Yesterday Hilda and I had a meeting with Reverend Doctor Angela Olotu, the long-time serving chair of the Theology school at Tumaini University Makumira. We have tasks assigned for us to do. This time, however, we have been directed to have the direction and assistance of the University Registrar, Lawi Mawuyo, the local man who successfully got us onto campus and into our meeting with Rev. Dr. Olotu.
I intensely communicate that I am a child here in TZ. I do not know what I do not know. Further, that everything I do know from North America is not applicable to East Africa and Tanzania. Nearly every communication now must re-enforce this near seemingly troglodyte ignorance as any apparent competence on my part, as evidenced in meetings, is illusory in the context of where we are.
Our sense of God’s laughter in our joy yesterday includes but is not limited to:
Going to Hilda’s purse for her business cards and finding the two we needed and only the two we needed. One for Lawi and one for Rev. Dr. Olotu.
Rev. Dr. Olotu’s description of meeting with us as an unusually calm and peaceful time in her normal life of frenetic busy-ness.
The completely gracious acceptance of Hilda and I by everyone on campus yesterday.
Rev. Dr. Olotu’s excitement over Hilda’s Science Teaching credentials and experience, now local experience too.
Finding Rev. Dr. Justin Mungure at the Cathedral in Usa River within half an hour of leaving the meeting at Makumira. Monday is a day he is scheduled to be elsewhere. He arrived at the same time we did. We spoke briefly then received assurance that the first task we were given is already accomplished and that he will communicate with Dr. Olotu, who directed his own training, to handle whatever is needed.
That first task? We were directed to become officially attached to a local Tanzanian Parish.
We have attended regularly and preached when asked in three local parishes. Our heart is with them all. Given however, that most of our Sunday’s start with 7am English service at Usa Cathedral we went there directly from the meeting at Makumira.
We are now officially attached to the parish of the Usa River Cathedral of the KKKT/ELCT, a Tanzanian Lutheran Church. It appears that we may be sent as their own people for theological study and perhaps to serve as a science educator at Tumaini University, Makumira.
Freeborn Lutheran church of Stanwood WA is now sewn to a parish in Tanzania. Our Saviors Lutheran church of Stanwood WA and Faith Lutheran church of North Lakewood WA are sewn now likewise. Let alone all the other places and people tied to us over our times and places.
Keep Praying please.. this is God stuff.. your heart touches our heavenly father.. thank you for that..
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We attended, by escorting a precious local one, a wedding Saturday evening not far from Hilda’s house on the Silverleaf Academy campus. Hilda found herself in the company of alive strong joyful women who swept her along with them.
We are now often the eldest at such things and we surprise many of the youngers who dare to converse with us. I think that’s funny. It’s also an opportunity.
Hilda was with those women. I sat off to the side and around the corner from a large opening into the facility that graced folks coming inside for the reception. Along came a young man from Brooklyn who with his significant other, from Pittsburgh, run food and education programs among inner city poverty there in Brooklyn. Guess who they wanted to talk about without initially knowing they did?
Yes, they wanted to talk about God. And they wanted to discuss their relationship with God and Jesus as expressed by nothing they have or can do and also how it is expressed through them and their work.
That sort of thing coming into my life as our own children are so very capably busy with their and their children’s lives is such a joy.
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Now to the other end of the age spectrum.
Last Friday Matron, retired head nurse for the local Nkoarganga Hospital who monitors and supports the health of every child at The Children’s Village and teaches families about nutrition and many other topics about childcare, rearing, family management, etc. admitted to me that she was unwell. Something she would never let show.
As I went down off the hill I took her and a couple others with me. After leaving the others off along the way, instead of taking her to the bus, I took her to her home in the nearby bush. Matron lives with her husband and her brother in law who both need constant care. The home is an island in the dried up dust bowl of failed crops down on the plain below Mount Meru. The water well produces water filled with flouride salts making it unpotable and severely limiting of vegetable crops that can be safely grown for human consumption.
