Vision Trip June 09

Kwa Heri Tanzania

2009-07-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

The last day of every Vision Trip to Tanzania is a long goodbye as we await our departure from Kilimanjaro airport at 9:00pm tonight. After a lazy morning we made one last journey together up to the village of Uswa. This is the home village of our driver and friend Kakasii and I always enjoy spending some time at his family home up there in the hills.

Along the way we stopped at the village schools where we found all the boys of the primary school playing soccer with, you guessed it, some twine and plastic twisted into a little ball. We had kept a couple soccer balls all the way to the end of our trip just in case this opportunity might present itself. The boys were overjoyed when they realized that the ball Adam was kicking to them was theirs to keep. We then stopped in at the school building and presented the teacher with several bags of school supplies while all the children laughed and sang to us.

Up at Kakasii’s house, he and a good friend cooked a delicious barbeque over an open campfire. They skewered some beef onto long sticks and cooked the meat till it was just right. We sat around with other friends and village kids and gnawed at the tasty but tough beef as if we were a bunch of Masai. We just hung out and played soccer with the little kids and enjoyed one last authentic afternoon with old friends and new. On our way back we stopped again to visit Kakasii’s mother and older sister. Momma prayed for us with all her heart in Chagga to have a safe journey back to our home village and our families.

And now as we pack up our things to leave, we are looking out at our first full, clear view of the mountain, which has revealed itself only the one other time during this whole trip. That it should fight its way through an overcast sky to show itself to us one more time before we go does not surprise me one little bit. Things move slowly here in Tanzania, but if you are patient, she always has time for one more blessing.

God bless this place and these people. We will be home soon. Pictures taken throughout the trip can be viewed here. More information on St. Matthew's Vision Trips to TZ can be found here.

Back To School

2009-06-30T22:51:00.000-07:00

Today we leave Chip behind to volunteer for a week at the Irente Children’s Home. Situated near the Irente School for the blind above, and the Rainbow School for Mentally challenged children below, our companion Lutherans have established a foothold of hope high in these hills which reaches out as far as the eye can see.

Chip is staying in a nice little hostel located right on the orphanage grounds. Along with other student workers from Tanzania and a couple other international volunteers, Chip will help out with the daily care of the children and other projects on the orphanage campus. We are proud of Chip and hope that he may inspire others from St. Matthew’s to come spend some time volunteering with one of our many partners in Tanzania. Chip is also keeping a blog of his experiences here.

Our time in Lushoto was so rich and full that it would not be possible to summarize it all. Time in Tanzania is thick. Brief moments can be packed with layers of meaning. We fell in love with the orphan children being cared for at the Irente Children’s Home. We heard their tragic stories and watched their Lutheran caretakers love them unconditionally. We met two young boys about five years old staying at the orphanage. We heard the sad story of how they lost both of their parents. These boys are older than the ages this orphanage is set up to care for but the gospel they live by at this place sometimes bends the rules.

Jeremiah and Gerald are identical twins but only Jeremiah has a sponsor to pay his school fees to attend kindergarten. Can you imagine, after all they have been through, having to hold one back while his twin brother goes off to school? This is one of many dark little corners where the Africa Fund at St. Matthew’s will now be shining some light. The two little boys wearing hats in the picture are Jeremiah and Gerald… both of them will be in their new class on the first day of school.

Donations to the Africa Fund at St. Matthew’s can be made out to St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church with “Africa Fund” on the memo line.

The Mountains

2009-06-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

I have learned that you should never put your camera down once you leave the main road to start climbing into the Usambara Mountains toward Lushoto. As soon as you do, you’ll come around a switchback turn on the mountain road to find a perfect line of young children balancing unnaturally large bundles of firewood on their heads to bring them up the mountain. As soon as you set your camera down, a breathtaking vista will be revealed for just a moment with mud huts clustered along the spine of an impossibly high ridge with a waterfall as a backdrop. Those people are living up there? Yep. Just don’t set your camera down in these mountains!

We spent the afternoon with Mama Munga at the Lutheran university, SEKUCo, where she shared all of the progress and great challenges being faced on the two campuses. It was encouraging to see all of the Braille typing machines provided through the Africa Fund at St. Matthew’s being put to good use. A problem with access to enough fresh water has developed into one of the most pressing challenges the University will need assistance to address.

