June 21, 2018
Mungu aku bariki (God bless you)! is another phrase Pastor Brandon keeps mispronouncing. We had our first full day in Iringa and it was jam packed with God’s grace and blessing.
We began with a trip to the Lutheran Cathedral which is modeled after Bethel Lutheran Church in Hudson, WI. We were not allowed to sit in the bishop’s chair, but lace adorned the ceiling and paraments abounded.
From there, our wonderful “guide” Deacon April Trout from the Saint Paul Synod took us through the Open Air Market. Farm goods were displayed in mounds including beans of every color, rice of every grade (did you know there are different grades of rice?!?), dried minnows, hand-made baskets, and new or gently used clothing and housewares (think grandma’s estate sale).
Following the market we toured Neema Crafts. “Neema” means grace and it is a craft shop with 140 deaf and/or physically disabled employees. The employees spun their own thread, wove it into cloth, and turned it into a number of beautiful hand-crafted items. There were carvings, clothes, jewelry, and everything we experienced was impressive—including the food.
That brings us to nap time. After nap time our driver took us to Soma Biblia to pick up 22 English Bibles and a 40 kilo bag of rice to bring to the Huruma Centre. The Huruma Centre cares for around 65 children. The Bibles were requested by Pastor Joyce for the secondary students who are practicing their English. They say “thank you to Easter Church for the Bibles and for being with us.” Shortly after arrival we were greeted by a very moving presentation by the children. They sang and danced and took turns welcoming us (through a translator—Chaplain Harrison). The center’s “mama” said a prayer and gave us a blessing. What an honor and joy.
Karla had the important job of showing the children all the games we arrived with, including soccer balls, bubbles, coloring pages, hot wheels cars, Jenga, and Uno. The children quickly learned that Pastor Brandon is terrible at soccer but can take up a lot of space in the goalie box—telling him to “stand here and don’t move any more.” Karla’s presence was a gift to the children who enjoyed coloring pages and showing her all their tricks on the playground. Randy is our resident photographer and the kids loved seeing pictures of themselves on his camera.
We weren’t quite tuckered out yet so ventured over to Pastor Paul and Sally Harris’ apartment for dinner. They had thirteen guests and we had a great time enjoying traditional African dishes made by Sally and Grace and meeting staff from the Diocese, Radio Furaha, and Iringa Hope—all great ministries we’ll learn more about tomorrow. The evening was filled with laughter, song, and a little dancing. It is great to see Paul and Sally where their hearts reside much of the year (in Tanzania).
That’s all for now. The rooster crows in 7 hours so we better get some shut eye.
Tutaonana baadaye (see you later)~ Your Easter Ambassadors
