients, and there were two more in the hallway, as the ward room was full.

Next we stopped at the Lutheran Center Umoja Hostel and had lunch at their cafeteria. We proceeded to a store owned by one of the Elders of Kikarara, and bought many more mementos of Tanzania.

Once we finished shopping, we stopped by the location of the grain mill that Bethel helped buy for Kikarara. Originally, the mill was to be located on the Church property, but it was soon realized that trucks can not climb the steep hill to the parish land. Some land was acquired (from a parishioner, of course), and the building is almost complete. Both milling machines have arrived and are being stored until the building is complete. The plan is to also house storage silos at the site, and purchase grain at harvest time (when prices are low) and store it until later in the season when grain is scarce. During the scarce season, prices rise considerably, and many AIDS victims face the unpleasant choice of paying for anti-retro viral drugs or food. Studies have shown that a poor diet negates the drugs effectiveness, so HIV infected people will have high priority for receiving food at reasonable prices.

After the site tour, we stopped at the church, and hear one of the choirs rehearsing. We walked across the street to Mr Mattai's house, our host for the evening. A gorgeous sunset greeted us, and we sat on the lawn while dinner was being prepared. We experienced the first power failure of our stay, which delayed dinner, but gave us more time to converse. The power came on just as dinner was served.

Old Moshi, Day 2 (July 11, 2008)

Our second day in Old Moshi started at the Keys Hotel, where had a nice breakfast. the team assembled downstairs and were collected by our Kikarara Hosts – Mr Samuel, Mr Benson, Mr John and Pastor Godbless. We loaded up into their vehicles for our short drive up to Kikarara. Today we visited the Elementary School right next to Meli (the Secondary School we visited yesterday). We saw their classes and recess area, and were shown the maize storage tank that the Aids Orphans fund help purchase and fill. The staff noticed that not every child was able to bring a lunch, and that the ones who did not have a lunch would hide away during lunch, embarrassed that they had none. Hungry students do not learn well; the school now provides lunch. We were escorted to a classroom, and had some food – it looked like lunch, but wasn't (as we'll see later). After some time spent with food and tea, we had some speeches, by the Teacher In Charge, the Elders and of course a thankful response from Rick. We moved outside, and the whole school sang for us, and we gave them a number of soccer balls. The Aids Orphan fund supports the school fees and buys uniforms for more than a quarter of the 450 children at this school.

We next walked up the hill to the Kolila High School, a ELCT school that is held at the site of the original German government center when this area was called Moshi. The school holds classes for Form 1 thru Form 6, and the Headmaster collected much of his staff to meet us. We had time to chat and then the headmaster gave us an overview of the school, their programs and their needs. The Headmaster then opened up the floor for questions. When we ran out of questions, we asked the staff to ask us questions. Just as they were getting to the tough questions, lunch arrived. After lunch we had some more speeches. As we were leaving, we gave the Sports Master a couple dozen or so soccer balls.

After saying goodbye, we drove out to the Marangu area – this is one of the current starting points for climbing the mountain. We all hiked down to view a gorgeous waterfall. After some photos, we hiked back up to our vehicles and headed back to Pastor Godbless' house for dinner. We got a tour of his property, where he has chickens and 2 cows. There are two houses on the property – one is his, and the other belongs to his brother, who lives in Arusha now. Their Mother lives in the second house, but she was not home during our visit. We had yet another wonderful Tanzanian meal, and sat around the fire for awhile. Of course, the evening wouldn't be complete without few speeches – Mr Samuel invited Godbless and Rick to "Say a few words, but not a sermon". They complied, and Mr Samuel closed the evening with a few more remarks.

After an appropriate Tanzania Goodbye, we were driven the 21 kilometers back to our hotel in Old Moshi, and bade goodnight.

Old Moshi, Tanzania Day one (July 10, 2008)

(More Guest Journalism from Brad Martinson...)


We've had a couple of very busy days. When I last wrote, we were at the Uhuru Lutheran Center, which is a conference center and hostel in Moshi.