We had a wonderful afternoon in Lushoto with Bishop Munga and his wife Anneth and much of the staff of the NE Diocese. These are all important people with title and position but they could not be more enjoyable to be around. More than that, they clearly enjoy one another’s company with no pretence of position making for contrived interactions between them.

The young lady who quietly served the lunch was asked also to give the blessing, which she did with grace and humility but no sense of intimidation to be called upon to pray in the presence of the bishop, other important leaders of the diocese and foreign visitors. Understand, her role was not to be involved in the discussion, but to quietly serve the tea. Even so, when she began to pray, all of us, including the bishop, were in her hands as she held us up to the Lord. This is one of the many things I love about our Lutheran brothers and sisters here.

Small World

2009-06-28T23:52:00.000-07:00

It’s a big big world but the church has always had a way of bringing it down to size. You remember we met Klaus, the German Lutheran Deacon running the Usa River School for children with disabilities. I could write ten pages on some of the experiences he shared with us concerning things like lining up hundreds of surgeries for poor villagers to be accomplished in astonishingly short spans of time with volunteer doctors from around the world.

So after we had moved far away from Usa River and Klaus into a whole different diocese, climate and tribal area, it would be silly to make the assumption that the next German guy I met would happen to know Klaus. Silly, except for the church. Sitting on a chair fashioned from the sticks laying around the area and looking out at the Indian Ocean, I started talking to the German guy playing with his three-year-old daughter. Frank was his name and he runs the Lutindi Lutheran Mental Hospital where he lives with his wife and two children. He shared the harrowing story of the premature birth of their second child and treacherously long drive to get to a properly equipped hospital in Kenya.

“You kinda remind me of someone I met recently”, I told Frank. “His name is Klaus and he’s a deacon in the German Lutheran church living in Usa River…” “Ya sure, Frank said, we are great friends, I am also a deacon.” He went on to tell me just how close their two families were and how Klaus’s wife had helped them through the ordeal of the premature birth. The more we talked, the more people we found that we knew in common, all of them connected through the Lutheran church in one way or another.

Anyway, these German Lutheran deacons are something else. Quite willing to disappear with their young families into remote, impoverished settings on the other side of the world to live out their faith in service to those in need. I don’t know how many of them there are but the two I know humble me with their commitment. The two I know also happen to know each other, which makes it kind of uncanny I met them both. They say we are all removed from one another by no more than six degrees of separation… not in the Lutheran church we’re not, and not in Tanzania.

Indian Ocean

2009-06-28T04:57:00.000-07:00

We have now shifted to the coastal area between Pangani and the large town of Tanga. The drive from Moshi only took about six hours with the last couple on dirt roads through villages of red mud huts. Along the way we saw children playing soccer by wrapping discarded plastic bags into a tight ball. The picture was taken at one of these villages where we stopped to replace the balled up plastic bags with a real soccer ball. I realize a soccer ball saves no one, but I never tire of moments like the one pictured here.

We are staying right on the coast of the Indian Ocean in thatched roofed “bandas” clustered along the coastline like a little village. We are hoping to go out on a dhow (wooden boat) this afternoon to explore a sand island and even do some snorkeling but as I type it is pouring down rain so we’ll just have to see what the weather does. This is the first and only day with no stated wake up time so the youth in our group are taking full advantage, as the vervet monkeys goof around just outside their banda in the pouring rain.

Karibu Tena

2009-06-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

We’re back in Moshi for a quick overnight and then we are off on the long road to Tanga (was that a movie?) The last day and a half have been spent in travel and visiting families that I have come to know over time. Everyone in the group is healthy now, which makes things go a lot easier as you can imagine.

Just to follow up on the great Serengeti heist at the hippo pool… As we departed the tented camp the next morning and came to the gate to re-enter the park, we came upon a large group of armed rangers with two men hand cuffed in the back of one of their pickups. Sure enough, the small search plane had spotted the two criminals out in the bush and they were quickly apprehended before it ever got dark. I was pleased to see that the two were not disposed of and left for the hyenas but was informed this was only so they could be beaten for a while to see if they have any information about other thieves. Now and then you are reminded of how different this place really is from our country.

A more positive reminder of this fact was revealed as we spent some time at a Masai boma (village). The Masai people are an explosion of red out in the grey landscape we often find them. We spent time with them in their small huts made of sticks, banana leaves and cow dung and visited their children in a little kindergarten made of the same. They are very welcoming and joyful people living an almost primitive semi-nomadic life.

