Lutheran Church at Kikarara

This is the Lutheran Church in the village of Kikarara where we worshipped last Sunday. In Tanzania the church is named for the congregation it serves. In this case the church is called the Ushirika wa Kikarara (Congregation of Kikarara) as part of the Jimbo la Kilimanjaro Kati (Central Kilimanjaro Region). The congregation is under the authority of the Dayosisi ya Kaskazini (Northern Diocese) of the Kanisa la Kiinjili ya Kilutheri ya Tanzania (KKKT), or Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania.

The church was built in 1984. The latter part of the inscription shown below is translated as follows: "The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Dr. E. N. Kweka, May 13, 1984."

The church offices (first picture) and the pastor's house (second picture) are located behind the church.

Behind the church is the Sunday School area. During the week it is used as a kindergarten. The kindergarten is run by the church, and is open to both church and non-church members. In Tanzania there are very few kindergartens, so the church is serving an important need.

These are bathrooms being built for the kindergarten (right behind the Sunday School/kindergarten building). At the present time the children be taken about 30 yards to the church bathrooms (this is quite challenging during the rainy season from March to June).

The church is also working to improve the church grounds. There are plans to add gates at the front of the church (first picture) and the back of the church grounds (second picture). This will help with security - in Tanzania police protection is pretty much unknown, especially in rural areas. The brick-paved area will also be extended to the main road (first picture) and to a secondary road (second picture), which will help during the rainy season.

Many thanks to Jackson Kaangwa, who is shown in several of the pictures. Mr. Kaangwa is an evangelist (a kind of assistant pastor) who serves the congregation. The staff of the church consists of the pastor, the evangelist, and a parish worker.

Life in Old Moshi - June 20

James eating some mahindi choma (baked corn). The corn in Tanzania is white, larger that US sweet corn, and not sweet at all. It is used to make a variety of Tanzanian foods

Flora using a fagio (broom) to clean the grounds behind the house of her mother.

Flora and her sister Grace.

Return to Kolila

Just up the mountain where we are staying is Kolila Secondary School. There is where Flora was teaching Bookkeeping and Commerce to Forms I-IV when I first came in 1999. James and I hiked up to pay a brief visit, since the school is closed until July and few teachers are there right now.

This is the main building.

This is one of the building that was under construction when we left Tanzania in 2005:

This is the school posta (post office). The back of this building was used for Form I classes while Flora and I were there.

This is looking down the hill at the student dorms and cafeteria. because the school was closed James and I did not go down any further. We plan to return at a later date.

Pizza Party in Moshi Town!

Old Moshi is the area on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro where Flora grew up and where we are staying now. Moshi is the town at the foot of Kilimanjaro. In Moshi there are a number of places to use the internet. Below are pictures of James playing Roblox (which requires an internet connection):

Last week we found a place for James to get some pizza (these are pictures of Flora, Grace, and James):

Life in Old Moshi - June 17

Here is James getting ready to feed the chickens:

James and Naomi (Grace's daughter and James' cousin) playing with some smaller mchwa (termites) who are eating the bark on a tree. The mchwa have built mud paths that give them some protection. You can hear them rattling when you walk near the tree.

James' grandmother brings out the goat for a brief visit. James is disappointed that the goat now lives with Bwana Edward (the younger brother of Zakaria Onesmo Kisaka, Flora's deceased father). I found out that if you lean down, the goat thinks you want to butt heads!

The Lutheran church in Kikarara. The service was over 2 hours long, but James did surprisingly well.

Life in Old Moshi - June 13

Below is a picture of Mama Ruth weaving the hair of Mama Myrene (Baraka's wife - Baraka is one of the younger brothers of Flora):

This is James feeding his chickens:

Makande (pictured below) is the food from the Pare tribe that lives in northern Tanzania. The Pare are just east of Kilimanjaro:

This is Naomi, one of Grace's children. Grace is one of Flora's sisters. Naomi is in Standard 4 (equivalent to 4th grade).

Naomi and James trying to rescue a ball from a tree:

A group of children chasing the ball:

This is (from left to right) Bryce, Rosalyn, and Present.

James does some digging:

James studies most every day:

Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport

Here are two earlier pictures that got lost in the shuffle. Below is a picture of the flowers Flora received when we arrived:

Below is a picture of Flora and James at the airport:

Life in Old Moshi - June 10

Here is a picture of James’ first encounter with chungu (black army ants). The ants are the small black dots to James’ left:

These ants do not build permanent mounds. Instead, they bivouac constantly, and only settle briefly when the queen is ready to lay eggs. Since the entire group constantly travels, the queen is also small so she can travel. In the above picture this group was traveling behind the house of Flora’s mother from raiding a nearby shamba (farm) for bugs, which they were carrying to be food.

Below is a picture of the time James managed to catch a kuku (chicken):

A meal of cooked bananas in a meat sauce – a staple of the Chagga people who come from the Kilimanjaro region (Flora is Chagga):

James feeding a goat that Flora’s mother keeps behind her house:

A picture of Flora and her mother in the cooking area behind the house:

For our first few days here people have been coming to see us, so there has been no need to travel. This coming week we plan to start visiting people and places, so please pray for our safe travel.

James at home in Old Moshi

Here is James in front of a termite mound near Flora's mother's house:

Here is James chasing chickens at Flora's mother's house:

Here is the house in Old Moshi where Flora grew up in:

Right next to it is a house built by Flora's bother Japhet. This is where we are staying:

Our journey begins

Pray for our safe travel to Tanzania.

Party before journey

A little get-together at our house before leaving tomorrow. The meal:

A prayer before the meal:

The meal:

Our dog Molly, who will really miss my wife:

James being James. In a short while his Tanzanian family will meet him for the very first time:

Please pray for our safe journey!