First, a geography lesson. Moshi is on the flatlands at the very edge of Mount Kilimanjaro. Old Moshi is up the slope just a bit – a kilometer or three from Moshi. The Germans established a government center in what is now called Old Moshi; when the British took over after the first world war, they moved the government center down the hill to what is now called Moshi. The Kikarara parish of the ELCT is located in Old Moshi.

Our hosts from the Kikarara Parish arrived on Thursday morning and collected us and our luggage at about 10 AM. One of the parish members owns a hotel in Old Moshi, and our gear was deposited there. Next we visited another church in a neighboring parish (Kiborlioni), where Pastor Godbless had been an intern many years before. After the tour, we sat down with the hosts from that church for "sharing some water", which turned out to be sodas or juice and roasted peanuts. In this part of Africa, it is traditional hospitality to offer your guests a drink of water, and to refuse is poor manners. After we had all washed our hands and had a nibble or two and a couple of welcoming speeches, we bade them farewell.

Next stop was the Kikarara Parish Church, where we got a tour, and saw the nearly completed parsonage as well as the sanctuary and other buildings. After we toured for a while, we went and shared water again – hand washing, sodas, juice or bottled water and some roasted peanuts. We sat and chatted with the Elders and others present, and then there were some speeches – a couple of Elders and Godbless welcomed us, and Rick thanked the group for our warm welcome.

We loaded up into our vehicles and made the short drive up one of the steep, bumpy main dirt roads of Kikarara, and stopped in at Meli Secondary School for a tour. Meli is a government-run school, but the Aids Orphans Fund we established two years ago helps many of the children who attend here. We got a tour, and walked around a couple of classrooms. Net we adjourned to one classroom that had been set up for lunch, and had a buffet lunch with the teachers and staff of Meli and the Kikarara elders. It was now about 2:15 PM, and after we had eaten our fill (and more), we had Some More Speeches, from the school headmaster, the elders and Pastor Rick. About 3:30 PM or so we moved outside and the whole school assembled and one of the older classes did a little drama for us. Next: More Speeches, mostly from the headmaster, and the obligatory thanks from Rick. We gave the school a dozen soccer balls, and made our way back to our cars.

We drove up the mountain for a nearly an hour, and got to a closed gate crossing the road. This was one of the starting places for climbing the Mount Kilimanjaro; this route is now closed, but it still offered a spectacular view of the peaks, who came out of their cloud cover for a few minutes. After some picture taking (and no speeches) we headed back down. Partway down we stopped at the very first Lutheran Church in this area – started back during the German Period (1880s-1918). The original church is still standing and in use; services are held in the newer, larger sanctuary next door. There was a great view of the plains below – we could clearly see Moshi, and we could see all the way to Kenya in the far distance.

We headed back down; the vehicle I was riding in had brake trouble (due to the steep, bumpy dirt roads), so we re-shuffled the passengers around and headed down. We stopped at yet another church that is shepherded by Godbless Mumkwe, and waited for all the cars to gather. This church is called Kitonyohu, and is a satellite of the Kikarara parish. Their choir was practicing when we arrived, and the sun was setting on Kilimanjaro, and it was wonderful. The choir did a couple of numbers for us, and once we had all re-assembled, we drove down the mountain to the house of Mr Paul, and Elder at Kikarara. We had a fabulous dinner with the Elders, and yes, there were More Speeches after dinner. Once we had said our goodbyes we were transported to the hotel. I was concerned that I didn't have the energy to get undressed before I fell asleep, but somehow managed.

Traveling Day July 9, 2008

Hello all - guest journalist brad martinson filling in for pastor rick. We are back in Moshi.  In a couple of hours, five of us will board a plane that will take us back to the US, and 6 will remain in Tanzania for another week.  We have just emerged from an Internet-free zone, so I'll be posting several updates before I run for the plane...

Rick & the other climbers will also be out of touch for a week, so the Blog will be silent again for a few days.


Here is the 7/9 installment I wrote....

