Before sunrise on Monday, 24 February, I was picked up by a North Central Diocese—ELCT (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania) Land Cruiser driven by the most senior driver for the Diocese. The vehicle already had Rev. Dr. Suzana Sitayo and Rev. Ezekiel Lemaso inside. Sitayo and Lemaso are both Stakeholders for my research project. Also, Sitayo is a writer of lessons for the lay pastors in training (called evangelists in the ELCT) and for women’s groups, and she will be the teacher of the lessons. In addition to being on the theology faculty at TUMA, Sitayo is the Principal of Oldonyosambu Theological College (OTC), the center for training evangelists through theological education by extension (TEE). Lemaso is the academic dean for OTC, and he is the bishop’s representative to my research project. So, I know them from Stakeholder Meetings, but also from an early February time at OTC where retired missionary, Jean Wahlstrom, and I lead two days of pedagogy workshops for the teachers at OTC.
I was given the front seat as the guest, but also because along the 6–7 hour drive south, we picked up several TEE students for the week of lessons in Kibaya. I was glad to have a seatbelt in the bumpy roads. Along the way, we saw zebra, wildebeest, dikdik, guinea hens, impala, Thompson’s gazelles, and some beautiful scenery in the middle of nowhere—on a dusty and hot drive.
Too fast to photograph wild animals, but we had to slow down for the cows in the road.
The road to Kibaya
The 6–7 hour drive was filled with laughter between Sitayo and Lemaso! I have never been with adults who laughed so much! Maybe silly teenagers or inebriated young adults but not grown-ups! What joy! What a great friendship these two coworkers have.
Lots of laughter on the way
On the way down south, we stopped at Orkesumet, where Suzana led a session to train Christian education workers. A group of about 30 people are learning how to be teachers of the Christian faith. I was able to encourage them with this important role and pray for them. I told them a story about my Christian education teacher at Bible college, Josee. When I returned to the college on staff, I got to know Josee, as we would go to art exhibits and do some kayaking, as well as being prayer partners. I learned that my saintly Christian ed teacher came from a pretty messed up family. So, I asked how she escaped the same fate of so many family members with difficult life situations. She said that a neighbor invited her to go to church with her, and the Sunday school teacher showed her love and helped her know the love of Jesus. It changed her life! She spent the rest of her life equipping others to be Christian education church workers and teaching Sunday school teachers, because she know personally what a difference Sunday school can make! So, I encouraged the students in Orkesumet that they have an important role to love their students and show them Jesus’s love. They can be used by the Holy Spirit to change lives.
On the way out of town, we stopped for nyama choma, roasted meat and ugali. I found some good pieces to eat (there are some gristly chunks), and some were surprised that I could eat ugali with my hands. (Travel tip: keep dental floss handy for after nyama choma.)
The rest of the week’s meals were eaten at the Lutheran church in Kibaya, using extra chairs in the pastor’s office as a table. The food was good and typical Tanzanian food: breakfast of chapati, hardboiled eggs, mandazi (like a doughnut); lunches and dinners of rice or ugali with meat stews, some boiled mchicha (like spinach).
I was offered the big room in the guest house, for which I paid Tsh 15,000 ($5.72) per night. It was the only guest house I have been to where toilet paper was not provided. When I asked for some, the guy said wait a bit, as he had to go a buy some for me! It was a small bathroom, but I made it work with a scooch around the door to get to the sink. The width of the room was less than the distance of my elbow to elbow.
I bring my own water filter (gravity fed purification from tap water hung in a bag) to reduce plastic bottles, so I at each place, I have to figure out how to hang the filter. Often the bars on the windows are the solution. However, this bathroom had a solid hook on the back of the bathroom door (another scooch around the door) that kept it out of the shower splash zone, as the shower was in the middle of the small room without any shower curtain. Any overflow, would just go down the drain in the floor rather than puddle under a window in the room.
I slept well in my queen-sized bed (I did check for bed bugs), but aided with a small travel fan, eye mask, and earplugs.
Mikitamayana Engai! / Mungu akubariki! / God bless you!