Alhamisi Kuu

This year, for Holy Week, we attended Bungo Cathedral—the flagship church of the Morogoro Diocese in downtown Morogoro. Throughout our time here in Tanzania we have mostly moved from church to church each Sunday, trying to worship in many different places in order to meet different people and get a feel for the various regions within the diocese. For this Holiest Week of the year, however, we decided to attend all the services offered at one location—to see and feel the entire worship experience that a person has during a Tanzanian Holy Week. We attended Maundy Thursday (Alhamisi Kuu), Good Friday (Ijumaa Kuu), Easter Sunday (Jumapili ya Pasaka) and Easter Monday (Jumatatu ya Pasaka).
Alhamisi Kuu was a very festive, three hour communion service which began at 5:00 PM, and of course commemorated the “Last Supper” which Jesus spent with his disciples the day before his crucifixion and death. It was for this service that I was invited to preach my very first full-length sermon in the Swahili language. This will be quite a special memory for me personally, considering the work put into language learning since September. Although I still can’t understand everything that people say in Swahili, I believe the sermon went quite well, that people could understand what I was saying and that they found the message useful. I thought it was thematically appropriate to have an visiting/foreigner as preacher on the day when we celebrate communion (unity in the community of Christ).

Ijumaa Kuu

Ijumaa Kuu—Good Friday-the day of Christ’s crucifixion, we were surprised to see, was nearly as big of a day as Easter Sunday-with almost the same number of people in attendance. It was definitely the most elaborate of the services as there were many happenings throughout. In addition to the sermon, hymn singing and the customary choirs (all three of them sang at all of the worship services), there was additional young childrens' choir, who sang and then individually recited from memory verses from the Passion story in an enthusiastic way. There were also two dramas presented (one which included the children) discussing the spiritual significance of Christ’s death at the hands of sinners, for the sake of sinners. This service lasted 3 and half hours. The majority of the Tanzanians wore black to signify mourning, but they just couldn't keep from dancing.

Pasaka

"Kristo amefufuka!"
"Amefufuka kweli Kweli! Alleluia! Amen!!"
This little tongue twister is the familiar words of Easter Sunday—
"Christ is risen!"
"He is risen indeed! Alleluia!" Amen!
-as spoken in the Swahili language here in Tanzania.

On Siku ya Pasaka—the day of Easter—there were two wonderful two–hour worship services with the Bishop of the Diocese delivering the sermon. The Choirs, who had (tried) to tone down their dancing for Good Friday, were back in force. On a bit of a sad note (for someone from the Church in America), there were no horns for Easter Sunday, so I must admit we did miss the brass. The children were back again, impressively calling out there verses from the resurrection story. Both services were well attended. Afterward, Susie went with Barbara (another American missionary) to have a traditional American pancake breakfast, while I stayed and had beef and cooked bananas with the bishop. I'm not sure who got the better deal, but it was a happy Easter!

Jumatatu ya Pasaka

Finally, on Jumatatu ya Pasaka—Easter Monday—there was yet another worship service dedicated especially to baptisms. Again I was asked to help with pastoral duties and wound up baptizing nine children. This was also a joy-filled worship service. It felt like a continuation of the festivity of Sunday. It lasted 2 and a half hours.
So, in summary, after nearly 14 hours of worship, we admittedly were ready for Tuesday’s rest. Yet, we were impressed and touched by the Holy Week experience at Bungo Cathedral in Morogoro. It was good, as it always is, to walk through the story of Christ’s passion and resurrection—to reflect upon the great truths of life and death, sin and forgiveness. It was neat to see how this culture celebrates in unity with the whole church in heaven and on earth.
From here in Tanzania, we wish you the hope of the resurrection: may God bring renewal into your life, today and always. Amemfufuka! Amen!

Youth Camp

Camp has always been a special place for Josh and I. We were both campers and counselors and cherish many memories from those times. While it has been a few years since either of us worked at camp, we were recently able to refresh our skills by helping at a youth camp here.

The three day camp was actually held at a prison not far from Morogoro. It was meant for “youth,” ages 16 – 30. In reality, there were 82 people present, ages 7 – 40. Quite a spread! The four days consisted of guest preachers, lots of music, and breakout sessions on everything from the Holy Spirit to planting trees. Josh led six breakout sessions (in Swahili!) and included the good old camp favorite, the trust fall (see picture), which brought exuberant laughter and excitement. We were also able to lead some music using our newly inherited guitar, we did a skit, and led games – all the typical camp things.