On our way back to Moshi we visited the Usa River Lutheran Trade School, which serves young people with physical disabilities. A Lutheran Deacon from Germany now runs the school. His name is Klaus and he is an easy going and likeable guy. His wife and two young children are living here with him and doing wonderful work. You can learn more about the school at www.usa-reha.org

Our group got their very first glimpse of the mountain this evening. It was not in full view but the peak came clear of the clouds long enough to see what all the fuss is about. It is said that a look at the mountain is an invitation to return again someday, “karibu tena” is how they say it in Swahili, welcome again!

The Serengeti

2009-06-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

Apart from some passing Hyenas around 4:00 this morning, it was a peaceful night at Ndutu. Sunrise here is like the dawn of creation with a pink sky rising behind the amazing acacia (umbrella) trees, each looking like a sculpture worked on by some master artist. The sounds are just as moving with a chorus of soft cooing by various doves combined with the songs of a thousand other species of birds all rising to a crescendo as the sun clears the acacia trees. Natalie had taken over for Adam as the one feeling ill but she was feeling better by the time we got going this morning.

As if to welcome us, we came into a large group of elephants as soon as we crossed over into the Serengeti. The group was careful to keep the babies tucked away in the middle but we were patient and got good pictures of the little ones too. A while later, we came upon a leopard lounging in a tree and that completed our sightings of all “big five” animals which are; lion, leopard, black Rhino, elephant and water buffalo.

The real highlight of the day was rolling up on a whole pride of lions, thirteen in all, napping under a tree. We shut off the engine and just sat there with them as they jostled for position resting heads on backs in a playful pile of predators. Every now and then the big male would lose patience with the young ones as they goofed around and give them his king of the jungle roar, which quickly settled everyone back down.

Kakasii heard on the CB radio that some people were robbed by thieves at the hippo pool, which happened to be where we were heading. This is very rare inside of the national parks. Some speeding park rangers soon passed us on their way to the area of the crime. A small plane was also in the air searching for the thieves who were traveling on foot. Imagine trying to evade the law by hiding out in an area with more large predatory animals than almost anywhere in the world, and they tend to already have all the good hiding places!

We knew the hippo pool was by now the safest place in the country so we stayed on course. When we arrived, I walked over and met the two Australian women who were robbed and their driver. The robbers had cut the driver’s arm with a machete although the injury was not too serious. The women were still quite shaken and were grateful for some consoling words. They were just beginning their trip but they seemed like they could shake it off and get back to their adventure. Kakasii said when the thieves are caught by the rangers there will be no arrest or trial, it will end right out there in the bush.

Rest assured, this is an extremely rare event. What two knuckleheads would hike well into the Serengeti to rob a couple tourists on a game drive with no escape route except through lion, cheetah, and leopard territory? All camps, including ours, have guards patrolling around the clock (mostly, watching out for animals). We are quite safe.

We have arrived at Ikoma Bush Camp where we will spend the night in large canvas tents. As I type, I can hear hyenas, zebras and wildebeest in the darkness outside the tent. There is thunder rumbling in the distance, so we’ll just see what kind of night this turns out to be. We have a long way to go tomorrow…

Ngorongoro Crater

2009-06-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

Well, we have logged some serious miles since the last post. We made our way from Moshi on to the busy city of Arusha. We got a late start out of Moshi due to the fact that Adam came down with some illness resulting in a fever and weakness, which is not uncommon on these trips but miserable for the afflicted person nonetheless. He crawled into the back seat of the Land Cruiser and toughed it out all the way to Arusha. We spent some time looking around this third largest city in Tanzania visiting friends along the way. We had fun visiting Kakasii’s daughter Brenda at her boarding school in Arusha. All of the students in her class enjoyed asking us questions about the U.S. By the time we reached the lodge in Karatu, Adam was feeling better.

We were up with the sun this morning and after an early breakfast we made our way down the road until we reached the border gate of the Ngorongoro Crater. We stood at the rim of the crater and looked down on the bank of clouds we would descend through to reach the floor of this ancient collapsed volcano, which is home to an incredible variety of wildlife, including several large predators. By the time we began our ascent out of the crater, we had lingered in the midst of a large group of elephants, come within a few feet of a couple lions, and had a look at two Black Rhinos and one Cheetah.

The drive from the crater to the border of the Serengeti National Park is one you have to experience to appreciate. To say it is long, dusty, and very rough is really just to sugar coat it. There are some gorgeous vistas along the way and the whole arduous journey is quickly forgotten once the peaceful oasis of Ndutu Logde is reached.

