Some Videos To Enjoy.

The first video is of the Massai warriors at today's village dancing and singing for us.
The second is a video that Steve took of the killing of a cobra outside of the dinning hall here at LJS.
Peace.

Some Sights.

Downtown morogoro... it is kind of a sprawling city. This is the heart of downtown - it is looking towards the daladala station.

From the last orphanage visit... she was such a cutie.

Tim with one of the crazy boys.

I just fall in love every time.

Natalie and another kid - we usually end up being human jungle gyms.

On the swing with Gifti.

Pretty sure this kid peed on me but cute nonetheless.

Kidege and Gifti (she was adorable and attached to him quite quickly).

On the swings... this kid had the cutest smile with huge dimples but I couldn't catch it on film.

Each and every sunset here is beautiful and different... as Barry (a new student from Australia says, 'it's just lovely.')

Luka's beautiful tiles.

My Travel companions monkeying around.

Florian with one of the kids.

Kidege pushing some kids on the swingset - they were almost all calling him Baba (dad/father)

Natalie and I hanging out with some kids at the orphanage.

Massai wire jewelry - usually women wear this wrapped around their arms or ankles.

A Weekend To Remember.

Friday we canceled our afternoon Swahili class and Tim and I went with Kidege, Natalie, Flo, and Omega to the Catholic orphanage. Once again I have no words that will describe the experience except to say that the images will stay with me for a lifetime. (Pictures will come soon.)
Right after Tim and I got back, it was time to go to Luka’s house for supper. First, Luka’s house is beautiful – tile floor, blue and white walls, a chicken coop he just built that day, etc. We got to see the kids again and this time we were able to meet Rehema (Solomon’s oldest daughter who goes to a boarding school in the Kilimanjaro region). You could tell that Eme had been working for quite some time because we got a Thanksgiving-style feast. There was meat, fancy rice, small fish, sauce, cooked pumpkin leaves, jack fruit, pineapple, and mangos (and possibly more that I have since forgotten). As we were getting ready to leave Luka gave out a general invite for all of us to come back anytime. Then, as I was saying goodbye to everyone, Eme shyly said “Sara, karibu tena” (Sara, you are welcome to come again). It warmed my heart – each time we see Eme I can tell that, even though we can’t talk most of the time, that we’d get along quite well. Our feast was just that and it was a beautiful night in the company of new family here in Tanzania.
Then Saturday we lost power for most of the day/night. So Natalie, Flo, Anna, and I had a night hanging out by candle light, playing/listening to guitar and just talking. Several other people rotated in and out of our circle (Anne, Steve, and Bariki). It was a good time – we just spent the night as newfound friends and enjoyed each other’s company. I think that a big part of the beauty was that we didn’t need power to enjoy ourselves. So often in ‘developed’ nations we rely on electricity so much that we don’t know what to do with ourselves when it goes out and even though we are all from America or Europe (with the exception of Bariki), we had no problems finding something to do. I guess that is just one of the many ways that Tanzanian culture is wearing off on us – we place a greater value on human relationships than the ability to use electricity to separate ourselves and create barriers to relationships.
We went back to Mabugeri on Sunday (where there had been the violence against the Massai. This visit was much different from our last visit – you can tell that things have settled down quite a bit - on our drive into the village we saw Massai walking around and in town. When we got to the church, we had tea and maandazi (half cake). Then we hung around for awhile and waited for church to start. Church went along as usual and after church we went outside to shake hands. While we were doing this, one woman stayed inside and started to cry out hysterically. After the pastors gave their sending blessing, they headed back inside to see what was going on. Slowly we followed. When we got inside we saw a woman sitting on the ground crying out and almost convulsing. The pastors and evangelists began to pray over her – they shouted things like, “In the name of Jesus, leave her!” “Come Out!” and “By the blood of Jesus leave!” It took quite some time. A few minutes into this whole ordeal, Steve and I noticed the kids that were in the church were being shooed away from this woman, so we decided to keep the busy in the back. While we were playing with the kids, two mamas (probably about my age) came over and started to talk to me. They asked where I was staying, if I am studying, and welcomed me to visit again. Then they started to ask if Steve and I are husband and wife, I quickly told them no and they explained that I was by myself and there were three boys so they didn’t know. After the woman stopped, we went for lunch and then headed back outside to say goodbye and leave. Once we got into the car we asked PH what he though of what happened. He told us that he wasn’t sure if it was possession or if it was post-partum hysteria, since she done this before and had threatened to kill her child once.
Looking back on the day it is amazing to reflect on the hospitality we are shown anyplace we go. On our last visit, we brought them food to help them out and this time we were each given a plate of 5 or 6 maandazi, tea, and water before church and then each given soda, water, rice, beans, and meat/sauce for lunch. They are still in the process of recovering from everything that has happened but we are told that the school has reopened and half of the stolen cattle have been returned. But it amazes me how much people are always willing to give – even when they may not have much. So many times we have tendencies to keep the best things for ourselves and to keep to ourselves. That is hardly the case here – people will greet you and give you what they have to offer.
I have come to notice one difference between here and El Salvador that I think has drawn my heart even closer to this place … here I have never once felt unwanted. In El Salvador I haven’t really felt like this either but many times we get looks as we drive that are kind of saying ‘what are you doing here?’ But here no mater where we have gone people will come greet us, wave and/or chase the car as we drive past, or just send a genuine smile our way. It is a dichotomy at times – to feel like a complete alien but to also feel welcome and wanted. I love this place and, like I told Anne today as she left LJS for her home for the next 4 years, I will be back here someday, somehow. There is a beauty here that seems to find its way into your heart and it becomes a part of you that you simply cannot deny.
Peace.

