A trip to school

Today we drove Mama Rehema, little Nema and four of our students to “visiting day” at two of the local schools.  We stopped at the Montessori School first, just outside Lushoto on the way down toward Mombo.  There we dropped off Julitha and Rafikiel, who were going to visit Zawadi and Asha, students who were previously at Irente Children’s Home.  

We drove on to Usambara Primary School, a boarding school several miles below Lushoto.  At Usambara we visited Joseph, Rehema, and Anna, also former children from Irente Home.  With Tom and I were Mama Rehema and Neema, our next door neighbors, along with students Asha and Fadhila.  We started out in the headmaster’s office where each child’s grades were shown to us.  Asha carefully noted each subject, grade and any comments in order to report back to Mama Mdemu.  Someone went to find the students we were visiting.  By mistake, they brought in Zulfa Juma, not Rehema Juma.  (Juma is the last name usually given to abandoned children)  Zulfa continued with us on our visit and shared the food we brought with us.

When Anna and Joseph had joined us, we went for a tour of the campus.  The dormitories for the girls were close by.  The rooms were neat and clean, with each girl responsible for making her bed and maintaining her area.  Outside the door was a line two rows deep of flip flops which are worn inside the dorm and to the showers.  We asked Rehema how she would know which were hers and she showed them to us easily.  

The boys dormitories were a bit of a climb up a steep hill.  These again were neat and clean.  Joseph showed us where he slept.  We met the house mother as well as two other women who were washing the boys clothes.  

After seeing the dorms, we walked to the classroom buildings and talked with one of the teachers.  School here is held Monday through Saturday, with tests given every Saturday.  The class rooms we saw were a good size with many desks and chairs.  Boarding schools are preferred over the public schools, if possible, due to class size.  Many families send their children to boarding school if they can afford the fees.

This visit was special for us since we are Anna’s sponsors for school.  Anna is a beautiful little six year old.  Her parents are dead and she stays during school breaks with her grandmother out in the villages somewhere.  She spent her early years at Irente Children’s Home.  Her grandmother expressed her thanks and God’s blessings on us when she found out that we would pay Anna’s tuition.  Of course, this is a long term commitment.  Anna is only in first grade and has, we hope, many years of school ahead of her.  It is a commitment we are happy to make.

The fee for a child for a full year of school, including room and board is about $700 US.  This is an amount that we could spend at home without even knowing where it went... a weekend away, some meals out with friends, or purchasing this or that which we really don’t need.  Mama Mdemu is always looking for sponsors to help former ICH children have the opportunity for an education and a better future.  ( If anyone is interested, just contact us and we can furnish the details of how to sponsor a child).

After Usambara School, we returned to the Montessori School to pick up Julitha and Rafikiel.  They had also received reports on Zawadi and Asha.  Montessori is a Catholic school for girls.  It was easy to see the difference between the schools.  Montessori looks very expensive.  The grounds of the school were crowded with families picnicing on the lawns with their students.  The nuns made their rounds through the families, speaking with mothers and fathers about their children.  We said good-bye to Zawadi and Asha and walked back to the pick-up truck for our ride back to Irente.

We thank God for these institutions and the education that is available to those who can afford it.    

A Joyous Announcement

On Monday, June 18th, our housekeeper Veronica came to work as usual.  She did our laundry, swept out the house and cooked dinner.  Between 1:30 and 2 pm, she came to me to say, "Tutaonana kesho", "See you tomorrow".  Then she walked 30 minutes up the mountain to her small house which she and her husband made from sticks and mud.

Her friend Margaret met her there and Veronica said she thought they should go to the hospital.  Margaret checked and told her that the baby was coming now!  Veronica's new baby boy was born at home.  Then she and Margaret walked further up the mountain to the nearest road and got a ride to the hospital.  At around 6 pm, she call us on the phone and said, "Bibi, we have a baby boy!"

The next morning, Tom and I drove to the hospital to see her and the baby.  We arrived at around 10:30 am, but Veronica had already been discharged.  After some errands in Lushoto, we drove home and walked up to her house to visit.

Veronica was at home in bed with her little son surrounded by many caring women including her mother and her friend Margaret.  She introduced us to her son who is named Fadhili, but she told us, "Ataitwa Thomas", "He will be called Thomas".  What a great honor.  He is a beautiful boy and weighed 4 kilo at birth, which is around 8 pounds.

Please keep Veronica, her husband and sons Ismaili and Fadhili "Thomas" in your prayers.  We thank God for the safe delivery of this beautiful new baby.