Travel Day

After three days in the Game Parks, we spent an evening in Arusha.   We wanted to have a low-key
dinner, so we decided to just stay at the hotel and eat – several members of the group had already used
the hotel restaurant in days past, and it was fine.  My theory is that they sent the cook home early and
had to either hire a new one or perhaps drive out to the suburbs to retrieve him, as it took almost an
hour from the time we ordered until it arrived. Most of the food was just fine once it arrived – my curry
was a bit salty, but quite delicious.  Some of the meat dishes could have used a bit less time on the fire,
from my observation.  At least it gave us all time to it and chat, and added yet another story to our
canon.

On Wednesday morning we all had breakfast at the Equator, as usual, and the we bade goodbye to the
hotel staff and loaded ALL of our luggage into the JM Tours bus.  This is the first time we had all of
our stuff with us since we arrived, as each previous trip allowed us to take only what we needed for that
journey and leave the rest in storage at the Equator Hotel. Since we are not returning to Arusha, we had
to take it all with.  The Bus was quite full.

We spent an hour or so in the morning at the Mwagaza Education Project, which is a joint venture
between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the ELC Tanzania. One of their goals is to
help instruct teachers on how to teach more effectively. Teachers in Tanzania only get a short practice
period before being thrown into the classroom, and often have too few materials for too many students
– class sizes can reach 60 per instructor, and many schools have approximately one book for every 10
students.  We saw their campus, and they graciously chatted with us, even though they have a major
conference beginning tomorrow.

We made one last dash to the Maasai market for a few more treasures, since we are headed out of
Maasai territory, and then had a marvelous lunch at a restaurant called the Flame Tree. We made an
excellent choice, not only in my opinion but that of former president Bill Clinton,  who (apparently) ate
there when he was in Tanzania in July of 2007.  His photo was on the wall next to our table. This was
another example of Slow Food, but since the food was universally excellent and bread and drinks
appeared immediately, we were not disappointed.

Next on our trip was a stop at the Makumira University College, where we met Carol Stubbs, who gave
us the grand tour.  She and her husband are teaching music at the university level, and have (as far as
they know) the only Bachelor of Music program in Tanzania.  Classes ended last Friday, so the campus
was pretty sparsely populated.  The Bethel group that visited Tanzania two years ago spent three days
here, creating window screens for the Chapel.  We got to inspect their work, which still looks excellent. 
After a nice visit, we once again loaded up the bus and headed out.

On our way to Moshi, Kilimanjaro made another surprise appearance, The top of the mountain
gradually started to show thru the cloud cover, until the entire top was visible. we stopped for a
moment to get our cameras out, and most of us snapped a photo or two,

We arrived at the Uhuru Lutheran Center about 6 PM, and got all our bags unloaded and into our
rooms. We could relax for a few minutes, as our next appointment was at 8 PM. We all met Pastor
Godbless and several of the Elders of the Kikarara Parish for dinner, and we had a nice chat with them. 
They will be by tomorrow morning with several vehicles to haul us and our stuff up the hill into Old
Moshi, where we will stay until Sunday afternoon.  Should be a fine time.

Safari Behind, Orphans Ahead

Good morning from the Uhuru Lutheran Hostel in Moshi -

 

What a whirlwind the past four days have been.  Here's a brief recap.

 

Sunday, July 6

Our safari drivers picked us up in wonderful, pop-top land rovers (all the better to see animals with, my dear!)  I was pleased to see my friend Bashieri was one of our drivers - he was with us two years ago and looks well.  Bashieri is a Muslim who spends most of his time with Christians and is as gracious as can be.  As he says, peace is most important.  Amen to that.  We drove to Lake Manyara National Park where we drove around looking for animals (here simba....).  The highlight of the day was a group of three giraffe *a gaggle of giraffe?) who stood right by the road and posed for pictures.  They preened like contestants on "America's Next Top Model" for about thirty minutes.  We spend the evening in Karatu at the Bouganvilla Safari Lodge - a wonderful place with individual rondavels and fireplaces in each one.  There was also a swimming pool - but it wasn't quite finished.  They promised it would be done in two years!  We experienced a great All-American dinner of beef and mashed potatoes.  Our safari drivers joined us and wanted to talk about, yep, you guessed it, Barack Obama.  Africans are fascinated with the man.