I was not allowed to drop her at her gate and go on.
Nope, this under the weather octogenarian, jumped out of the truck to open her gate insisting that I get a glass of milk before I go. This farm-boy still appreciates fresh raw milk. Even as served here which is so hot that the skin cells of your mouth must renew themselves between sips, the top of the milk cooked into a film over and over as the film is consumed. Layers of cells scoured away by the indescribable heat with each sip so that even as the beverage cools, the mouth left more raw with each sip, feels any remaining heat as powerful as the very first.
I sat on the porch with those two elderly men and their care-giver, youngers appearing to check in and then disappear at calm directive given. The life in each of these elders showing just as brightly in their eyes as any young one anywhere, especially when they decide their guest is okay.
Matron’s current husband came into her life as husband in 2015 and perhaps started as a marriage of economic survival for elders caring still for many young ones, but, I got to see mutuality of deep warm humor-filled commitment in their eyes as they would regard one another. And also happiness in the eyes of her brother-in-law at this elder couples sincere togetherness in spite of any troubles.
As I left this island of near centennial determination amidst dust-devils and rooster-tails that overrun the truck at every opportunity, even in first gear, I turned wrong and did not come directly through a few bush kilometers to the big road. Instead I wandered unlabeled tracks the squishing radial tires pumping dust as they rolled through parched puddles of the sneeze inducing powder. Rough sections being rocky and rutted taking you among Maasai cows and goats, donkeys and people, some of the youngest people shocked to see anything like me. Smiling and waving sometimes helps. I was far enough from the big road that my pitiful Swahili only got blank stares. Ki-Meru or Ki-Maasai only out here.
My two words, “barabara kubwa(road big)?” spoken with a big smile eventually got a smile in return with a finger pointing the way. I was close.
Not feeling well had not gotten in the way of Matron waving at her neighbors from the passenger window of Hilda’s truck and then turning to look up at me laughing that they’ll all think she is rich now because a mzungu(dizzy-world-traveler) was driving her home instead of her walking.
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Hilda and I fly home leaving Tanzania September 1st for a month in the Pacific Northwest. We leave the Pacific Northwest from Portland Oregon October the 4th to return to Tanzania.
vwilliamson@sprynet.com / facebook messenger / Hilda’s Phone number 360-815-4302
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Also please continue to Pray for:
Travel mercies for Hilda and I. Plane travel represents a supreme physiological trial to someone my shape, size and medical history.
Affordable time in the Pacific Northwest and over to Colorado for those dear children and grandchildren who miss us and whom we miss deeply.
Makumira Secondary School, my brilliant helper Elisha’s school, is looking to share stories and partner in some way with a foreign school, Great leaders, teachers, students, programs, strong backs, minds, and hearts –
Hilda’s invisibility to those who can only see their own authority –
Visa situation (another 3 month extension for us both granted!) we will be good again until after we return -
Our armed forces families, our leadership, our people, whole world round, all of Gods kids -
All the tough and blessing expressed above –
The love of folks –
Whatever is on your hearts and minds for us –
I continue to be under much harsh spiritual attack concerning my sense of self-worth and those many things I have yet to get to, please, only as you are comfortable, remember me, indeed us.. the world doesn’t like what we are doing out of love we don’t own.. yet have none the less -
For our health to stay ahead of whatever is before us, for us to let our health fail so others can shine –
For a way for us to invest with our experience and even financially in support of local industrious people so we can afford to stay and continue to make a difference one face at a time –
For those who have braved the donate button to discover Kajun Crofton, our daughter who helps getting each one of your donations to us and every blogpost to where you can read it –
For you who find other ways to uplift and support us -
For each and every one of you –
Each and every one of your prayers, your precious conversations with God –
Prayers, Your Prayer, skipping stone and even groaning prayers make all the difference..
Vern W
May Life be as Music to your Heart - May Music be as Heart to your Life
- May Heart be as Life to your Music -