Day 5 in Tanzania!

Friday, March 12, 2010


Day 5 in Tanzania. Another scrumptious breakfast at the Lutheran Center, followed by a walk to the Diocese office. We started at the Kindergarten and watched as the students sang their national anthem. The expressions on their faces were adorable. They then played a few games as we watched and took photos. Alan and Patti presented a book and distributed sheets completed by Bethel’s pre-school students. Each sheet included a Bethel student’s name, likes and dislikes, and a photo. The Tanzanian children each held up their sheets for a group photo. We hope that the Tanzanian teachers will use this as an opportunity to teach the students a little bit about America.

Next we went to the Diocese conference room and we were greeting by Pastor Msigwa. Pastor Msigwa is the Bega Kwa Bega coordinator and works closely with Don & Eunice Fultz. He then introduced Nayman Chavala who is the General Secretary of the Diocese. Mr. Chavala explained that the Iringa Diocese has been in operation for 24 years, includes 72 parishes and another 600+ preaching points. These parishes and preaching points serve over 75,000 members in the Iringa area. Mr. Chavala told us about the major projects supported by the Iringa Diocese in conjunction with the St. Paul Area Synod.

Next, we took a short bus ride (short compared to the last two days’ rides) to Tumaini University. Gary Langness began with a short history of the school. Today, Tumaini has almost 3,000 students. After our tour, we headed back to the Cathedral for lunch. Our drive was briefly interrupted when a herd of goats crossed the main highway. Since they were in a crosswalk, however, Peter yielded.

Many in the group ventured on to the Huruma Centre Orphanage. The students greeted the group with singing and dancing, then “Mama” gave a tour. There are 28 students at the orphanage between the ages of 5 and 16.

Dinner was at 7:00 at Mfugale’s home. Another warm welcome, delectable dinner, and inspiring conversation. After a quick trip back to the Lutheran Center, the travelers met to continue the conversation at the Embassy. The “beer bottle symphony ministry” was born and a great time was had by all.

Asante Sana!

Mama Eric (formerly known as “Kit Elert”)