Bethany Lutheran Church

More pics/presentation

2008-02-25T13:53:00.000-08:00

We plan to give a presentation on our trip March 9 after the 9 a.m. service at Bethany. We hope it will give our congregation and anyone else a good idea what it was like in Tanzania and what some of the needs are in Mbakweni.

Also see a Flickr page for more photos.

Mbakwene Lutheran Church

2008-02-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

Here are some views of Mbakwene Lutheran Church. The building was in pretty good shape, but it needs some paint (both exterior and interior), some plaster work, and floor repair.

In this pic of the choir, you can see some of the inside of the church, and how the painting isn't complete.

Roads

2008-02-12T10:16:00.000-08:00

This was a good section of road!
Here's a common scene on the Pare Mountain roads- a farmer with his goats. You'd see this in many places; the goats were tethered on a rope

A couple more pics...

2008-02-10T04:58:00.000-08:00

Just adding a couple more pics from the Sunday service at Mbakwene. First is Pastor Marty preaching the sermon; the second is Pastor Mmbaga conducting the service with some cute kids sitting in front.

Choirs

2008-02-10T04:11:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of the trip for me was hearing the choirs at Mbakwene and others in the Pare diocese. The singers were amazing; Mbakwene had four choirs and each performed while we were there. The songs, sung in Swahili, included both tradtional Lutheran hymns and some with a traditional Tanzanian melody. The choirs filled the church with their combined voices of praise, making such sweet music. It really filled my heart with joy! We made some audio and video recordings of the choir to share with Bethany members. Here's a short one:

Back home in snowy Iowa

2008-02-08T05:12:00.000-08:00

We returned to Iowa on Wed. Feb. 6 after a long flight from Kilimanjaro airport. Made it through customs ok, except for a brief dousing of my shoes to prevent any animal disease. After all, I had been around livestock.

Our flight from Detroit to Des Moines was cancelled, so we were diverted to Des Moines. Iowa City had about 10-11 inches of snow; quite a change from the 80+ temperatures in Tanzania. Back to winter coats and boots, and now I can put away my short-sleeve shirts and sandals. Such a different world in the USA, with hot showers, flush toilets, 70 channels of TV, and pre-packaged food.

I brought home a few boxes of Tanzanian tea and made a pot of Chai Bora. Very finely ground tea and very strong- need to mix with lots of milk and sugar. I miss the raw sugar we had- will have to find some here.

Will be posting more pics and reflections later.

Safari!

2008-02-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

Just finished with our first day of safai at the Tarangire Game Reserve and we're staying at the Taragire Sopa Lodge at the park. Amazing day! Saw lots of elephants, giraffes, impala, warthogs. Also a few ostriches, dik-diks, and the highlight at the end of the day- two lions snoozing very close to the road. As I'm writing there are some monkeys and hyrax (small rodents) running around just before sunset.

The monkeys are very agressive - one stole a bit of Paula's lunch at a picnic area! We viewed all the wildlife from a open roof Land Rover- took many pictures. Picked up a few souveniers along the way- some tingatinga art and such. Also saw many Maasai and their herds of cattle on the way from Arusha. Still very hot and dry here. Can't believe the trip is almost over! We'll get up at 6 am and go another safari when it's cooler, and then leave for Arusha and go the Heifer International offices, and then head for Kilimanjaro airport.

So much to say....a wonderful trip!

2008-02-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

Not able to use computers much, but now we are back in Same after being at Mbakwene and nearby towns for the past week.

Thursday we visited a hospital in Bombo, and were able to view the good work there with HIV/Aids prvention, and . Heard about the palliative care project and had tour of the hospital. Otherwise, the past few days at Mbakwene were great- I stayed in a house w/ solar panels, so I had electricity, so I can charge the cameras. The church service was amazing and were greeted by the choir on our first day-- people are warm wonderful. Singing is such a vital part of their services. We were able get some audio and video and will share when we return. The have bascis needs met, but no income for much else. Lots of needs at the church structure; also water, books for schools, as well as needing a way to generate income.

Been eating lots of great fruit- fresh pineapple, sugarcane, mangoes, bananas, etc, as well as cassava, and potatoes and rice.

On Monday, we wnet on a hike @ 2 miles up the mountian to a cultural tourist area under construction, and then next day to elementary school and high school. We have some pen pal possibilities also.

Am getting in good shape with all the walking! Perfect weather @ 80-85 and cool at nite. Very rough roads to drive from town to town.
Am done with our stay at Mbakwene- sad to leave our friends there. Tomorrow, we will worship at Same Lutheran Cathedral and then travel to Arusah.
So much more to say!! Had to post pics with slow connections...

at the amani hostel

2008-01-25T03:17:00.000-08:00

2008-01-25T02:35:00.000-08:00

Hello from Tanzania!
Last night we stayed at the Uhuru Lutheran Hostel in Moshi a beautiful place with a beautiful view of Mt. Kilamanjaro. I slept a total of about 3 hours out of 18 hours in flight...then last night after arriving from the airport we got to bed around midnight and slept until 7:15 am
We had breakfast, devotions with Bishop Hougen, then drove 100 km (60 miles) to Moshi, where we stay tonight. This afternoon we visit the Diocese office of the Pare Diocese here in Moshi. The Lutheran Hostel here is nice, but without some of the basics that Uhuru had. Tomorrow we drive to Mbakweni where we stay for the next 6 nights.