The Powers We Deny.

While we are here, we are all taking two observation/journaling classes – one about religion in Tanzania and the other looking at Contemporary Tanzanian culture. Last week Peter and I were talking about some of the challenges that these classes pose. The biggest challenge for us is that in Tanzania, the culture reflects a lot of the religious beliefs
(both past and present). Many times it is extremely difficult to differentiate between what is secular and what falls into the religious sphere. Since the country still is split about equally between Christianity, Islam, and traditional religions, it makes for a type of culture that encompasses and is tolerant of a variety of people and practices. Many of the busses and daladalas have some type of religious slogans written across them. It is interesting since in the US, while religion is important, it is separated from the rest of the nation’s (and many individuals’) lives.
One aspect of Tanzania that we’ve recently talked a lot about with Mchungaji is black magic. It is something that I think all four of us have some skepticism towards. However, at the same time, it is difficult to say that is flat out doesn’t exist, when someone you respect and know is deeply aware of the culture tells you that they believe these things exist. PH told us about stories of possession and curses. One he has told is about a Christian missionary family that lived in a very heavily Muslim area. One day some Muslim elders from the village came up to the mother and father and asked them, “What is your medicine?” They replied with, “Oh, if we are sick we get some medicine from the local store.” The elders didn’t like that answer, so they asked the question again. The Christians replied saying, “Well if we are really sick, we go to the local dispensary and get a shot.” The elders became furious. They asked what the family does each night and what time they go to bed. The family explained that each night they pray, sing, and then they shut off the lights around 8 or 9 since hey have small children. The elders told them that for the past few nights they had been trying to go and put an end to the missionary family but every time that they went, no matter what time of night, the light was on and there was singing coming from the inside. The elders told the missionaries that clearly they are protected by something powerful and they would be left alone from now on.
Another story we’ve heard is about Dr. Nyka – the woman who started Faraja Trust – and how she has woken up in the morning with little cuts all over her chest (a classic sign that you have been cursed and black magic has come to visit you in the night).
Finally we’ve heard about several spirit possessions. They are always women and when they are possessed, have raspy men’s voice that come out of them. I asked why women and why they are possessed by male demons. Mchungaji told me that it is because often times women turn to black magic to heal various (usually menstrual) ailments and when they do so, they are then kept in the hold of black magic by a possession. One story that PH had told us was of a woman who had gone to try and use black magic to heal something that was ailing her. She was supposed to bring a white sheet, a white chicken, and the hand of a child (meaning she had killed the child). She was at church one day while PH and Luka were there and Luka went outside with her for a little while. They talked and she explained that she had done the first two but was quite frightened to do the final task and she wanted out but she had drank a bottle of water with the ink of some verses and is now stuck. Luka (being the genius that he is) told her that drinking the blood of Jesus will save her and free her from the hold of the black magic. She agreed and went in the church to take communion and from then on she has been fine.
Even after hearing all these stories, I am not completely certain what to believe. Black magic traditionally goes along with Islam and Christians don’t really have a problem with it. But there are some things you hear that are just too odd to be a fictional story. And since I have been thinking about it for some time I have come to realize that if we accept the existence of a powerful, invisible being that interacts in our lives how can we also just blindly deny the existence of an evil invisible being?
Peace.

