Tanzania Trinity Stillwater Oct 2024

 Kris Linner

Yesterday, after a long travel day, the team stopped at the Selian Hospice and Palliative Care office.  Even though it was late in the day, the care team greeted the group with hugs and shouts of joy.  Paulina, one of the nurses, has been with the team for over 30 years and remembered some of the previous visits.  She embraced every single member of the team with shouts of joy and gratitude for taking the time. As we walked through the grounds, she grabbed our hands highlighting true accompaniment with our team.  Dr. Adda Justine provided one example of the work that the team does in this region.  There was a young 17-year male that was isolated in his village with spinal bifida and double incontinence.  He was the third born in a family of 6 children and the mom was a widow that had to work.  This left the child isolated and unable to participate in village activities.  The palliative care team’s first visit was in 2021 with a referral from a vo...

  Kris Linner

Our journey with our Trinity group to Tanzania has been nothing short of transformative. After spending five enriching days in the small village of Mwatasi, we left on Sunday with hearts full of memories and a renewed sense of purpose. A Warm Welcome and Heartfelt Goodbyes Our time in Mwatasi was marked by deep connections and meaningful experiences. On our final day, we participated in an energizing four-hour church service that was a beautiful blend of worship, music, and community spirit. Pastor Kris Linner was the guest preacher and she brought home the good news of the Gospel and the power of HOPE.  The warmth and hospitality of the villagers were palpable, making our goodbyes all the more poignant. We shared hugs, exchanged blessings, and promised to keep the bonds strong despite the distance. Supporting Education: A Visit to the Secondary School One of the highlights of our stay was visiting the secondary school that Trinity has supported for years and helped build.  Th...

Who knows joy better than a child?  They can find it everywhere….in a tire with a stick, in a ball made of duct tape, in teaching Swahili, in looking at pictures, in dancing.  There are several examples of this in the first few days of this journey in Mwatasi. The first day, we climbed up a hill to a schoolhouse.  The children in the community were not in school at this time due to  standardized testing.  It was so tempting…there was a bell sitting right there just waiting to be rung.  So Mike grabbed the wrench, struck the bell and out came one of the teacher’s from his house inquiring about “Can I help you?”  What we learned is that the bell is rung to start the school day and for emergencies. Way to go Mike!  The graciousness of this teacher was astounding.  He went back to his home, grabbed the keys and encouraged/invited us to tour the school.  Many of us are teachers and were intrigued by the teaching styles.  His enthusiasm...

Today we visited Sellan Hospice and Palliative Care Program and were welcomed with radical hospitality.   We were enfolded in heart felt words of welcome.  Enveloped in hugs, we  were received as if we were long lost family members. After introductions were made we were fed “a small lunch” which was actually a large feast of delicious traditional Tanzanian dishes. It was no surprise to me that a compassionate hospice staff would give an open hearted welcome;however, the unexpected surprise is how radical hospitality is baked into the Tanzania culture and is tasted with every encounter.  Overflowing hospitality is the nature of the people of Tanzania and we have experienced it with every encounter since we arrived.   We as strangers have been welcomed as friends.    We have been welcomed with an entourage of motorbikes when approaching the village and with joyous singing and dancing. We have been fed in abundance while knowing such abundance is not part...

The hospitality is radical, the joy is contagious and the faith is palpable and that is the secret sauce of evangelism in Tanzania.  Today we visited two preaching points.  Preaching points are an extension of the Mwatasi congregation. The people of Wimbe preaching point welcomed us with enthusiastic singing and dancing.  Six years ago the preaching point was an open field and now they have a rough hewn sanctuary, 35 adult members and 18 children which started with a three member cell.  Cells gather to study the Bible, pray and visit their neighbors.   Evangelists, trained lay people, are the backbone of  church growth.  Their commitment is impressive.  They spend 7 years in a theological study program by extension which includes reading and exams.  They preach on Sunday morning, lead bible studies and visit people in their homes.  One evangelist that we met walks 4 kilometers for worship which begins at 7:00 a.m. leaving home in th...

This morning started with a wonderful breakfast prepared by the chef, Vateena and her team.  While some of us were skeptical at first, the instant coffee is truly delicious.  (For those of you who may be a bit curious about how this could be possible, here is a picture of the brand!) The team went on a short excursion to learn more about the farming practices of the village.  Some of the data that was education today included: -         The plot of trees (shown below) houses 16,000 seedling of pine trees.   -         Seeds are sold by the kilogram, which contains 32,000 seeds.  Each kilogram cost roughly $6.30 USD.  This is expensive in this culture, so many farmers dry their own seeds to plant. -         The seedling grow to approximately 1 foot, which takes approximately 5 months in this climate.  The seedlings are sold for 4 cents USD or transfer...