 

Monday, July 7

We got up early and drove to "the crater" (The Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, to be exact).  I love this place - spectacular views, lots of wildlife and Masai boys leading their cattle to watering holes.  Everything just seems to work.  We spent a good while wathing two lion cubs hiding out just off the road.  There were about 7 land rovers hovered around them and they would pop up for a split second and the cameras would start clicking. At that moment it dawned on me - I think it is more interesting to watch humans taking pictures of lion cubs that taking pictures of lion cubs.  We saw every member of the big five (consult wikipedia if you are unclear on this phrase), but nothing crazy like lions wrapping themselves around the tires of our land rover.  We hightailed it out of the crater in mid-afternoon for the long drive to one of the best spots on earth - the Tarangire Safari Lodge in Tarangire National Park.  It sits on a bluff overlooking a watering hole.  Upscale tent cabins, specatular food, even a swimming pool - this time in good working order.  Steve and I threw on shorts and were in the pool within 15 minutes of arrival.

 

July 7 is Steve's birthday and I didn't tell anyone in the group because I wanted to do a little celebration at the Safari Lodge.  Once we arrived, I told a few people and they insisted we sing to Steve and dinner, which we did - cute and comical.  Right after we finished singing, the lights flickered in the dining room and the entire waitstaff comes out singing "happy birthday" in Swahili in three part harmony.  This was definately not like the waiters at Chevy's halfheartedly singing to yet another sombraro-clad birthday victim.  These waitresses marched all around the room singing - It was magnificent. They even brought him a piece of cake with a candle.  That night we listened to the sounds of various animals below us at the watering hole.

 

Tuesday, July 8

The group got up at 6am and took a morning game drive in Tarangire - more lions, zebras, elephants - it all starts to run together.  This was the point of the safari when we all began to say, "Look, another group of zebras doing cartwheels," and not one camera was raised.  After another drive around the park and some up close encounters with elephants, we heading back to Arusha.  One land rover made a stop at the Massae Girl's Lutheran Secondary School for a brief visit.  We brought them 50 new Swahili hymn books (their's were falling apart) but more importantly, four of our team finally met the specific girls they are sponsoring *they were away on holiday when we were there last week).  I also paid Jean Wahlstrom for the school fees for the 9-year old girl who was married, rescued and now moving on with her life.  She is now covered for the rest of 2008.

 

Wednesday, July 9

Time's up in the computer lab.  Pastor Godbless Mamkwe is showing up in a few minutes to take us to see some of the orphans we have been sponsoring.  I think there will be singing and dancing and much laughter in our immediate future.  Praise God for the many ways he has helped this partnership to grow.  More later...

 

Kwaheri-

 

Pastor Rick, for the entire team

Super Sunday

Good Morning Family and Friends-

 

In just about an hour, the team will be piling into Toyota Land Cruisers and heading off to three of Tanzania's best game parks - Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Parks.  We are in great spirits after the past few days.  Here's a few stories:

 

Friday, July 4th

The team was met at the hotel by James (the elder) from the New Life Band and his 16 year-old daughter.  Out of all the Tanzanians we have met, the members of the New Life Band have feet in both African and Western cultures.  For example, James uses American slang quite regularly and can employ different American accents - how strange to hear a Tanzanian say "Hello" with a Southern twang.  They drove us out to the site of their new secondary school.  Building this school has been the primary goal of their recent American tours.  You'll be happy to know the school is up and running.  The headmaster/principal is a Masai man who returned to his home area to work with his people.  There is one completed classroom building and 28 Form 1 students in class now.  Two years ago there was a foundation in a field.  Now lives are being changed.  This is a miracle from God's hand.  By December the second classroom will be completed and more students will come.  Each successive year will add another grade level until Forms 1-6 are all represented. 

 

We are hoping the New Life Band are able to come for their next American tour in the Fall of 2009. 