A Few Things To Keep In Mind With The Upcoming Holiday.

It is almost time for a glutton’s favorite holiday in the States – Thanksgiving. Over the past few years I have become rather disillusioned with the basis of this holiday. What exactly is it that we are celebrating? Our ‘successful’ encounter with the Native Americans (which left about 75% of their population dead from war and foreign disease)? Our birth of our free nation (I’m pretty sure that holiday falls in July)? Or do we celebrate the harvest (while millions are unable to feed themselves and their families)? And why do we find the need to overindulge on this day when every single day there are millions of people who do not have that luxury?
As much as I hate to post a blog like this, it needs to be said and a lot of people need to hear it.
So as I sit here in Tanzania, constantly reminded of the need to live simply and of the importance of the people who we share the earth with, I’d like to share a few things that I hope you will keep in mind as you celebrate Thanksgiving this year. I encourage you all to take the time to really read all of this post in its entirety.
(The following facts and quotes were found at changingthepresent.org - a website that is aimed at changing the tradition of giving material gifts and moving towards giving donations to various organizations.)


“When I gave food to the poor, they called me a saint. When I asked why the poor have nothing to eat, they called me a communist.” – Dom Helder Camara

- In Sub-Saharan Africa, 200 million people go hungry every day.
- 250 million people have died of hunger-related causes in the last 25 years – roughly 10 million each year.
- 1 in 5 people in the world go to bed hungry each night.
- 30 million Americans – 13 million of them children – live in households that cannot afford an adequate balanced diet.
- Each day, 19,000 people die of hunger and hunger-related diseases. That is 13 people every minute of every hour of every day.
- The amount of grain produced in the world today could provide each person on the planet with the equivalent of two loaves of bread per day.
- The average American family throws away 14% of its food.
- 3.4 million people die each year because they lack access to safe drinking water.
- 1/6th of the world’s population does not have access to safe drinking water.
- A child dies every 15 seconds from water-related diseases.
- The average person in the developing world uses less than 3 gallons of water each day for drinking, washing, and cooking. This is the same amount used to flush a toilet in the developed world.
- It would cost an estimated $16 billion more each year to halve the number of people without access to safe water and sanitation. Americans spent $15 billion on bottled water last year alone.
- Women and children in rural Africa walk an average of 5 miles a day for water.
- 20,000 people die every day because they are too poor to stay alive.
- More than 1 billion people around the world live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $1 a day.

“I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask: ‘Mother, what was war?” – Eve Mirriam
“Peace is not a dream; it is hard work, and there is nothing naïve, glamorous or simplistic about it.” – Dr. Oscar Arias, Nobel Laureate in Peace
“There will be no future without forgiveness. Any process of peace is bound to collapse if this is missing. There is no way to peace and stability can come through the gun of vengeance.” – Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu
“Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a person to listen to his own goodness and act on it.” – Pablo Casals

- War has killed 2 million children in the last 20 years.
- 90% of modern war casualties are civilians – mostly women and children.
- In the last 5600 years there have been only 292 years of peace.
- There are 92 known cases of nuclear bombs lost at sea.
- Every 30 seconds, an African child dies of malaria.
- Every year, more than 10 million children die before their 5th birthday from completely preventable diseases like diarrhea and pneumonia.
- Every day, 8000 people died from AIDS-related conditions.
- As many as 300,000 children currently serve in government forces or armed rebel groups. Some are as young as 8 years old.
- 1 in 4 victims of female genital mutilation will die as a result of the procedure.
- One woman dies in childbirth every minute in developing countries.
- 1 in 16 African women will die as a consequence of pregnancy.