We’ll be up early again tomorrow to spend the day gliding through the endless Serengeti plains in search of God’s wild creatures before staying a night in tents on the Western border of the park. Then begins the ridiculously long journey from there back to Karatu. Good thing none of my travelers will be able to read this until it’s over!

Odd Thing postscript

2009-06-21T12:01:00.001-07:00

We asked around and it turns out that the roving spotlight in the sky is pointing the way to, are you ready for this, a new disco somewhere in the area. We spent the day eating barbecued goat with our hands but apparently we could wind it up boogying down at a Tanzania disco-tech if we wanted to. We may have to divert from our planned itinerary at some point just to get a look at this place. We ended the day with a fun dinner in Moshi with Bob Kasworm and a couple very interesting medical students from Holland serving at Machame Lutheran Hospital.

We're off toward Arusha first thing in the morning with a visit to Hai Lutheran Vocational School along the way. The handmade wooden pipe organ, which provided much of the music during worship this morning, was crafted at Hai Vocational. From there it's on to the red dirt town of Karatu and out on safari for a couple days. Internet access will be iffy during this stretch.

Worship On The Mountain

2009-06-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

That goat's head that Chip is holding can mean only one thing... we worshiped with our friends on the mountain at Nkweshoo Lutheran Church (Kusheyeny). We got a late start due to the kid holding the head in the picture. He's lucky the picture isn't the other way around after missing the morning departure time by about 40 minutes. Oh well, they call it "Tanzania time" since nobody really sticks to a schedule here much and Chip has adjusted quite well.

It was a rainy morning as usual when we began the climb up the slick muddy road to the church. Even so, I figured I could get Kakasii to take a shot at making it up the much steeper route than the more round about way other drivers prefer. When we came to that fork in the mountain road Kakasii started on the more sensible route to the right when I asked sarcastically "really?" Kakasii got that giant grin and quickly backed up our beefy Land Cruiser and veered left and off we went on one of the most exhilarating Sunday morning drives to church you can imagine. We bounced and slid our way up until we came to a stop in front of the church and were swept up in the warm welcome of the Chagga members of our partner congregation.

At tea before the service, Pastor Minja asked if I would be willing to preach which did not surprise me but the text for the day did. The gospel was from Jesus' prayer in the 17th chapter of John rather than from St. Mark as I was expecting. Still, it was easy to connect the day to Jesus' prayer asking that his followers would "be one." There were baptisms that morning and I talked about how those babies were now family with the little ones baptized recently at St. Matthew's so far away. When the parents brought the children forward for me to bless, it was clear that language and culture differences are no match for the community building power of the gospel.

The congregation poured out of the church for the "offering auction" as the sky cleared right on cue. We won chickens and avocados and other strange looking fruits to hand out as gifts much to the delight of all the people. Then it was off to a delicious lunch which was capped off with the dramatic presentation of a "Kilimanjaro banana" aka, the rest of the animal Chip is holding in the picture above.

Back outside, Natalie stunned a young boy by handing him a shiny new soccer ball and we spent some time kicking it around with him before we climbed back in the Land Cruiser and slid back down the mountain. We have yet to be here two full days but it already feels like a book could be written about the richness of these experiences. Happy Fathers Day!

Sisters of Grace

2009-06-20T07:34:00.001-07:00

Our first night was a surprisingly peaceful. The usual pack of wild howling dogs never showed up outside the hostel to make sure I got no sleep whatsoever. Everyone reported sleeping fairly well and enjoyed a good breakfast. Then it was off to visit the St. Matthew’s Home for AIDS Orphans and to see the progress made on the Helen Mcnulty College.

We walked past the homes filled with children to have some tea with Rev. Urio and Sister Grace before we visited the children. As we passed by, the sound of children crying and carrying on could be heard all the way back down the mountain. Sister Grace told us that the kids are only upset because they see us passing by without going in to play with them.

After tea, we had a wonderful time just sitting on a large rug and playing with the kids. It turns out that Sister was right. These 1 – 2 year olds were so happy to spend time with us we didn’t want to leave. Every time Chip set the first little girl he picked up back down on the rug she would cry until he picked her back up again. The children are all so affectionate and it is a blessing to see the delight that all of the sisters take in every child in their care.

