A Day of Learning and an Evening of Joy

What a day of learning!   At the Lutheran Iringa Diocese we met many church leaders who talked of their work throughout the Diocese.   

The Lutheran Church in Tanzania has experienced tremendous growth since its inception in 1986.    Currently there are more than 200,00 members just in the Iringa Diocese. We were captivated by the evangelism that starts at the grass roots level which they call cells, groups of neighbors who gather weekly for developing community, sharing bible study and prayer,  and engaging in discussion.  They are not afraid of knocking on a new neighbor’s door to welcome them to the neighborhood, invite them to join the cell and care for the neighbor by asking what they need.  One example of such care amazed us.   If  someone discovered that a new neighbor was sick and did not have enough money to go to the hospital, the cell would discuss how they could help.   They may decide to collect money and ask the neighbor if they could take him/her to the hospital AND pay for it.  It did not matter if the person was a Christian, a Muslim or a nonbeliever, they lived their faith by showing love to their neighbor.  

As the cell grows it becomes a preaching point where Sunday worship is  lead by a pastor, as preaching points grow it becomes a parish with an assigned pastor.   The Dioceses supports all levels of church growth through its strategic plan, education and financial support.

We also learned about an interesting way that the Diocese supports the local parishes.  Avocado and pine trees are grown from seeds on the Diocese grounds.  When the seedlings are about 3” tall they are replanted by the parish.  The pine trees are sold for timber and the avocado for produce.

A unique program that we heard about, Dignity For Daughters, empowers young women to stay in school  through education about menstruation and sexual health.  Without the reusable supplies provided girls would drop out of school because of bullying and missing too many classes each month.   The sexual health education for boys diminishes bullying toward menstruating girls and creates a climate of respect.

Meeting the leaders of Iringa Hope really captivated the attention of our group members who grew up on farms or worked in the agricultural industry.  What Tanzanian farmers call farms in Tanzania we would call gardens in the US.   Farmers are supporting their families and growing crops for sale on a 2 acre plot of land.   Iringa Hope educates farmers on how they can increase their yields and provides loans for the purchase of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.  The increase in yields amazed us.   On 2 acres of land the yields jumped from 2.5 bushels to 11 bushels.   The buildings that hold seeds, fertilizers and marketable crops are on church property as an extension of evangelism to all farmers.

In the evening we gathered as guests in the home of  Henry Mtisi.   We were enveloped in Tanzanian hospitality and joy.  The IBM(In Christ Brotherhood of Music) choir exuded joy as they sang and danced.  It so infectious that the Lutherans from Trinity joined in the dance! Michele lead the group in a rousing Bruce Springsteen’s  This Little Light of Mine.  With the help of Trinity choir and band members, Charlie, Jim, Marie and Rita, we sang a few songs for them, but we could not match their amazing harmonies.           

We were treated to a traditional Tanzanian meal which included chapate bread (Tanzanian form of Lesa), soup for the first course followed by rice and potatoes, curry sauce, beef, chicken, and vegetables for the second course.  

The meal was followed with more singing.  The joy filled evening that was a humbling evening of life and friendship with strangers and ended with friends.

 Kris Linner