You can help, if you look for ways to get involved you will find that they are staring you in the face. You don’t need to travel to another country; there are plenty of opportunities in all corners of the US.
Peace.

Prison Week

Let's see, this past week we (well Peter and I) went to a total of 3 different prisons – the first was for the meeting on Tuesday, the second was a guard’s wedding on Saturday, and the third was a confirmation/baptism service at the youth prison. All of them were amazing in their own way. As hot and long as the day ended up being, Sunday would have to be my favorite. There were seven choirs – one Massai, one from a nearby all-girls high school, one Anglican, and the other 4 were local choirs of adults. It was great and each choir definitely had their own style of music and sound. Then of the two kids baptized, one was Waswahili and the other Massai. Finally, there were six people confirmed – one Massai boy, two prisoners, and three Waswahili. After the service there was an auction and then everyone was fed – which was a miracle in itself since the church was packed and then there were people sitting outside of the church as well.
I suppose, in retrospect, I loved this service because it showed some of the best of Tanzania – that people of different backgrounds are able to come together peacefully for a joyous celebration. I love that about being here – it is (mostly) a peaceful coexistence of different peoples. I think so often we get caught up in the little things that make us different from one another and we so easily forget that we are connected to one another and we are all human beings who deserve the same type of respect and compassion.

As the time begins to draw near for us to head back home to the States, I wonder how life will be different and I wonder how I will cope with it. I know that deep in my heart I will long to return to this place and reunite with the people who have been here with me through this experience. As I continue to talk to Godfrey through email (since he is studying at university now) we end almost each email with I will see you again. I will never forget the day I told him what I wanted to do in the future (work abroad in either the NGO sphere or in the religious sphere), he seemed to perk up and he told me that one day we might meet again if I return here. In our last email exchange (which was largely in Kiswahili, which makes me proud of my Kiswahili skills) I told him that I have fallen in love with Tanzania and I have decided that I would definitely like to work here, his response was ‘nasema karibu sanaaaaaaaaaaa’ (I say you are very welcome [to come back here]). In a weird way it gives me hope that I will one day return here. I don’t much want to come back to ‘save the poor Tanzanians’ I want to walk beside them and be here to support the people here. I guess it is all summed up in one of my favorite quotes…
"If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. If you have come because your liberation is bound to my liberation, then lest us move forward." - Indigenous leader
I think it sums up my experiences here – we are all bound to one another and we cannot go into another culture to simply make them like us, if we go we need to walk alongside them and let them lead through their culture while standing beside them and supporting our fellow human beings.
Peace.

Goats in church for offering again - it never gets old.

Preaching at the church door so the people outside can hear too.
- note the UNHCR tarp outside.

The six, diverse confirmands.

Choir at the wedding.

My travel companions climbing around.

The church at the youth prison all decorated for the celebration.

Praying with the couple before the wedding.

You Get Out What You Put In.