Rehema

On Monday morning, May 21st, Mama Mdemu traveled down to the shamba near Mombo to work there and see how the crops were doing.  While there, she received a phone call letting her know that her youngest child had died very suddenly in Dodoma.  Her daughter, Rehema was 33 years old and four months pregnant.  She had prepared breakfast for her three year old son and her niece who attends college there.  While dressing to go to her office, she dropped to the floor.  The cause of death at this point is still unknown and may never be known.

Mama Mdemu and her daughter spoke to each other almost daily.  The night before her death,they talked about Rehema going back to school for her Master’s degree after the new baby got a bit older.  How quickly our lives can change.  In the blink of an eye, everything is different.  Our hearts are broken for Mama Mdemu and her family.  We cannot imagine the loss of a child.

The change in atmosphere at the home was palpable.  Everyone continued their job, but voices were hushed and the mood was somber.  The grief was felt and shared.

In the afternoon, Tom drove Mama Mrishu, two of the students, and I to Mama Mdemu’s house in Lushoto.  Many cars were parked along the road near her house, several from the diocese.  Folding chairs were set up in a small grove of trees inside the gate.  These were occupied by many men.  A woman escorted us to the house.  We left our shoes outside with so many other pairs and went inside.  

The furniture of Mama Mdemu’s living room were moved along the walls of the room.  On the floor on the far side of the room, two mattresses were on the floor.  The sofas and chairs were filled with women, some young, but mostly older.  They were dressed in kangas and their heads were covered.  Mama Mdemu sat on one of the mattresses with several women consoling her.  It was a moving scene of love and compassion.  

We shook hands with each of the women around the room as we worked our way to Mama Mdemu.  When we reached her, people moved aside so we could kneel by next to her and offer our condolences.  I was then directed to a seat in the room and Tom was ushered outside with the men.  

In the living room, the number of women varied from 15 to 26.  Occasionally, someone began to sing and the others joined in.  It was peaceful and comforting to hear these beautiful women sing the hymns they all know by heart, melody and harmony blending together.  When some women left, I went and sat with Mama, holding her hand as we spoke quietly.  She asked if I had talked to our daughter Maureen recently.  I explained that we Skype with her every Sunday night, but because of her job and the time difference we cannot speak daily.  

On Tuesday evening, we traveled to Mama Mdemu’s home again, this time with more of the students and workers at the home.  The scene there was about the same.  The students from the home each paid their respects to Mama and then sang some hymns.  

Outside, several women were preparing food to feed the guests.  Again, the men were gathered outside and the women inside.  This watch would be kept until the time of the burial.  

Rehema’s body would be transported from Dodoma, but the burial was to be north of Moshi, not in Lushoto.  Transportation was arranged for Mama Mdemu and her family by the diocese.  

The amazing thing was that when I said “pole sana” (I am so sorry) to many of the women there, the response of several of them was, “All we can say is Thank God”.  What a faith-full response to give in such a time of tragedy.

Please keep Mama Mdemu and her family in your prayers. 

What's Your Tribe?

During our Friday night movie Julitha, one of our students, asked us, “Bibi, Babu, what is your tribe”?  When Tom went to the hospital in Lushoto and again in Arusha for his knee, this was one of the questions on the registration form.  Friday night was the first time we were asked the question in person.  It gave us pause to think of what our answer should be.  We explained that the United States is a country of people of many nationalities, but that only Native Americans referred to their heritage a “tribes”.  Julitha persisted and asked again, so I answered Irish and Tom said Scottish.  

Going back into history, Tanzania has been made up of many different tribes or ethnic groups.  The first president of Tanzania, Julius Nyrere, established Kiswahili as the official national language in order to unite all of these groups as one people.  Today most Tanzanians speak Kiswahili, their tribal language, and also some English.

The Lushoto area is primarily make up of the Sambaa people.  Among those here at Irente Children’s Home, many are Sambaa, but also there are students from the Masai, Pare, and Chagaa tribes.  

When we returned home from the movie, I picked up a Newsweek magazine sent to us by our friend Kathy from Iowa.  I had been reading an article on the Titanic centennial.  When I turned the page, the next article was entitled “What’s Your Tribe?” by E.O. Wilson.  Mr. Wilson is a “renowned Harvard biologist” according to Newsweek.  The blurb after the title explains that Wilson “says our drive to join a group - and fight for it-  is what makes us human”.  Wilson says that “everyone, no exception, must have a tribe, an alliance with which to jockey for power and territory, to demonize the enemy, to organize rallies and raise flags.  And so it has ever been”.

