Huruma Centre, January 22, 2013

Dear Friends,

Here is a non-medical miracle from our friend Gary Langness, one of the influential in BKB.  He wrote and sent the following to his friends and family and he gave me permission to reprint it here.  The point of this isn’t that I had the privilege to participate.  It is that Mama Chilewa has put in yeoman’s effort for the many orphans she has helped, with way too little help.  Too few teachers that need to be paid, buildings unoccupied because it takes increased overhead to use them.  It isn’t so hard to get money for a building (believe it or not), but it is difficult to get funds for operations, especially since they need to be ongoing, not a one time donation.

Here is the story from Gary:

We have heard that it is very cold in Minnesota so I thought I would send you an email so you had something to do other than to wonder when it would be warm again.

On Monday Carol and I went to the Huruma Centre, the orphanage where Mama Chilewa is the director.  Our purpose was to find out the cost of providing new school uniforms, sweaters, and shoes for 36 primary school children that live at the orphanage.  Mama was also going to have a list of the school fees for each child so we could secure the needed money from the local bank and pay the fees.  As we sat down in her office I noticed that Amy, one of the care givers was hand writing a list and I wondered why it was not being done on Mama’s computer.  About that time Mama said very quietly, “I am old and so is this computer.”  She was trying to print out the school fee sheet… it was not working… it would have to be done by hand.

As we were leaving Mama looked at Carol and said, “May I ask you something?”  Receiving an affirmative response from Carol she asked about the possibility of securing a computer from the U.S.  The problem with purchasing a new computer in Tanzania is that you can never be sure that all the parts are new and that it will work once you get it home.  “How much would it cost?” she asked.  I looked at her and realized that everything about life was hard for Mama.  She was dejected and appeared to be tired of always trying to do something positive for the children but never quite having what she needed.  I told her I did not know how much a computer would cost but we would check into it.  She thanked us and we headed home.

Back at our apartment sit two HP laptop computers.  I have this friend Tom who is the Director of Development at Luther Seminary.  A few years ago, Tom spent several weeks with us here in Iringa.  He knows about the people and the needs.  The last two years Tom has purchased two reconditioned laptops for us to bring over here and use where needed.  I offered to pay, but Tom just smiles and says, “I want to do this.”  My Scandinavian background has me silently protesting thinking I should say I would be happy to pay for them… instead I say to myself, “Quiet... just accept the gift… say thank you… let Tom know and experience the joy of giving. “ I then called Dan McIntyre and asked him if he could equip the computers with software… “Yes, I be happy to do that!”

On the way home from the Huruma Centre we stopped for lunch.  Once seated, I called Ken Olson, a family doctor from St. James Lutheran Church in Bursnville.  Not only does he know medicine he also knows computers… in fact he builds them.  I asked him if he might have time to go with us to the Huruma Centre… back to see Mama Chilewa… bring her one of the laptops sitting in our apartment and hook it all up.  He did not say yes… he said, “I’d love to!”  I called Mama and asked if she was still in her office… she was… I told her we would be there in 15 minutes.  Ken, Carol, the laptop and Gary headed for Huruma.  As we walked into her office and she spotted the laptop she began to smile.  Ken sat down and did what computer geeks do… hooked it all up to the printer… made it all work.  Then he invited Mama to sit next to him as he taught her how to use it… I noticed Ken would just point to buttons she could push and Mama pushed them… the smile on her face grew larger… tears welled up in her eyes and I thought there might be a lump in her throat… and then she said, “This is a miracle.” Is it a miracle I thought… well not the feeding of 5,000 with a few loaves and bread and two fish kind of miracle… but to Mama it was a miracle and the smile on her face made me a believer.

I saw the joy in the face and eyes of Ken and I wondered if it was a miracle for him as well… well not the catching so many fish that the boat nearly sank and having to call for help from fellow fishermen kind of a miracle… but the miracle of joy in Ken’s heart as he just made life much easier for Mama and the kids at Huruma.

Then Carol offered to spend time with Mama today, transferring documents and getting the computer to do what Mama needed.  These two women, from different continents and backgrounds sat together and made good progress… and they  laughed and smiled and bonded even more deeply… and it is a miracle… well not the changing water into wine kind of miracle but a miracle of friendship and the joy that both of these women will share for the rest of their lives.