 

After the tour the group celebrated the 4th of July in Tanzania with a Chinese feast at the Everest Inn.  The highlight was the desert - the hot caramel-shelled fritas served with a bowl of water to crystallize the caramel.  Nothing scream freedom like...oh never mind.  It was a tremendous day.

 

After some shopping at the so-called Masai market (where hard bargaining is expected), we met an old friend for dinner.  Sarah Wallace is an Aussie who was our tour guide at Selian Lutheran Hospital two years ago.  On a whim, Lois e-mailed her and invited her to dinner and she showed up.  Sarah is trained as an occupational therapist and has been serving in Tanzania off and on since 2002.  The scope of her work has pushed beyond her formal training.  She helps run an outreach program that identifies children in rural bush communities who have "bendy legs" or club feet or other structural issues and steers them to Selian where they are cared for.  This is a subsidized program.  A normal procedure costs 300,000 TZS, a sum that most Masai people cannot pay.  Sarah told us a story that repeats itself over and over again - a father bringing his child to Arusha with a small amount of shillings in hand and only the feet of the child visible beneath the father's robe, the child too shaken by the noise of the city to emerge.  Some families sell their motsprized possessions their cows - in order for their children to receive the procedures they need.  Sarah spun story after story of how she is making the world different, one child at a time.

 

Her current passion project is called the "Plaster House."  It's a place for those recovering from orthopedic surgery to live and recover with their families before they return to rural areas.  The truth of Tanzanian tribal cultural is that women (mamas) run households.  Therefore, if a mama or one of her children needs surgery, the families need a place to recover together, in this case a lower-cost alternative to a prolonged hospital stay.  The "Plaster House" has only been open for a five weeks or so and it is a great success.  There are currently nine beds and twenty residents. 

 

When we asked Sarah how we can help, she said they are looking to install a washing machine to eliminate the need for house mothers to wash all the sheets, towels and clothes by hand.  Our group is going to stop at an appliance store on the way out today and do some pricing.  If you would like to give to this cause (or for helping the "Plaster House" obtain other essential, like beds), feel free to send a check to Bethel marked "Plaster House" and I'll get it into the Sarah's hands.

 

Overall, a brilliant and enlightening evening.

 

So far we've learned about education and health care here in Tanzania - now we are off to experience the only vantage point most Americans ever glimpse - the tourist/safari industry.  We began our "tourism 101" course yesterday when we went to the Indian-owned, very upscale "Cultural Heritage Center" in Arusha.  Typical tourist trap - tons of wazungu, vastly inflated prices and even some "authentic" drummer and dancers at the front door to greet shoppers.  We were out of there fairly quickly and all agreed we love the Africa we have seen so far - smiling children, teenager dreaming big dreams and long-term missionaries who invest in the lives of those most tourists never see.

 

After some more shopping we had a relaxing dinner and began preparing for today's new adventures.  I look forward to seeing some elephants today.

 

Until next time,

 

Pastor Rick, on behalf of the rest of the team

 

 

 

 

Another Day in Tanzania

Hijambo Friends, Family and All-Around Support People-

 

Greetings from Tanzania.  For those of you in the USA, happy 4th of July.  We a re now in Arusha where we will be doing some day visits and resting up for more adventures.  Before I recap the last 24 hours, I have a few more things to say concerning our experiences at the Massae Girl's Lutheran Secondary School:

 

1)  The Work We Did - Brad led a heroic effort to repair some ancient PC's in both the computer lab and the administration building.  We transported 20 hard drives, tons of memory boards, 20 power supplies and many other computer parts in our suitcases and Brad replaced things like crazy, with the help of Steve, Kris and Katie.  However, we have all learned, each in our own way, that this is Africa (TIA) and things happen at their own pace here.  Brad discovered that doing some simple computer repairs can take weeks.  And they are PC's.  Perhaps we can ask Steve Jobs to donate 35 Macs and that would solve all of MGLSS's computer problems right there!

