After arriving back in Nairobi from Kilifi there was no time to sit back and relax. In fact there was barely enough time to organise ourselves for the next flight which was leaving bright and early just a day after our return. Pastors and congregations in Australia had raised a significant amount of money to enable Lutherans in Africa to run a seminar for pastors and evangelists in the new diocese based around Shinyanga in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. Pastor May invited all of us to accompany him - an invitation that I'm sure added more stress than help to his plate!
Flying to Tanzania made a whole lot of sense as the alternative was to spend 2 full days in the car at each end of the seminar. However it also meant we had to somehow get 15 cartons of books onto the plane! I can't remember now what time we actually left home for the airport but I have a feeling it was about 5.30am. Once at the airport we queued for a good while and then sent the luggage and book boxes through the x-ray machine. If you think pastors are only able to preach then you haven't seen James May in action! After patiently waiting for the boxes to be processed as checked luggage, he then negotiated a reduced excess baggage charge with the check-in staff to make sure the donors and recipients get the most value for their dollar! We would see this same skill being used when we arrived in Tanzania and customs wanted to charge import duty on the books! In some places in this world being a pastor and a Lutheran is actually an advantage - but that's another story!
The flight in the 70 or 80 seater was fantastic especially as we flew above the clouds and had a spectacular view of Mount Kilimanjaro.
"After a week in Tanzania, we are preparing today to fly back to Nairobi. It's been a busy week with preaching in the Shinyanga Lutheran cathedral last Sunday and then teaching for most of the week. I haven't had a chance to resolve whatever is stopping me uploading photos to the blog so I thought I'd send a brief update.
The week of teaching has been an amazing experience. Despite a five year seminary course, most of the pastors have never seen the Book of Concord or even the Small Catechism. Their theology is influenced by the worst of manipulative Pentecostal tv preachers but they have such a love for the scriptures that after four days, they were rejoicing in the way true Lutheran theology proclaims the gospel! Laryssa and the girls met with Sunday school teachers and confirmation students who begged them to come back and teach them more. Thirteen year olds were so excited to see children's bibles that they pleaded to have a copy each.
The area we were teaching in is one of the hottest and poorest in Tanzania. The bishop told us that yearly droughts cause famine for the villages every single year. We were fortunate to have "moderate" temperatures because we were in the wet season, but life is so tough there. Despite hardship - or maybe because of it - the people recognise heir need for God and rejoice in His saving work but so much more teaching needs to be done.
We left the town of Shinyanga yesterday and after a 3 hour trip in the back of the troop carrier we arrived in Mwanza which is on Lake Victoria. It's a lovely city and we are just resting here until our flight tonight. Laryssa had a sizable gecko fall in her lap at dinner last night and a large bird (a kite) snatched her breakfast as she was walking to the table this morning! Lots of fun!
We just got news that 2 days ago there was an explosion at Nairobi airport where we are headed today, caused by an improvised explosive device. That's life in Africa but it's a hard reminder of the need for the gospel to be urgently proclaimed because that's the only thing that is going to change peoples hearts. The west keeps throwing money this way but it just breeds corruption and greed. Your prayers for safe travel are very much appreciated."
Flying to Tanzania made a whole lot of sense as the alternative was to spend 2 full days in the car at each end of the seminar. However it also meant we had to somehow get 15 cartons of books onto the plane! I can't remember now what time we actually left home for the airport but I have a feeling it was about 5.30am. Once at the airport we queued for a good while and then sent the luggage and book boxes through the x-ray machine. If you think pastors are only able to preach then you haven't seen James May in action! After patiently waiting for the boxes to be processed as checked luggage, he then negotiated a reduced excess baggage charge with the check-in staff to make sure the donors and recipients get the most value for their dollar! We would see this same skill being used when we arrived in Tanzania and customs wanted to charge import duty on the books! In some places in this world being a pastor and a Lutheran is actually an advantage - but that's another story!
The flight in the 70 or 80 seater was fantastic especially as we flew above the clouds and had a spectacular view of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Photo taken by Darcee on her iPod through the plane window
We landed in Mwanza and once we sorted out immigration and customs we were greeted by staff from the bishop's office and on our way to Shinyanga - but not before enjoying the first of many fried tilapia on the shore of Lake Victoria!