As I watched this all play out I realized this is all that I ever wanted as a parish pastor… to share the good news of Jesus and to help people become generous so they might know the joy that comes from giving… so that the lives of others might be better… and along the way to sense a joy they never felt before that leaves them smiling on the inside and on the outside.

Mama smiles today… so does Dan… so does Tom… so does Ken… so does Carol… and so do I because I had the opportunity to see the joy in all of them… it is enough to make me want to dance… but that would not be a pretty sight, so I will just smile…. that is what the miracle of generosity does to you.

One more laptop sits on our desk… I wonder who will be the recipient… I can hardly wait to find out.

And for you who might have taken the time to read this I would like to invite you into the joy of generosity… it will leave you smiling and it will bring joy to the very heart of God.

Gary & Carol

Worlds Apart

Well, I am not even sure where to start. My failure to blog is a reflection of the jam-packed, action-packed past week I have had. Has it truly only been a week? That seems impossible.
Last Thursday I went on home hospice visits to a nearby village. We crammed into the hospital's van and set out to check up on patients who are unable to come to the hospital for care. The van bounced along the dirt road, gospel blaring with the 3 nurses singing loudly along. Anne, Kari, Mary, DeDe and I hummed along and I studied the roads. A very simple thing, yes, but it symbolizes so much about my journey thus far. The roads are a rich red/orange color, constantly changing in width and texture, winding beautifully around small mud huts and excited children. These same roads offer a soft surface for my morning runs, a bumpy washboard for our road trip to Ruaha National Park, and narrow paths reaching the most rural and most vulnerable populations. As many of these experiences are, the home visits were difficult to grasp. The most amazing part of the whole visit was finding out what the purpose of the home visit actually was: spirit. We had a box full of pain meds and antibiotics, and while we assessed the patient's physical conditions, much of the visit was spent laughing and singing with the patient and their families. The visit ended with a prayer to continue to protect the sick patient, and we would be on our way to the next home. Such an incredibly powerful experience. Three of the patients greeted us with "oh, white people are here, god must still love me." This of course, was translated through the nurse, but I couldn't help but to feel uneasy by this comment.
We were out in this village for about 6-7 hours, and returned to quickly inhale food and go on to the next emotional experience: Amani Orphanage. 55 children greeted us, one being the 2 year old, Henrietta, that was a living example of the power of a nutritional supplement, Plumpy'Nut. Tears filled my eyes when I saw this child, hearing stories of her fragile body just a year ago when Ken saw her, staring back at me with plump cheeks and lively eyes. I have the children on video singing and dancing for us, which again, brought more tears. The orphanage itself was one of the most impressive places I have ever been. The kids and staff live completely off the land, with a beautiful farm behind the buildings. They have pigs, cows, chickens, they grow their own mushrooms and vegetables and fruits. The methane from the cow manure is transfered through a pipe to cook the food. I was in awe.

Friday was travel day. We woke up an hopped on the bus to get to Tungamulenga (sp?), a village about 2.5 hours away. Bega Kwa Bega, the organization through which this entire experience is possible, provided support to these villages for building wells, churches, or schools. These congragations were companion congregations to many congregations in the Twin Cities. We visited 4 villages to see the progress. These visits unbelievable. The first village, the Masai men and women performed a jumping/vibrating dance that I could have watched for hours. The Masai women are simply stunning. We were given food and drink at every church and the last church even auctioned off a chicken in our honor. Pretty awesome.

The next morning we set off to Ruaha National Park for a Safari. Every day of this trip seems to get more surreal. We were treated like royalty (I never got the hang of having my chair pulled in and out) and stayed in the most whimsical quarters. We had open air bandas with a tent that zipped during the night. The safari animals were sometimes spotted outside the quarters, and we even had a bamboo steal on of our traveler's sugar jar on the coffee tray. And the food, oh the food. We all had not seen fresh vegetables for days, so we piled our plates high. We then set out to see animals! Zebras, elephants, lions, a jaguar, giraffes, they just kept coming. To see these animals in their natural environment was just incredible. I felt like I was in a movie. I do not have the pics uploaded to my computer yet, but hopefully can post come later. We had 3 4 hour trips of this excitement, giggling all the way, trying to sight the tiny "Dik-dik" and getting roared at by protective elephant mothers.