 

Lynne led a heroic effort to clean up the library where there was no discernible order, at least to American eyes.  After 3 days she and her team of "shelf-readers" had some of the books in order.  It may take months to get the library in tip-top shape, but at least now some books can be easily found. 

 

Everybody else rotated through different projects including repairing bulletin boards, hanging out with the Form 1, 2 & 3 girls who were not yet in class but still on campus and teaching classes in the afternoon like exercise and soccer. 

 

However, the most important work we did was building relationships - with the girls, with the faculty and with the random but crucially important missionaries like Jean and Marv.  Everybody left with at least one girl who we had bonded with (mine is named Witness and she wrote out 2 pages of Swahili phrases for me to learn by the time I return).  The work being done at MGLSS is "against the odds" and does nothing more than give the girls at chance at a better future.  Most girls in pastoral tribes will be married off by their fathers by the age of 18, sometimes as the 3rd or 4th (or more) wife of one man.  Those that make it into secondary school must complete national exams at several points along the way and these exams slot them into future career possibilities.  Only 5% of students in Tanzania make it to university level work.  MGLSS is attempting to push that number up.  However, as Jean said often, the school change the lives of individual girls but what is really needed is a system change, and that is very slow in coming.

 

2) Sponsorships - the response to the story of the 8-year old girl that Pastor Neema has rescued from an arranged marriage has struck a nerve.  Many people have written back with offers of financial support at various level.  First off, thank you.  More than anything this helps our team recognize that our work here is a group effort and that all of you back home support us and the needs we see all around us.  I am in the process of putting together a system to help the 8-year old girl previously mentioned - I'll be contacting some of you directly.  However, there are many girls in the same situation and MGLSS deal with them continuously.  For anyone else,who wants to help in a ground-level, meet -the-need kind of way,  the best thing to do is give gifts to Operation Bootstrap Africa's scholarship fund to help girls who have finished secondary school and are looking to achieve another level of schooling.  OBA is headquartered in Minnesota and is the primary mover and shaker behind sponsorships at MGLSS.  It's the best of both worlds - an American non-profit with a solid reputation and the money lands here.  Most likely you will even receive letters from the girl you sponsor.  Or you can make an undesignated gift for the next girl who shows up on the radar.

 

Thursday, July 3rd - Back to Arusha

 

Right before we left MGLSS, we took a walk through the fields to see a project that is generating income for the school.  They have contract with Tanzania Breweries, LTD to grow barley for making beer.  Evidently it's quite a money maker.  Somehow I just love this.  The fields of barley are beautiful.  Saying goodbye is always difficult when the experience has been brilliant, but in Tanzania formalities must not be overlooked.  So the small group of faculty gathered with us for morning tea and the speeches began.  And went on.  And on.  I've never been thanked that much in my life.  And for so long.  45 minutes later, we were on the bus and on the road.

 

Remember I mentioned that we brought 150 soccer balls with us?  The girls at MGLSS were not that interest in soccer (it's a boys sport here), so needles to say we had a few extras to give away.  So I opened the one of the windows of the bus and when we came upon a group of boys playing soccer I threw them a ball.  Sometimes our soccer balls replaced rolls of duct tape.  Our bus was quite popular until we ran out of soccer balls.  This is definitely an experience I hope to repeat in the coming days.

 

When we arrived back in Arusha we had just a few hours to chill out.  I used this time to get a bite to eat and then marched right down to the cell phone store and picked up a nice new Tanzania cell phone.  Everybody here has one - even people living in squalor.  It's the best and sometimes only way to communicate.  I feel like a real Tanzanian now!  

 

At 3:00pm we were whisked away to the headquarters of the New Life Band, our faithful friends who have spent time with us in the USA during their biannual concert tours.  We were met by James (the elder) who had told us that the band was performing from 5-6pm.  That's all the details he gave us.  James has a large mini-van that fit all 11 of us somewhat creatively.  He took us about 10km outside of Arusha and turned off onto a very nice gravel road leading to a government-run hospital.  He told us that this road was new because this is the road President Bush had used during his visit earlier this year to give a speech on his malaria initiative at the hospital.  If nothing else, Mr. Bush contributed to our comfort by making our ride easier for about 2km. 