The drive to Shinyanga was hot and crowded (luggage, books and six of us in the back of the troopie) but a great way to see the countryside between snoozes. We arrived at our hotel and settled in for the night, looking forward to what lay ahead.
The next day it became apparent that Laryssa and the girls didn't have suitable clothes for church on Sunday and so the search began! The girls eventually found long skirts that were deemed suitable, but Laryssa was advised to have an African dress made complete with head covering as befits a pastor's wife! Once the material was purchased she met with the dressmaker at the cathedral (about 1pm) where about 6 ladies debated the design - once settled the dress maker went off and had the job done by about 7pm! How's that for efficiency?
Lutheran Cathedral for the East of Lake Victoria Diocese
The following day I had the privilege of preaching at the cathedral with the Bishop translating for me. The pulpit is big enough for half a dozen at once so it was no problem to fit us both in! He picked me up from the hotel at 6.30am after what must have been 3 or 4 inches of rain overnight. There were two services on the Sunday - first at 7.30am and second at 10.30am - each service was around 2 hours in length with loads of singing and a sermon that had to be preached twice (once in translation). We met many delightful people and rejoiced to sing the liturgy together. Laryssa looked a treat in her Tanzanian dress and her and the girls did a wonderful job of greeting the congregation and introducing themselves!
On Monday we began a seminar for pastors and evangelists of the diocese introducing them to the Book of Concord and Luther's Small Catechism. With the help of our donors the Lutheran Heritage Foundation gave copies of these books (as well as 'God's No and God's Yes) to all the participants and I could write volumes on the week's experience. It was one of the great highlights of our entire time away. To keep costs at a minimum the seminar was being held out in a village where there was no power or water, but where the church had access to rooms for the participants to sleep in. The sessions were held in a tent with the very welcome breeze helping us keep from overheating!
I'm getting lazy so I'm going to simply paste what I wrote in an email to some friends at the end of our week in Tanzania and hopefully it gives you a glimpse of what our week was like.
"After a week in Tanzania, we are preparing today to fly back to Nairobi. It's been a busy week with preaching in the Shinyanga Lutheran cathedral last Sunday and then teaching for most of the week. I haven't had a chance to resolve whatever is stopping me uploading photos to the blog so I thought I'd send a brief update.
The week of teaching has been an amazing experience. Despite a five year seminary course, most of the pastors have never seen the Book of Concord or even the Small Catechism. Their theology is influenced by the worst of manipulative Pentecostal tv preachers but they have such a love for the scriptures that after four days, they were rejoicing in the way true Lutheran theology proclaims the gospel! Laryssa and the girls met with Sunday school teachers and confirmation students who begged them to come back and teach them more. Thirteen year olds were so excited to see children's bibles that they pleaded to have a copy each.
The area we were teaching in is one of the hottest and poorest in Tanzania. The bishop told us that yearly droughts cause famine for the villages every single year. We were fortunate to have "moderate" temperatures because we were in the wet season, but life is so tough there. Despite hardship - or maybe because of it - the people recognise heir need for God and rejoice in His saving work but so much more teaching needs to be done.
We left the town of Shinyanga yesterday and after a 3 hour trip in the back of the troop carrier we arrived in Mwanza which is on Lake Victoria. It's a lovely city and we are just resting here until our flight tonight. Laryssa had a sizable gecko fall in her lap at dinner last night and a large bird (a kite) snatched her breakfast as she was walking to the table this morning! Lots of fun!
We just got news that 2 days ago there was an explosion at Nairobi airport where we are headed today, caused by an improvised explosive device. That's life in Africa but it's a hard reminder of the need for the gospel to be urgently proclaimed because that's the only thing that is going to change peoples hearts. The west keeps throwing money this way but it just breeds corruption and greed. Your prayers for safe travel are very much appreciated."
Enjoy some photos from our week in Shinyanga and a night in Mwanza and I'll do my best to finish off our last couple of days in Africa before too long!
Oh, and that showering over the toilet thing....you'll have to ask me about that!
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