Today started with us waiting for Mchungaji and Luka to return from Dar – they were picking up two of the pastors from the airport since they had visited Denmark. While we were waiting I ran into Sylvester, probably my favorite worker here at LJS. Him and I always talk and he is a great resource for practicing Swahili since he knows English so well but he always will try to make me talk only in Swahili (one thing that is especially nice since most people here at the campus tend to talk more in English). We were talking about the day and at somehow I managed to make it through the conversation in mostly Swahili (I broke into English once but caught myself and went back and translated it). At the end of our conversation Sylvester told me (in Swahili, of course), “now you are speaking beautifully. It is difficult to start, but now you are speaking like a Tanzanian.” Talk about a huge compliment!
Today we visited Konseli, another Massai village. Tim was unable to go today since he has Malaria (pole sana, Tim – so sorry), so it was just Peter, Steve, and I. It was nothing less than a beautiful day. When we got out of the car at the village people were singing and we were once again greeted once we stepped foot outside of the car. As we were greeting people, we were surprised to find that one of the young men, Michael, in the village spoke amazing English – possibly better than many of the teachers. We were quickly ushered into the church for tea (amazing, as usual) and maandazi (again, I love this stuff). As we waited for church to start, we talked with Michael some more and then some little boys came up and sat by me and started to feel my skin and hold my hands – it was so cute. After tea, some of the choirs started to come in and we moved to different seats. The service started and proceeded as usual – baptisms and all. One nice difference was that I was able to follow a lot more of the service than ever before. Like with every other service, it ended with the congregation going outside and shaking hands.
After we all shook hands and had the sending blessing, there was a healing service (like there usually is) and Steve and Peter went inside while I stayed out and talked to Michael. Another man came up to greet me and he told me that I was welcome to come back anytime and he pointed in the direction of where he stays and where there are places to stay in the village. He also told me that every Sunday they have service and that I should come back. I continued to talk to Michael about schooling and English. He said that many people, Massai in particular, have a difficult time obtaining education. For him, English is the language of the educated. He told me that many Massai weren’t able to start schooling until several years after the Waswahili people – much like many minority groups. He explained that he would have loved to go to university but he just didn’t have the money (1,000,000 shillings) and if he ever gets sufficient funds, he will try to go. He also told me that many Tanzanians would like to go to the US but it is so difficult to get a visa – they are able to get passports, but visas applications are so frequently turned down. He explained to me that he would love to go to the US just to see it and open up his mind (sounds a lot like the reason many Americans study abroad). Soon enough I wandered into the church for lunch (rice, beans, goat, pepsi, and water). After lunch we walked outside and hung around playing with the kids while PH, Pastor Paulo (one of the pastors who went to Denmark), and Pastor Malaki (the area’s pastor) talked with some of the men. At one point, two little girls came over to me and the older girl told me that she had brought over another little girl whose name was also Sara. When it came time to leave, Luka honked the horn and we had to break away from the kids. A couple of kids grabbed my hand and walked me to the car. As we walked, they told me not to leave – my heart just melted.
We drove out to one of the congregation members’ new house (very beautiful by the way!) and while we had some milk (Massai live by their livestock so milk and goat meat are food staples) Pastor Paulo joked around with me. Before I know it, all of the men were joking around with me that they had arranged my marriage and got a herd of cattle. This became the running joke for the rest of the day.
Finally, on to the lesson/realization of the day – you get out of things what you put into them. Today I went into the day with no expectations and with a confidence in my Swahili skills and I ended up having one of the best days yet – I didn’t want to leave the village today. A few nights ago my mom had told me that I might have found the place of my calling – part of this trip for me was to help me decide what part of the world I wanted to try to work in. When she told me this I felt like if I agreed with her, I would be abandoning the people that I love so much in El Salvador, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I am just drawn to Tanzania. I love living in community with others and the sense of people’s existence relying on one another and that is exactly how so many people here live. Then when I went into today with that thought in mind I could almost feel myself letting down a wall that I had put up that prevented me from fully falling in love with this place – I found myself trying to speak Swahili more, with less fear of making a mistake, and I let people into my heart. Being here has taught me that clichés become clichés since they are true for the most part. If you put good energy into something you will get good, positive things in return. I can truly say now that I am falling in love with this place and these people.
We leave in a month and I am already dreading having to leave this place. I can only hope and pray that I will be able to return here one day in the (near?) future.

Peace. (and photos :) )

Holding hands.

Smile!

Loving the cameras, as usual.

The first kids we've seen in the blue fabric... after asking both Moreto and Kidege, the color of a Massai woman's cloth is mearly a fashion choice.

This guy is deaf and despite getting him into two schools for the deaf, he kept running away from the first in Dar and couldn't learn in the second.

Through the looking glass.... or door.

The local choir... one of three choirs today.

Mchungaji Malaki .... this guy seems to be everywhere we go!

The boy on the left is Malaki's son... last week he swallowed a nail. He also responded to Luka's question of, "Who are you?" with "I am a child of father and mother."

The kid in the middle with the big smile just kept smiling at us like this pretty much the whole time we were there.