Every time I step out the door here, there is a chance to learn. Whether it be the gestation of an elephant (22 months!!) or the symptoms of dysentery, it is never ending. I feel so incredibly lucky every moment of being here and even more lucky to still have 2 weeks to go. We lost about half our group this morning. It was so sad to see all of the amazing doctors and nurses leave, but we still have good old Ken and Gary to guide us through.

This morning during rounds, I distributed my first packet of plumpy'nut. The two year old had malaria and did not have an appetite, so hadn't eaten for the past two days. While he was not noticeably "wasted," it was almost guaranteed he was malnourished. Of all the dreams I have already accomplished being here, this experience was very powerful because I felt like I made a direct impact on this child's well-being. My innate need to nourish was fulfilled and I felt complete. However, the next patient was not as easy to treat. A 4 month old with a hemoglobin of 2.8 gm/dL (normal is around 10-14)
Her little chest was rising and falling so fast I could not stand it. With a Hb this low, they perform blood transfusions here. The only problem: there was no donated blood. I immediately offered mine, and the doctors joked I would turn her into a mzungu (white person). After further assessment, turns out I am not allowed to donate since I just received vaccinations for this trip. Laura, the pharm resident, did not receive vaccinations this trip, so was able to come to the rescue. I can rest easy. I am going to check on the babe after this.
Well, that is the tired version of my past few days (we are all exhausted!) but hopefully I will have more energy to contribute more later. What beauty there is in this life and culture. I am, as always, unable to fully articulate the admiration and appreciation I have for these people and this experience.

Iringa

Sunday, January 20, 2013

First of all, Happy Birthday Mom!  I hope you had a great time at Champp’s!  I know you are 78 or 88, but I cannot remember which.  If I am nearly 65, I suppose it isn’t 78, since I think I would have heard about it if you were 13 when I was born.  No, wait.  I must be 55.  Hmmm.  Then I was 13 when Chris was born.  But he cannot possibly be 42!  Yikes, let me out of here before I get in real trouble!  Happy Birthday anyway!

Mwa Moody (a name bestowed by the Tanzanians) and Dr. Saga picked me up at 8:30 this morning.  We managed a cup of kahawa at the Lutheran Center before we went off to Kihesa to church.  The service was to start at 9:30 am, but “TIA” (this is Africa).  So we listened to a terrific Young Womens’ choir and a kids’ choir for about 20 minutes before the robed officials came in.  Dr. Jane Casselton, MS4 at Tulane traded the title of Dr. for Mchungaji (Pastor) for the day.  She was also made an honorary member of Kihesa, having been to Tanzania and her church’s (St. Mark’s, N. St. Paul) companion congregation 6 times, first when she was 15!

The Youth Choir was truly joyful, with choreographed dance steps with their songs before church started.  They danced to the songs the Young Women’s Choir sang too.  They had the moves!  The kids of each choir could really belt it out.  What fun!  I always love to hear our kids sing at home, but I think they could really take a lesson.

The kids started out very quietly for one of their songs then really sang jubilantly, dancing with great joy.

We all got to introduce ourselves.  I can finally say, “Jina langu ni Daktari Ken,” without stammering.  Besides English, many know my only other fluent language is, uh, Pig Latin.  “I-may ame-nay is-way Octar-Day En-Kay.” 

It was a relaxing day, a walk with friends, a nice conversation on the porch of the International School and some time to do some work and thinking.

Monday, January 21, 2013

One fairly frequent but still disconcerting thing happened yesterday.  A young Tanzanian man followed me a ways, then started up a conversation.  This is the standard way this is done.  Ultimately, he asked me for a job because he wanted to go to school.  I have no jobs to offer.  I did tell him he should go to DIRA (the diocese office) to ask for help.  Naturally he said he had already been there.  We parted ways as we walked on, but this left me with a twinge of discomfort, perhaps somewhat due to my Scandinavian heritage.  He was able to ask, despite knowledge I was unable to offer.  There is no end to need here.  Some of those who receive are scammers – I don’t believe the young man was, but I do not know.  I do know that most are not.

Modern Tanzanian

Here is another example.  One of the visitors here was approached by the fiancé of someone he knows and trusts.  The young woman called and said she was very sick with malaria and needed some money.  The amount was not consistent with malaria treatment, however.  What she really needed it for, under the guise of illness, was to pay her tuition.  It is sad that we need to keep our guard up so tight. 

Here is  a photo I hope you appreciate.