 

When James stopped the van there were approximately 1,000 people gathered in a field next to a Pentecostal church where the New Life Band had set up a stage and sound equipment.  The rest of the band was already on stage so James ran up to join them.  It quickly dawned on us, the only white people there, that this was a Pentecostal revival.  Old-school - outside with dancing and raised hands and lots of alleluias.  One of the members of the New Life Band was wearing a blue, long-sleeved T-shirt with "The Removed" stenciled on the front, a gift from his last visit to Bethel.  Somebody make sure Tom Hoegel knows about this bit of cultural coolness. 

 

The band whipped the crowd into a frenzy.  People were dancing and singing and more kept coming until there were like 2,000 packing the surrounding areas.  The Spirit was alive in that field, my brothers and sisters.  Can I get an alleluia!  Then the preaching began.  All in Swahili.  Perhaps that was a good thing.  The crowd would laugh or say alleluia but we didn't know why.  The first preacher sounded exactly like Chris Rock, only if Chris Rock were 5'2" and carried a bible.  Some nearby Tanzanians told us he was talking about how great his wife was and how we all need support from our families.  Pretty cool.  The second preacher sounded like Al Sharpton on HGH - his voice could be heard for miles, literally.  He used some dramatic body motions and an especially good finger waggle.  He would be gasping for breath after each 5-minute long run-on sentence.  It was an awesome spectacle to behold.  And people think I'm loud!  A small warning - I have learned some new preaching techniques you will be seeing unveiled soon. 

 

The New Life Band played again and then James emerged from the crowd and whisked us back the the hotel.  The second preacher was giving an altar call and James thought we didn't need to stay for that.  I was disappointed but the rest of the group was relieved.  Sharon even took the earplugs out of her ears once safely back in the van.  Remember how I said that the second preachers voice could be heard for miles.  When we reached the main road (about 2k away) I could still hear him.  Now that's amplification!

 

We hastily arranged for a buffet banquet that night for our team, the band members and their wives - a total of 26 people.  The hotel chef put it all together and we were eating by 8pm.  Tremendous.  When it came time to say goodbye, it was once again speech time.  Ondo got up and said he had a few words.  10 minutes later, the band began to chide him to finish ("These are Americans")  and he wrapped up.  When It was my turn I simple said thanks to the wives and families who support their men who travel all over the word sharing Christ and raising money for education in Tanzania.  It was a great night.  If you want to learn more about the New Life Band (Ministry to Youth and Students), google their website.

 

Today we are off doing all kinds of things.  More later.

 

Kwa Heri-

 

Pastor Rick, for the entire team

 

P.S.  I think my friend Bill Hanson is secretly a Tanzanian with unusually light pigmentation.  When he says he is giving a short speech, he is using Tanzanian time as his oratory model. 

Arrival in Tanzania/Massae Girl's School

Hello family, friends and prayer partners-

 

Indeed we have arrived safely in Tanzania on Sunday evening.  Unfortunately, we haven't had a confluence of events to allow Internet access until today (Wednesday).  So, to catch you up, here a re a few significant tales:

 

1)  Why I Love Bureaucracy, Part # 8,732

When we arrived at the Kilimanjaro airport after 26 hours of traveling, we were shocked to find that all 24 pieces of checked luggage had arrived.  This was a true miracle.  3 of those bag contained 150 soccer balls that we will be delivering everywhere we go.  I decided to take those three bags out to the bus.  As I passed through the exit, I was stopped by a very nice young man in a yellow T-shirt who asked to see what was in my bags.  I showed him the soccer balls and he directed me to an office where I was told I would have to pay "duty" on these items.  It was bribe time.  The only question was how low I could negotiate the bribe. I started with a lowball offer of $50USD and was met with silence.  Then the "customs official" moved onto someone else's paperwork.  This particular person was an American bringing 6 shotguns into the country for "a hunt."  I think he was from Texas.  I didn't ask what the prey would be.  The "customs official" decided to check each gun and this inspection included swinging the things around somewhat indiscriminately while attempting to locate serial numbers.  Needless to say, my bribe offer went up to $100 USD very quickly and was thankfully accepted.  Only in Africa.