Mchungaji Paulo - one of the two Pastors who went to Denmark... this guy has so much energy.

No Words Can Ever Fully Describe - Photos From The Orphanage.

*Most of these photos are compliments of our personal photographer, Steve.

Loving our sunglasses.

Natalie handing the baby over to Moreto for a little while.

Natalie, one of the Swiss students

He seemed to calm down when I held him and we looked outside.

This guy was clearly hungry but I told him that I couldn't help him with that.

Peace.

Watoto Katika Mahali Pote.

(Children in Every Place) - Secondary title: Let the Children Come.

**Post #2 for today.**

Today after class we took a walk up to the Catholic Orphanage at the base of the mountains. The group consisted of Me, Natalie, Kidege, Moreto, Steve, Peter, Bariki, Omega, and Anne. It was a nice walk there and I got to talk with Natalie quite a bit. When we got to the Catholic compound, Moreto went and talked to one of the sisters and she pointed us in the direction of the children’s building. The compound was beautiful with plenty of trees and flowers and big, beautiful, brick buildings. The children’s building was in great condition – it wasn’t perfect but it wasn’t run down either. We walked over to the children’s building and walked up the stairs and when we walked through the gate/door we were met by children running across the center courtyard. Several kids came running up and hugged my legs – I was hooked. I picked up one of the girls and hugged her back. Before I knew it, I had one kid on each hip. After a good deal of encouragement, we went over to the office and signed in. We went in cycles into the room to sign in. I am fairly certain that I stayed outside with the kids as long as possible. I had been picking up one older girl and spinning her around and she followed me around a lot after that. Another girl came walking up to me and asked me to pick her up I did and from that moment on it was like she was attached to my hip. She had some sort of cream on one of her ears which smelled like zinc oxide and she smelled like she had soiled her diaper but it didn’t matter, she was adorable. I would lift her up in the air and I would tip her upside down and she would just smile and let a little giggle out. The kids loved my hair so I frequently shook my hair across their faces and they would just laugh. We had found out that the orphanage was running out of money for malaria medication and it was a pressing need for them so we decided to donate some money. Then after playing some more, we were invited to go on a tour. Our first stop was also our last – it was in the infant room. We walked in and the older kids that had followed us were sent out. There were about 6 infants in cribs. I quickly became attached to one little, two month old boy. He grabbed my finger and held on while he looked at me with a pleasant but confused look. He started to cry – I assume he was hungry since he kept trying to suck on anything in sight. But soon enough he calmed down a bit. Anne picked him up and I was able to hold him shortly after that. He was so very content being held and he loved to look out the window. Him and Steve also had several staring contests. We spent quite some time in there talking with one of the sisters about the children. Two of the infants were twins that had been born two months earlier. The sister told us that the kids don’t have mothers and that is why they are there. After the kids turn three their fathers, if they have them, are allowed to come pick them up. But all too often, their fathers never come. All too soon we left since we had to get back before it got dark and needed to get back for supper as well.
I can say that without a doubt that I left part of my heart there with the kids and hopefully we will get to return again soon.
To be honest, before we left today I was a little nervous that it would be too sad a sight – but once we walked through the doors and I saw the kids running towards us I knew that there was nothing to worry about. It was possibly one of the best experiences here so far. It was a nice reminder that even the orphanages here aren’t like you see on the ‘Save the Children’ commercials. The kids seemed happy overall and they didn’t appear to be malnourished or anything. Their genuine smiles and laughs were amazing to hear and there were so many smiles and kids laughing that it was almost overwhelming to my heart. Then when we saw the babies I was reminded of the frailty of life and how, as Natalie said on our walk back, these children didn’t choose to be born – this life was almost chosen for them. As I was looking out the window with the little boy I kept asking myself, it is such a big world out there, how much of it will you get to see? Will you get to see the good or just the bad? It is the difficult side of going to an orphanage. However the children’s genuine laughs and smiles will stick with me throughout my life. I pray that they get to experience the good and beauty in life and in the world.
(Photos will hopefully be posted soon.)
Peace.

More About Massai.