Day of Grace

Iringa, January 16, 2013

It is 10PM in Ilula Tanzania and a large portion of the world.  It is quite dark under the waxing moon, almost half.  You will see the same moon I do later tonight, since where most of my friends and loved ones are under Central Standard Time (GMT+6, I believe.)  We arrived at Ilula after Day of Grace (DoG) 2 of 3, around 8 PM.

DoG is a big deal.  Pastor Tom Hansen conceived of the notion several years ago and this is the second DoG.  Tom saw a need for the Iringa Diocese Pastors to “kick back” and have a little fun as well as have an educational session without the stress of some synodical requirement.  The pastors simply don’t get together for fun.

One essential component of this conference is a medical one.  Dr. Randy Hurley and Tom wondered if the pastors would appreciate a screening physical exam.  After a little stuttering for a couple years, last year it came to be.  The Pastors, men and women were examined, blood sugars and blood pressures were checked and recommendations made.  We learned some things.

For one, pastors’ spouses need the same things.  Of course, they enjoyed the educational and worship sessions and why not examine the spouses, mostly wives, next year?  Next year turned into this year and here we are.  Today we did about 80 histories and physical exams, including cervical cancer screening exams, with the blood pressures, blood sugars, vision screens.

Ilula, January 17, 2013

It is good to be back to Ilula!  So much of interest!  Saw a small guy with kwashiorkor, 17 months, puffy face, hands and feet, drowsy and hard to arouse.  Here is a photo too.  

We gave him the Plumpy’Nut.  First, we do a food trial.  If he will take the P’N avidly, he stays on it.  If he cannot take it – too weak, uninterested (hey, who doesn’t like a Bit-O’-Honey?), he needs a different formula, F 75 or F100 until the appetite comes back.  He took it.  (Hey, who doesn’t like a Bit-O’-Honey?)  We will watch him on the P’N for as many days as his family will let him stay or until we see reversal of the kwashiorkor.  Unfortunately, this is a bad disease because it may have associated organ damage, like kidney disease also.

This afternoon we will see another index case from last year, Harriet at Amani Orphans Home Mbigli (AOHM).  She quickly recovered and was growing well and developing well last summer when last Birdie and I saw her.  She should be about 2 years old now.

For my friends and fellow parishioners at St. James, I got simple preliminary plans for the dispensary enlargement at Idunda.  Perhaps I can photograph it and put it on the blog.  Dr. Saga is going to send rough budget plans for it too.  Off to class for some learning!  Done.  Three great lectures:  Post Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV (Ally Liou); Geology of Tanzania (Moody); Proverbs of the Hehe (MwaMoody).  Who is MwaMoody?  Kihehe for Dr. Gary Moody.  All three were terrific.

We went to Amani Orphans Home Mbigili this afternoon.  And folks were enthralled. The children danced and sang for us.  We toured the campus and looked at the farm.  They have cows, pigs, chickens, rabbits, turkeys and probably others.  They are getting electricity soon, but they are already nearly self-sufficient.  They make biogas from the cows’ and pigs’, uh, uh, oh yeah, manure and are able to do their cooking with methane. They grow a nut for biodiesel also.

My little friend Harriet looks good.  She is a bit shy around strangers, but a live-wire otherwise.  Our friend Beate from Amani asked us to look at a couple kids with interesting problems.  We may have helped.  I hope so.  I should find out before I come home.