Next we visited the Ushirika Wa Neema Deaconess Centre. This is always a special place to visit and the food the Sisters make for us is the best in the whole country. Everyone appreciated learning about the life of a Lutheran Sister as we strolled the campus to see, gardens, cows, chickens, ducks, rabbits, turkeys, pigs and trees bursting with fresh fruits. The Deaconess Center is a forty-acre Garden of Eden from which life saving ministry emanates throughout the entire region.

When you visit here the Sisters promise they will keep you in their prayers after you leave. That alone makes the marathon journey to Tanzania worth all of the effort, including being shaken down at the airport right after you step off the plane!

Odd Thing

2009-06-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

Here’s an odd thing...

Tanzania is a dark place at night. Driving to the hostel from the airport, the only lights you see are the stars in the sky and an occasional florescent bulb hanging from a tree over an undersized pool table and some plastic chairs next to a sign proclaiming it to be the “Camp David Bar.” So stepping out onto the balcony at the hostel upon our arrival, the last thing I expected to see in the darkness is one of those giant roving spotlights scanning the sky in an effort to draw shoppers to some distant car dealership. There are no car dealerships to speak of. There aren’t really any shoppers for that matter. Still, somebody somewhere near Moshi has one of those giant spotlights…Odd.

On The Ground

2009-06-19T12:25:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post to say we have safely arrived at the hostel. The flights were fine and we breezed right through the the check in process at Killimanjaro airport. Our bags all arrived and I was just commenting to Bob that this was one of the smoothest arrivals ever (I should know better) when we got pulled aside and I spent the next 45 minutes arguing against paying the ridiculous extortionary "customs tax" levied on the soccer balls and school supplies we brought as gifts.

I even brought Munisi in to plead the case with me in this dingy little office but even he could not pursuade the guy. I figured I better just let it go before I found myself in some wierd little jail somewhere because I was giving the guy a boatload of grief. Oh well, it's always something.

We were greated by Kakasii and Munisi at the airport and Rev. and Mrs. Urio wer there to greet us as we arrived at the Hostel. We will see them both again first thing in the morning as we head straight up to the orphanage as our first visit.

Time to sleep!

Wheels Up

2009-06-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

I suppose we are as ready as we're gonna get since we leave for the airport in the morning. I am pleased to report that we will be joined early in the trip by Andrea Wall (2nd from right) who serves as president of Poverty Eradication Network in Dodoma Tanzania.

Poverty Eradication Network of Tanzania (PEN of TZ) is a sister non profit to PEN Trust based in Dodoma, Tanzania. Their main mission is to serve those in need in the central regions of Dodoma and Singida. This is accomplished through educational scholarships, distribution of new and used textbooks and school supplies, school construction, nutritional feeding programs for students, orphans and vulnerables and equipping local village dispensaries with basic medical needs.

Andrea is a member of Calvary Lutheran Church in Golden Valley Minnesota. She will meet up with us in Arusha on Monday and will be with us during the couple days we are out on safari.

I look forward to meeting Andrea in person and learning more about the wonderful work she is doing in Tanzania. It's one thing to visit for a couple weeks but could you imagine moving to this kind of remote place in Africa?! I bet Andrea will have some interesting tales to tell!

Countdown To Departure

2009-06-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

The June 09 Vision Trip to Tanzania is just a couple days away so it is time to get serious about preparing to depart. Actually, the preparations for these journeys begin more than a year in advance so all that remains is figuring out how to get all of the supplies, textbooks, gifts and other assorted items packed up in such a way that we also have some room left for our own clothes! I will again attempt to post updates on our journey to this blog along the way. The internet access in the areas of Tanzania we will be traveling is spotty at best so do not be concerned if nothing appears for a couple days here and there.

Our itinerary is ambitious, taking us from the dusty town of Moshi at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro to the busy city of Arusha, on to the vast plains of the serengeti, to the coastline of the Indian Ocean, and up into the Usambara Mountains. Along the way we will visit churches, schools, orphanages and hospitals, all operated by the Lutheran Church of Tanzania. We will meet a dizzying variety of Tanzanians, from those who have traveled the world to earn advanced academic degrees, to others who live out there lives wandering arid landscapes while living in small huts made of cow dung and banana leaves.

We thank you for your prayers and look forward to bringing the heartfelt greetings from the people of St. Matthew's to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout Tanzania. For those looking for more information about St. Matthew's partnerships in Africa and the Vision Trips to Tanzania, visit the Africa link of our church website.

peace, Chad