Today we got to talk to Kidege about Massai culture – and we learned a lot, to say the least. I’ll start at the beginning…
Massai are divided into age groups which each have their own special responsibilities for men – a woman’s primary responsibility is to learn how to raise a family and cook.
Ages 4-8 are responsible for looking after the small animals.
Ages 9-14 fall into the lyoni category and they are responsible for herding goats, sheep and small cows nearby.
Ages 15-29 are the warriors or morani (this is what Kidege and Moreto are). They are trained by the elders. The warriors are primarily responsible for taking care of the village – they provide protection and they herd the cattle. Warriors are not allowed to drink alcohol – but once they leave the warrior age group it is allowed. Warriors are trained during a one or two month period in the forest by the elders. Their time in the forest is spent detoxifying their bodies and they eat only meat and drink tea made from the leaves of trees nearby which are said to have amazing medicinal powers. Warriors are trained primarily in defending the village rather than going out and seeking out fights. The warrior group has a leader for the region who is appointed by the elders who take into consideration a man’s family, history, etc. He then chooses five or so ‘cabinet’ members to help him. It is then his responsibility to keep track of the other warriors and call them to action if need be.
Ages 30-45 are responsible for helping the warriors.
Ages 46 to death are the wazee and they are the respected elders in the village.
Often times, if there is a conflict that the government isn’t paying attention to, the Massai will call in other Massai from another region to increase the threat (although they have no plans on physically threatening anyone) and put pressure on the government to intervene. It is a way for them to protect themselves nonviolently from the Waswahili people since there are so many of them and so few Massai.
Massai have an extremely rocky relationship with the Waswahili people – as evidenced by the violence in Kidege’s village in 2000 and in Kilosa a few weeks ago.
Having multiple wives is becoming less and less common among the Massai. People like Kidege’s father may have more than one wife but they discourage their children from doing it and they don’t take any more wives.
With those who have more than one wife it is a very peaceful arrangement. The women and their children respect one another. Usually each wife has her own home and the children sleep wherever they would like. The husband usually sleeps in the houseofhis youngest wife.

That’s all for now… stay tuned.
Peace.

A Church Meeting At The Local Medium-Security Prison.

Today we split up into two groups - Tim and Steve went with Luka to start the building a church while Peter and I went to a church near a medium security prison with Mchungaji for a Bible Study with the evangelists. We left here around 10:30 and were at the church by about 11. It was a beautiful church shaped in a hexagon. After we got there PH found out that he had to go back to LJS to register a couple for marriage so he left us at the church with the evangelists. We got some time to talk between the two of us about religion, faith, reasons for coming to Tanzania, and things we've noticed here (all of which will probably be in an upcoming blog post). When PH came back, him and the evangelists (all people we'd met on previous village visits) talked about the news of their churches - Peter and I understood very little of what was actually being said - we could pick up words here and there but by the time we started to understand what they were talking about, the subject had changed. Then we ate with the evangelists and around 3 we started a Bible study of the upcoming week's readings. Peter and I were able to follow along a bit better (in part due to our English-Swahili Bibles). Some of the Lutheran prisoners (the ones that could get off of work duty) came to the Bible study too. We then had communion and headed back to LJS. Peter and I went up for communion with the prisoners and only after we got into the car did we find out that two of the men there were murderers. Apparently, these two men had killed an Indian Muslim, cut up his body and then used it for medicine or black magic. They were supposed to be hanged but President Kikwete, who is very against the death penalty, pardoned them and now they live in the prison since it is too dangerous for them to be released.
When we got back it was about dinner time and we had the pleasure of eating supper with PH - not a normal occurance, he usually only eats breakfast at LJS. We got a chance to talk to him about the final arrangements for our independent studies - one of the women who heads up the street children school at Faraja (a local NGO) comes to LJS almost every day so I will be able to talk with her sometime soon. We made plans to go to the orphanage tomorrow as well. But then I asked PH something that has been on my mind a lot lately - especially with me wanting to do a job like his. I asked him what he likes most about his job (a corny question, I know). But his response was the perfect explanation of why I want to do work like his - he said that he likes working with the people and he loves the solidarity here. He enjoys that fact that people here live in solidarity and that he is able to live here in solidarity with them as well.
Soon enough the subject switched to the use of black magic here. It is something that I have had some skepticism with. It is quite prevalent here and it is not uncommon for people who use it to put curses on other people. He told us that in order for someone to learn the secrets of black magic they must commit themselves to the evil and as a part of it they often are required to sacrifice someone they care about. Hopefully more will come about this soon, as PH hopes to talk with the language school students about black magic on Monday.
All in all, it was quite a day - communion with 6 prisoners, talk about black magic, a Bible study, and some time to finalize plans for our independent studies. I think that if today has taught me anything it is that even prisoners are just people who have made mistakes and that PH's job, living a life of solidarity) is looking more and more like the right job for me.
Peace.