 

2)  Day #1 - Monday, 6/30

On Monday morning we were met by Thomas Ratsim, our old friend from JM Tours who served as our official "tour manager" while we are here.  He is basically our go-to guy for anything concerning travel or the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania or how not to be a ridiculous American tourist.  He helped us through our necessary errands which are incredibly exciting here - things like changing money, going to the ATM and buying bottled water.  He wanted to know all about Barack Obama, so we told him some things.  Discussing American presidential politics on the hour-long bus ride was surreal. 

 

We arrived at the Massae Girl's Lutheran Secondary School about 3pm.  We were met by our good friends Jean and Marv.  The guest house that was under construction when we visited two years ago is now a full-on luxury lodge.  It even came complete with a gourmet chef who was preparing dinner as we entered.  Life is good.

 

School is not in session but there are 28 girls on campus who are staying through the break. Their smiles and singing are incredible.

 

Day #2 - Tuesday, July 1

Nobody slept well.  The men all came out to the common area of the lodge at 2:30am and started going trough all the donations items we brought to the school - mostly computer parts.  The day officially started with morning prayer at 7:10am.  For the girls at the school, they run and sing beginning at 5:30am. I thought 7:10 was early!  After morning prayer we ate breakfast and then broke up to start all kinds of projects.  Brad began to assess the situation in the computer lab, one group began to assess the situation in the library and one group began to spend time with the six Form 1 (8th grade) girls still on campus.  I think they ended up doing art projects and chatting about tons of stuff.  The real action took place outside the front entrance, where myself, Steve and Kris were tasked with burning stuff.  First we went down the trash area (rubbage area, excuse me).  It's basically a hole in the ground.  After several false starts and no accelerants, we managed to burn a week's worth of garbage.  Just so you know, there is almost no recycling here.  Then we collected some shrub trimmings, added it to a large pile of similar material sitting directly adjacent to the front gate and torched the whole thing.  This small bonfire collected quite a crowd who admired our work.

 

In the afternoon, Kris and Alisa taught an exercise class for the girls while Lois and her helpers taught the girl's to play soccer (with some of those balls we brought).  The exercise class was a huge hit - we may have started a fitness craze.  The soccer class has high comedy.  In Tanzania, soccer is considered a "boys" game so the girl's don't often play (if ever).  Watching these teenager girl's learn dribbling, passing, shooting and heading was tremendous.  Their laughter echoed throughout the school.  And yet most were naturals at the game.

 

Day #3 - Wednesday, July 2 (today)

Another great day!  My time is running out in the computer lab so I'll be fast.  I met with the campus pastor of the Girl's School today, Pastor Neema.  She is a young woman - a former graduate of the school who has returned to help inspire and teach those following the same path that she has followed.  Girls in the Masai tribe are often married between the ages of 12-16 to older men.  The girl's school is bucking this cultural trend by providing these girls the opportunity for an education.  Pastor Neema told me the story of a girl who has passed Form 4 (11th grade) and is hoping to go onto a one-year course to be a kindergarten teacher.  The problem is that this girl's father is desperately trying to find her to marry her off.  Pastor Neema is trying to help by serving as her "parent" for the next year while looking for an educational sponsorship.  When our group heard the story, several agreed to provide the necessary funds for the girl to complete school.  We are meeting her for the first time in 2 hours.

 

Pastor Neema also told me the story of a girl, aged 8, who was married off by her father to a much older man.  Pastor Neema helped "rescue" this girl and got her access to a primary education at a Catholic boarding school.  The trajectory of that girl's life has been changed.  Now Pastor Neema is looking for someone to take on sponsorship for this child.  The cost: a mere $700.00 USD per year.  Any takers?

 

More on the Girl's School later.

 

We are well and hope you are too.  Kwa Heri.

 

Pastor Rick, on behalf of the team