The End of the Road

Julie and I arrived home safely on Holy Thursday. My three month trip, begun with Christmas snows swirling around, ended with Easter snows swirling around. It was as if this African adventure was merely a bookmark in a Midwest winter. It was a wonderful trip, a tremendous cross-cultural experience, a real eye-opening opportunity. I am deeply grateful for the time I was given in Tanzania. I am also happy to be home again.

My last few days in Iringa were filled with exit interviews by members of the Iringa Diocese staff and farewell meals in people's homes. The Tanzanian people are very good at making a person feel warmly welcomed and deeply thanked. It was hard to say good-bye to some of my many new friends, with whom I had become a partner in ministry, and to the city I had claimed as home for three months. After picking Julie up at the airport in northern Tanzania, I kept talking about what she would experience when we "got home." It wasn't until I had said that a few times that she realized I was talking about Iringa and not Mahtomedi. It had become that much of a home to me.

Now that I'm home and back working at Luther Seminary, I want to take some time to let things filter through me. I really don't know what experiences will mark me forever. I'm guessing some will. Only with time will I know what those are. I feel like a different person in some ways, but maybe that's more because of experiencing a different pace of life than lessons learned. So, I plan to resume life and see what I do differently because of this experience.

I want to publicly mention people who made this trip possible for me. They begin with Kathy Hansen, Vice President for Seminary Relations who first suggested this idea to me. Also, to President Rick Bliese for endorsing the trip, Janet and Brad Anderson for their support, Bishop Peter Rogness and the St. Paul Area Synod for their support, Gary Langness who put up with me as a housemate for three months, Don and Eunice Fultz who helped open doors for my work in Iringa and "parented" me as an orphan for three months, and Bishop Mdegella and his staff who welcomed me as a member of their staff for three months. Also, Julie and my children kept me connected throughout via their regular emails. I know I didn't take this trip alone, and for that I am very grateful.

Now that I'm back in Minnesota, I am finally able to post some photos to go with the blog entries. If you wish, you can now go back to all of my blogs and see some of the things I wrote about. I hope it's not too little too late. But, thank heavens for technology that works!

Finally, thank you for taking time to keep up on my travels through this blog. It is gratifying to know that there actually were people reading this stuff! For any who have traveled to Tanzania, I hope this will refresh your memory and that you will be able to identify with some of the things about which I wrote. For those who have yet to visit Tanzania, perhaps this blog will provide an interest in you to visit the Christian church in another part of the world. It may just change your life.

Asante sana.

On The Go

There's been a bit of a gap since I last wrote a blog entry. Well, Julie arrived a week ago Thursday. I could probably leave it at that. But, not knowing how you will fill in the blanks, I will continue by telling you how we've spent our time.

Julie flew into the Kilimanjaro Airport in the north of Tanzania near the city of Arusha. Don, Eunice, Gary and I drove the twelve hours from Iringa to Arusha on Thursday to meet her there. We then spent three days in the north, visiting some very special sights. Among them was a visit to the not-quite-finished Selian Hospital. Dr. Mark Jacobson from Stillwater is building a state-of-the-art hospital in Arusha. I was stunned by how good it is. I've seen three other hospitals in Tanzania. None compare. It will set the standard for health care in Tanzania. It was to have been dedicated while we were there, but was not ready. Dedication will take place later in the year.

We also visited the head office for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, located in Arusha. We stayed one night in the Uhuru Lutheran Center in Moshi, about 80 kilometers from Arusha. Out our window we could see Mt. Kilimanjaro. Because of cloud cover, we could only catch glimpses from time to time, but what a sight! It's the only mountain on the equator with a snow cap. But the snow is melting and the cap isn't very big anymore.

From there we drove eight hours to Dar es Salaam. Early on Monday morning, we were invited to join a group from Bethel Lutheran Church in Hudson, WI, in a private visit with U.S. Ambassador Mark Green. He is a Wisconsin native and happy to visit with people from his home area. He just finished hosting President Bush for four days in Tanzania, a monumental event for the Tanzanian people. He was very supportive of the work being done by the Lutheran church in Tanzania and very grateful for the care with which Minnesota and Wisconsin parishes carry out their partnerships.