A.M.L.N.F. (Asante Mungu Leo Ni Furahidei)

Saying goodbye.

Learning the liturgy.

Hanging out with the neighboring village's pastor during the sermon on PH's chair.

The calves wanted to hear the sermon too.

Bibi wa Kidege (Kidege's grandma).

The choir.

The women singing before church.

So many funny face in one picture.

Newborn calf

Who would've thought that we'd run into camels in Tanzania!

Looks like a scene from the Sahara... except one the cisel plantation.

(note: a new blog was also added earlier this afternoon - check it out)

I would like to add to my last post before I start a new one. Sylvester (one of the maintenance guys here) is back after a break to take a driving course in Dar Es Salaam. I am so grateful for his presence here… not only is he always smiling but he also is so very patient and persistent with letting me practice my Swahili. I swear I could talk to him for hours. Today while I was talking with him, Cho (one of the Korean men) came over and started to talk to us. Cho is such a great person. One day I smiled and said ‘habari’ to him and since then he has always made a point of saying hi and attempting to talk to me. Today we were the only ones at tea so we talked about all sorts of things through a combination of broken Swahili and English. This weekend the long course students are finished so they will all be leaving and going out to their work sites – it will be very lonely here without them. But I am just grateful for everyone here who is patient and willing to help me practice my Swahili. Where I used to think only in Spanish or English, now every once in awhile I find myself searching my brain for the Spanish word because it has been replaced by the Swahili word. Granted this is only with very simple words… more complex words still come out before I can think of the Swahili equivalent.

This is where the title for the post comes from (Thank God today is Friday).
Now to the update from yesterday – we went to Kidege’s village. He said he went home about a month ago (he’s been home a lot more recently than the 4 months that is has been since I spent time at home). We were able to meet his father on the way into the village, however he had to take a child to the hospital so he couldn’t be in the village with us today. We got there and had tea and Cassava in Kidege’s home. Then we headed off to the tree under which church is held. We waited for quite some time and eventually the kids decided to go for a walk around with Kidege. We got a nice following of kids and just wandered. We stopped for awhile to look at a mother cow and her newborn calf that was learning to stand and then also at the building site for a water pump that is currently about half built. We slowly headed back and waited again while the women sang before church started. The service started and soon enough the sun had moved and the Americans were no longer in the shade so we moved. When we did that, one of the women came over and gave me her kanga to use to keep the flies away. She asked if I had bites all over my legs – my legs make me look kind of like I have the chicken pox since I have so many bug bites. It will be a true miracle if I don’t get malaria with how many bites I’ve gotten so far. The service continued and when it was done we did the usual circle for shaking hands. Then we headed back to Kidege’s home for some rice for lunch and then we came back to LJS.The visit made me notice how people practice religion here. PH had told us before stories that many people will sing religious songs at night as a type of devotion. But I noticed that when people go to church they take it very seriously, but not to the point that they don’t have fun with it. People don’t always know the liturgy but they sing out what they do know. When people pray they tend to fold their hands and bow their heads down – it looks like a very traditional, submissive posture for praying. The songs they sing are done with so much passion. People listen very intently to PH’s sermons – they aren’t sleeping or ‘resting their eyes’ during the sermons. And just think, services here last several hours!
Overall, I’ve noticed that religion is taken very seriously here and it is more than attending a one hour service. Prayer is done with purpose and without distraction. Religion is faith. It is real. And people embrace it. Amen.
Peace.