This made me re-think my answer to Julitha’s question.  What is my tribe?  Looking at the question in relation to the Newsweek article, I am unsure.  The answer for Americans is more complicated than it would be for a Tanzanian.  I guess I would have to say that I am an American, a Christian, a Lutheran.  Politically, I am not a party-line person.  My sports affiliations are non-existant when it comes to professional sports of any kind, though I will root for the Phillies and “Go Navy, beat Army”.  (with apologies to our nephew Michael)

So, what’s your tribe?  Where is your allegiance?  Unlike me, have you ever given this any thought?  What does your answer say about you?  

A Tanzanian Wedding

We were very happy to be invited to attend the celebration of the wedding of Frida Guga and Alois Magambo.  Frida is the daughter of Bwana Emmanuel, who is in charge of the farm at Irente Children’s Home.  Alois’ mother is a Director at the Irente Blind School.  

Here in Tanzania there are several customs that are different from at home.  Before a wedding, the family of the bride hosts a “Send Off” for their daughter.  While it is a fun celebration, it is also the time that the family says good bye to their daughter.  When a woman marries here, she leaves her family and becomes a part of her husband’s family.

The send off is similar to a bridal shower.  Guests bring gifts to help the bride with her new home.  The is music, singing, and great food.  

At the send off on Friday, the 20th of April, the bride to be arrived with her maid of honor, both dressed in beautiful gold gowns.  They entered the hall, walking in that solemn step-pause that you see in very formal weddings and graduations.  The front of the hall was decorated beautifully.  Many speaches were made by the bride, her father and mother, the maid of honor and several members of the family.  The bride and the maid of honor also paid their respects to the family of the groom.  Then they cut the cake and served each other as the bride and groom would.

Later, the bride walked down the aisle of the hall, very slowly.  She looked to her left and right as she walked.  Mama Mdemu explained that she was searching for her groom.  Finally, she found him hiding near the back of the hall.  She presented him with a red rose and he escorted her back to the front of the room.  They sat together at the front of the room, but then he and his best man returned to their seats at the back.  The guests came forward to present their gifts.  

After that it was time to eat.  The bride’s family went to the groom’s family and escorted them to the serving line.  The send off is hosted by the bride’s family.  The room was packed with guests who lined up for the food.  Later there was more music and singing by the church choir.

On Saturday, the reception was also held in Irente Chapel next to our home.  Again, the room was beautifully decorated.  The wedding and reception are both hosted by the groom’s family.  There was a DJ who played music and also a woman who who served as “Master of Ceremony”.  The reception was very much like any we have attended at home.  The bride was dressed in a beautiful white gown and veil.  The maid of honor was all in pink.  The groom and best man were dressed in black tuxes with pink shirts and white satin ties.  

At the reception, only people with invitations were at first allowed into the hall.  Once all of the invited guests were seated, others were allowed in as standing room only permitted.  Many more people crowded at the windows of the hall to watch.  At the send off, the food was prepared at the Children’s Home.  The reception was catered and the buffet was presided over by a chef in full white uniform and chef’s hat.  When it was time for the food, the people standing in the aisle and in the back were directed to leave the hall.  Once the invited guests had gone to fill their plates, all of the others were invited in to eat too.  Everyone was served, even stray children from the next village who walked over to see the celebration.

We enjoyed being part of both occasions.  At one point at the wedding, the MC called Tom up to the front.  At first we thought they were going to ask him to speak, but she wanted him to dance with some of the women from the family.  After a short time, I went up to join them.  Later, she invited different couples to come up to dance, the bride and grooms parents, aunts and uncles, and then she called on Tom and I.  We did our best with an American style slow dance, which they all seemed to enjoy.  

We were very privileged to be included among the guests at these celebrations.   

Synod Assembly Meeting

What a joy it was for us to attend this year’s Synod Assembly.  We can’t help but thank God for the wonderful technology that made it possible.  

We traveled to Tanga on Friday the 4th and stayed at a hotel which includes high-speed internet connection with the room.  We checked in and immediately went to Noor Optics to order new glasses.  It is amazing what children can do to a pair of glasses in six months.  We had lunch and returned to the hotel to watch the Synod Assembly on U-stream.  We “arrived” just before the distribution of communion.  It was wonderful to hear the music and singing, and to feel like part of the gathering.