Immediately following this visit, we drove the eight hours from Dar es Salaam to Iringa, spent one day in Iringa, and then Julie and I left for a three day safari in the Ruaha National Park. There we stayed in splendid accommodations, took three game drives and saw all the animals we wanted to see. That included abundant elephant, giraffe, zebra, birds galore, a leopard and two lions. It was a thrill.

We are now back in Iringa for the remainder of our stay in Tanzania. It felt like I was coming home after an extended vacation. That's how much my time in Iringa has affected me. It feels more like home than anywhere else in Tanzania. I know many of the people. I know the places. There is a rhythm to life here. It feels good.

So, now we will finish strong. On Sunday, Julie and I will travel to the Mwatasi parish, the partner parish to our home church of Trinity Lutheran in Stillwater. I will preach. Julie will bring official greetings to our partners. We will enjoy the hospitality of village people in Tanzania one more time. It will provide a marvelous exclamation point to this entire experience.

We leave for home next Tuesday, flying out of Dar es Salaam on Wednesday night and arriving back in Minnesota in time to enjoy the Easter weekend.

So, we remain on the go for the duration. See you soon.

SEX

The title is a bit shocking for a blog on the Luther Seminary website. But now that I have your attention...

Bishop Mdegella is burying his younger brother today. He died from HIV/Aids. His wife died from the same disease three years ago. People say his new wife and their small children don't look too well, either.

I've met many children in their young teens who have been infected with HIV/Aids from birth. They are orphans. Over here, that means at least one of their parents has died, often from HIV/Aids. Many are in the homes of relatives. They are taking medication which is having a positive effect. Only time will tell how long they live.

Every week I hear about a funeral for a young person who has died from this disease. When you travel by cemeteries, you see rows upon rows of freshly dug graves. The natives say most are HIV/Aids related. While some of the infections may be from contaminated needles, most of it is from sexual contact.

Much is being done to educate the population. Scores of college-age students come here to teach the young children about Aids and Aids prevention. Everywhere you see signs encouraging people to use condoms and to get tested. Churches are encouraged to preach and teach about HIV/Aids, because churches are more trusted than the government. I heard one church choir sing an anthem about Aids. Even the wheel cover over the spare tire of an Iringa Diocese vehicle bears an ad for a condom company. HIV/Aids is a major problem for this country.

Yet, it's interesting that I see very little courting going on between men and women. You see literally no public displays of affection. No hand holding. No arms around the other's shoulder or waist. No public kissing. The only hand holding I see - and experience - is between two men. It is a custom for one man to hold the hand of another as they visit.

At the same time, it is not unusual for women to be pregnant when they get married. Where there's a will there's a way!

The practice of obtaining a "Bride's Price" still happens here. The fathers of the husband and wife-to-be meet to negotiate a fair price for the bride. Sometimes, the fathers are represented by others in their family for this negotiation. The Bride's Price is an acknowledgement that the bride's family is losing a member of their family through this marriage and needs to be compensated. The better the bride, the higher the price. Payment used to be made in livestock. Now it's mostly in cash. It is true that once a woman is married, she belongs to the husband's family. If she is divorced, she loses everything. If the husband dies, she is taken in by the husband's family. Not often does she ever return to her own family. It is a male dominated society, for the most part.

There is no homosexuality in Tanzania. That's what we're told by everyone. An article in a recent Tumaini University newspaper held the title, "Just say no to homosexuality."

But it's clear that, just like anywhere else in the world, sexuality is a major factor in the future of this country. Education continues to be a key. The church needs to speak of healthy relationships and healthy sexuality. But medicine is also a major key. The treatment of HIV/Aids continues to improve. Many more people are living with the disease and remain productive members of society. So we must pray, and teach, and treat.

So, that's the sex report from Tanzania. I hope you found it as interesting as the title. Oh, and this is one time I'm glad I can't attach photos to this entry. I'm really at a loss to know what pictures I'd attach!