One neat story to tell...this morning at 8:30 am we were introduced to Pastor Anna who had walked 6 km (4 miles) then took a bus (early that morning) to see us. See came to express her thanks for the 2 year scholarship to Wartburg seminary that our synod provided. She now teaches Bible knowledge and Divinity at a Lutheran girls school (K-6th gr.).
Hopefully, many of her girls will be inspired to pursue their education and serve the church in various ways. It struck me what a high value the church here places on teaching these young girls Bible knowledge and Divinity (theology) to place one of their seminary graduates in that teaching position.

Mission Trip History

2008-01-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes people ask why we have chosen to go to Tanzania, a country that is literally half way around the world!
"Isn't there enough need locally to keep you busy?" is the most common question.
"Wouldn't it be easier to work somewhere that is less expensive to get to?" is another.
The answer to both the questions is YES. Both are valid. However, there IS a reason we chose Tanzania.
In 1998, Bishop Hougen of the Southeastern Iowa Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and Bishop Mshana of the Pare Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania met and made the decision that their Synod and Diocese would become "companions." It would be a Synod-Diocese Companionship. (These terms actually refer to the same thing; the ELCA uses the term Synod to describe a group of churches in a geographical area, and Tanzanians use the word "Diocese").
Their vision looked something like this:
+ To have a cultural exchange designed to help each of these branches of the world-wide Lutheran Church learn more about the global similarities and differences in our denomination.
+ To encourage individual churches to partner up, and begin a more personal relationship and cultural exchange.
+ To help both the ELCA churches and the ELCT churches grow stronger in their evangelism and ministry through these partnerships.
So, the real reason we chose to start this ministry at Bethany was very simple: we had a desire, as a church, to add an international compassion ministry to our local and national ministries already in place, and this was a program that our synod had already begun. We just joined in!
The companionship between Bethany Lutheran Church in West Branch, Iowa, and the Mbakweni Lutheran Parish in Tanzania officially began around 2001.

Handy Swahili phrases

2008-01-15T19:41:00.000-08:00

Jambo!
Came across this list of some handy Swahili phrases:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g293747-s604/Tanzania:Important.Phrases.html
We're learning some of these from a sheet we got from the SE Iowa Synod, but this includes a fe more.
So for now, kwaheri!

Getting packed

2008-01-13T20:57:00.000-08:00

I did a quick Google search for the Uhuru Hostel in Moshi, where we will spend our first night Jan. 24 and found some good reviews and photos on Trip Advisor: ttp://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g317084-d621557-r6175577-Lutheran_Uhuru_Hostel-Moshi.html

Looks pretty nice!

Spent most of the afternoon starting to pack for the trip, and dug out my summer clothes from the closet. With temperatures @ 80 F., I'm packing lots of light clothing. It appears that long pants are more appropriate, rather than shorts, at least for most of the trip. It will be nice to have some warm temps in the midst of a cold Iowa winter. Still need to gather a few photos my family to show our hosts.

Our Itinerary

2008-01-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

Leave Cedar Rapids, IA Wednesday Jan. 23 at 12:55 p.m.
Arrive in Tanzania on Thursday Jan. 24

Thursday Jan. 24 - stay at Uhuru Hostel, Moshi
Jan. 25 - meet with Bishop Msangi and staff - dinner at his home
stay at Amani Lutheran Hostel in Same

Jan. 26-Jan. 29 - stay with hosts at companion congregation - Mbakweni Lutheran parish
visit the people of Mbakweni and tour parish

Jan. 30 - visit Bombo Lutheran school and Dindimo Teachers college
stay at Gonja Lutheran Hospital Guest House

Jan. 31 - tour Hospital and then back to Mbakweni

Feb. 1 - attend all day Mbaga Lutheran parish 100th Anniv. Jubilee
stay at Mbakweni

Feb. 2 - stay at Amani Lutheran Hostel

Feb. 3 - Worship at Same Cathedral 7 am - travel to Arusha
stay at Equator Hotel

Feb. 4 - Safari

Feb. 5 - visit Heifer International in Tanzania

Feb. 5 - fly home

Pre-Mission Trip thoughts

2008-01-08T07:28:00.000-08:00

Dear Members of Bethany,
Our mission trip to Tanzania is rapidly approaching. On January 23 Paula Casper, George McCrory, Laura Twing, Bishop Hougen and I, along with about 8 others from our synod will be traveling to the Pare' Diocese. We are excited about the mission partnership we are building with the people from Mbakweni Lutheran Church.

We are excited about bringing a banner, photo albums, and other gifts from Bethany to share.
We are also looking forward to returning home and sharing our pictures and stories with you. Pastor Mmbaga and I have been exchanging letters and it will be great to meet him in person. I will be preaching at Mbakweni on Jan. 27 (through a translator, of course). I ask for your prayers for our safe travel, for God to speak through us, and for us to grow in our partnership in the Gospel with the members of Mbakweni. What a great opportunity to see the big picture of God’s work in the world!
Before we leave please send me your thoughts or questions:
Pastor Marty
pastor@bethany.org

Trip Objectives:
1. To revitalize our relationship with the people of Mbakweni Lutheran
2. To develop a face-to-face connection that will help us understand each others gifts and
the contexts in which we serve
3. To discover ways in which we can support each other in mission
4. To learn from the people of Mbakweni
- especially in the area of evangelism and discipleship training

This is a test post!

2008-01-06T17:14:00.001-08:00

This is a test post.