Since we had such a late lunch, we stayed in our hotel room and watched the assembly until it was very late.  During the assembly’s lunch break, we did a test run of Skype with Bob Fisher.  The connection was great and we also had the pleasure of seeing some members of St John’s and Pastor Lee Miller.  We are seven hours ahead of Pennsylvania, so we went to bed before any election results.  

On Saturday morning, we visited a “supermarket” in Tanga.  It is about twice the size of the standard Wawa, but with four actual shopping carts.  We loaded up a cart with items that are not available in Lushoto.  We found Ragu sauce, pickles, Kellog’s cereal, and cans of Velveta-type cheese.  We also stocked up on some canned goods in case we are unable to get to town with the rains.  This store even sells yogurt, ice cream, and frozen meat.  Unfortunately, we are not be able to transport these items back home and cannot depend on our electricity to keep them cold or frozen.

Saturday evening, we Skyped into the assembly.  It was amazing to see the people there and to know that they could see and hear us as well.  Even from thousands of miles away, we could feel the Spirit there.  It is so hard for us to believe that a whole year has passed since we stood before the assembly for our commissioning.  We are so blessed to have been given the gift of representing SEPA here in Tanzania.  

We are humbled at being called “missionaries”.     The following is a  quote from Buguruni - Volunteers in Mission by David Dunnill, an Anglican missionary who served in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania:   “Working at soup kitchens and food banks in mission work.  All volunteer work in the community is mission work.  Knowing and accepting our responsibilities as good citizens, including our political responsibilities, is mission work.  All Christians are missionaries when they allow their professed beliefs to govern their daily living.  Mission is bringing into life Jesus’ command to Peter, “Feed my lambs..Tend my sheep...Feed my sheep”.  All of you who follow this command are missionaries with us, but just didn’t need a passport to reach your place of service.

God bless you in your service.

Grow where you are planted

One of my all-time favorite movies is Out of Africa.  We recently watched it again.  At the beginning of the movie, just before the music crescendos, Meryl Streep, as Karen Blixen, aka Isack Dinnesen, says, “I had a farm in Africa”.  These words came to me as Tom and I were busily digging the soil next to our house.

Mama Mdemu, the Director of the home, graciously offered us the use of the land for a shamba, a farm. Two weeks ago, we started the work.  First, we stopped by the Home and borrowed two hoes from the students.  By the time we got changed into work clothes and went outside, two of the girls, Paulina and Asha, were there to help us get started.  They wanted to be sure Bibi and Babu were not working too hard.  

We measured out a good sized plot to start with.  Paulina and Asha started digging up the ground, which is a deep orangish brown.  The area had been planted last season with potatoes, beans and corn.  The crops are intermingled in order to get as much as possible out of each square foot.  As we dug, we found potatoes that were left from the previous harvest.  Paulina told us to set these aside and they would be used as “seeds” for the next crop.  After finishing a few rows, we thanked Asha and Paulina and manned the hoes.  The work was hard, but very rewarding.  The soil here is unlike any we have dug before.  The clay content is very high and the ground is hard.  Digging turns over large clumps that almost look like broken bricks.  These need to be broken up with the hoe.  Also, we have only seen two earthworms after digging an area of about 60 by 100 feet.

Once the ground is completely turned, the area is mounded into “terraces” with a trench between each one.  Paulina instructed us on how to form the terrace and then showed that we would then dig holes in the terraces, put in some manure, cover this lightly and then put in a handful of potato “seeds” in each hole.  The work is very strenuous.  

In Tanzania, most people have at least a small shamba either at their home, or on land some distance away.  The students here and also our neighbors find it incredible that this is our first attempt at growing vegetables.  We showed them a postcard we received of the Philadelphia skyline and explained that there are very few farms in the city.  Even at our home in New Jersey, we always planted flowers.  With produce being so available, there is no need to grow anything.  

In America we have the blessing of fresh or frozen food at any season.  Here, they have the advantage of having weather that makes it possible to grow things year-round.  Anything that is not used by the family can be sold in order to buy the items they cannot grow.  Most of the corn grown at the Home is taken to Lushoto to be ground into corn meal.  String beans are left on the vine until the beans inside are very large and the plants are dried.  They are taken into a small area and beaten with large sticks.  The beans fall to the bottom and are dried.  The remains of the plants are used for compost.

We are blessed to be here and to be experiencing the life of the people around us.  Like our neighbors, we will be growing carrots, onions, peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes and beans.  Unlike them, we have also planted zucchini and cauliflower.  

As the saying goes, “Grow where you are planted”.