Although there were many similarities to our camps, many differences were also apparent. We didn’t have a beautiful lake to swim in, no quaint cabins, no campfires etc. There was no canteen with frozen Snickers bars and other snacks. Rather, everyone was treated to “Chakula Bora” or the Tanzanian style nutritious food that not all families can afford to serve at home (ugali or rice, beans and a little meat).

In spite of these minor differences, we re-discovered that camps everywhere are a powerful experience for those involved. The energy of the youth was inspiring as they sang spiritual songs, talked, played and prayed together in a loving and safe place. We, in turn, pray that they returned to their villages refreshed and re-energized.

Lions, giraffes and zebras…oh, my!

A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to go on our first safari! (our internet has been down - sorry for the delay) Students from Wartburg College in Iowa are spending the semester in Tanzania. Unfortunately, their supervisor here had to return to the States for family health issues, so we have been able to take them to villages and help them get settled. Part of their experience here is a trip to Mikumi National Park, which is only about 1 ½ hours from Morogoro. We were lucky to be able to experience this with them.

We were excited and were certainly not disappointed! The first sighting of giraffes in the distance was almost magical. I had imagined that we would see a few animals, probably far off in the bushes, but I was wrong! We saw hundreds of animals – wildebeests, giraffes, zebras, elephants, hippos, impalas, buffalo, warthogs, baboons, many types of birds, etc… , and they were close! Many were on the side of the road or on the road, and we got a little closer than planned to some elephants. At one point we counted 22 giraffes surrounding us- wow.

We stayed at a lodge in the park and sat under the stars of the southern sky late into the evening listening to the sounds surrounding us. We heard a lion in the distance, and I was glad it stayed that way. There were animals everywhere – an impala was just outside our door, and many more were on the field area in front of our room. We tried to make out shapes in the distance, but we will never know what was there.
It was a fantastic experience, and hopefully will entice some of you to visit!

Sanga Sanga

When we travel out into villages for Sunday worship, we never know what to expect. This Sunday was no exception. Our day began with a later start than usual because the congregation we were going to is one of the closest to where we live. One problem: there are no roads in an even remotely direct route to our destination. We drove and drove through windy, potholed roads through the bush, unable to distinguish many landmarks of any kind. The roads fork constantly, feeling like a maze where there are a thousand different options, and only one path leads to the destination. What began as a short journey turned into a 3 ½ hour drive to get to church. We joked about it being a lovely Sunday drive but wished we had some snacks to munch on. Finally, after winding through many kilometers of road through the bush, we spotted two people waiting on the side of the road to show us the rest of the way. What a welcomed sight! (This was a much longer commute than our walk across the parking lot to church in Sidney, MT!)

We arrived at Sanga Sanga church, which was yet another beautiful tree. A school had been built by the government and we were given a tour. The teacher in me was of course interested in the classrooms. The only book I saw was entitled, How to de-worm school-age children. Most classrooms didn’t have chalkboards, instead writing with charcoal on the smooth concrete wall. The first grade classroom had basic math facts written on the board and small rocks on the desks to use as manipulatives. Much different than a classroom in the States, but it was fun for me to see.

After the tour, we sat visiting for quite some time. The people in the village were of the Barabiag tribe as opposed to Maasai, who we are usually with. As we were talking, many young men gathered under a tree and began singing a repetitive tune with harmony, accompanied by distinctive whistling and the pounding of their sticks on the ground to create rhythm. Then, some young women came out and stood under another tree wearing beautiful beaded skirts, lots of gold jewelry, and some with bells around their ankles. The men continued singing, and then one or two at a time would jump. I’m not talking just a little hop – they jump incredibly high without using their arms or even bending their legs. It was absolutely beautiful. After a man would begin jumping, a woman on the other side would jump in sync, her bells adding to the music. We aren’t exactly sure what the significance of this is, but apparently it is some type of traditional dating ritual. One man was quite persistent that I should join the women, but I explained, as did many others, that I already have a husband.


By this time, it was late afternoon – finally time to begin church. In a way it was nice not to have church in the hot mid-day sun, but we knew we had a long return trip ahead of us, and driving at night in Tanzania isn’t a great idea. After church we had a quick meal of rice and hit the road. Just as we left, it began to rain. If you read our last post, you know this creates less than ideal road conditions. The way out was just as complex as the way in with winding roads surrounded by indistinguishable trees, and a series of forks in the road. The problem was that darkness was setting in and it was pouring. The road turned into a river, making it impassable. We drove along the edge of a shamba (field) until it was too washed out to continue. Crossing gushing creeks, a road that consisted of mini-waterfalls, and sometimes not on a road at all, it was amazing we made it home. We did, though, and in great time – we shaved 2 ½ hours off our time. What a day. Let me tell you, sometimes a shower and bed feel mighty fine at the end of the day.