To say Tanzania is "everything I expected" would be inaccurate. I knew there was no way I could prepare myself for this experience, though I tried.. hard. I tried to imagine the breathtaking scenery, I tried to imagine the infectious energy of the Tanzanians in their joyous, "haberi," greeting, I tried to imagine the smells, the sights, the feelings of Tanzania, but I couldn't. Until I stepped out of the airplane. "Africa," was all Ken needed to say to nearly bring me to tears, which would later slowly stream down my face on the bus to the hotel, overwhelmed with joy that the magnet pulling me to this very spot could finally rest. I was finally breathing the thick air, hearing the symphony of bullfrogs and crickets, and smiling so big for so long that my face started to hurt.
I still have to pinch myself when I awake to this environment. The chiming bell outside our guest house wakes me up at 5:45, followed by the roosters close to six. I begin my morning with a run down the valley, waving to the farmers in their "shambas" hoeing their fields, or a yoga sequence on the front porch, performing sun salutations to the rising sun over the mountains. It is truly surreal. Our cook, Ana, prepares a delicious breakfast of doughnuts, perhaps eggs, fruit, and something else fried, in which we all manage to comment on the "carb content" every time, though happily ingest all of the deliciousness.
Hospital rounds begin soon after that. We all shuffle behind a lead Tanzanian doctor who guides us through the patients, their current condition, and how they are progressing. This part of the day is obviously a wealth of information for me, as I scramble down as much medical terminology as possible while trying to contain my emotions. This entire experience has been such a roller coaster of emotions, devastation, disbelief, joy, guilt, gratitude, heart break, humility, appreciation, happiness, soulfulness. In just a matter of a week, I have also spent time in the Pediatric HIV/AIDS ward, watched a C-section being performed (again, more tears of joy), helped perform a health screening on nearly 50 wives of pastors (with more to be seen on Wednesday and Friday), and simply tried to soak in the food and culture of Tanzania. 
Tomorrow will be another "Day of Grace" health screening with around 50 more women where I will help take blood sugar readings. This weekend we wil head out for a Safari!

Tanzania could not be "everything I expected," but it surely is everything I have wanted. How incredibly grateful I am for the opportunity and the fact that I still have three weeks ahead of me!

Iringa

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We all got to our destinations safely.  You knew that.  No news is good news! 

We left the Landmark after waiting quite awhile for the manager to arrive to unlock his office where it was being kept.  We got it loaded and left.  It ‘s a long drive to Iringa from Dar.  We made a bio break at Chalinze.  Laura was standing at the table first looking through her wallet for Tsh, then set it down for an instant,  You can guess the rest.  Fortunately, she did not have her passport or other valuables in the wallet.  You won’t guess the rest.

About ten minutes out of Chalinze, Peter, our favorite bus driver, got a call.   The wallet was found!  They turned around while the second bus went on.  Quite a happy ending.  I would love to have you think that it was the milk of human kindness that saved the wallet, but no.  I found out a little later that Peter had talked to Dennis Ngede.  Dennis suggested Peter talk to the manager with a message.  This message was in quite definite tones describing the economic consequences should the wallet not turn up.  I think it may have been along the lines of “no more business…” etc., etc.  All’s well that ends.

Day of Grace folks and I had a nice dinner at the Lutheran Center.  It was pork off the loin, potatoes a salad and dessert: pineapple drenched in warm syrup. (“How was it?”)  Why do you even need to ask?  Petro is a great chef and you know I would not have mentioned it otherwise.

I am gathering my thoughts about our approach to the Nutrition Project, i.e. that is how I refer collectively to all the functions we are doing around the subject of nutrition.  There are so many contacts to make already here and doing similar things.  This does not remotely imply that there is no room for us to work!  It does mean that greater success will involve more than our project.  I am learning. 

I asked our “first-timers” their impressions after we had only been on the road to Iringa for a short time, having stopped for lunch at Tan-Swiss, a restaurant and lodge, operated by a Swiss family.  Good food, a Serengeti and a breeze.  One of the students said she was already in love with Tanzania.  Another agreed with my adjective “surreal.”  I will be curious to hear reports tomorrow after they have been here a couple days.

The road to Iringa, so nice a couple years ago, is now showing its wear.  There are grooves from the huge amount of truck traffic.  Crossing them to pass slower traffic, of which there is plenty, is wobbly in a bus that needs shocks.  Around Morogoro is a mountain range called the Uguru Mountains or Uguru Milima.  They are quite beautiful.  From Morogoro on, the mountainsides are studded with baobabs that currently have leaves, so different from the dry season when they resemble trees that have been upside-down, with their roots showing. 

The more I am here, the more I realize how much there is to see beyond what we have seen so far, things both far and near Iringa and Ilula.  I truly hope there will be an opportunity to see more of Tanzania!

The cathedral, Iringa Lutheran Church

I went to church today with Tom and Beth Hansen, Ken Smith and Lyn and Mollie MacLean.  The service is in Kiswahili (Swahili to us Wazungu), but it was all Greek to me!  I still find it fascinating to sit in a Lutheran service and realize the differences and similarities.  They use the tune at least to “Faith of our Fathers” in the liturgy, but the syllables I utter when singing sound like Greek rather than English or Kiswahili.  But then, I don’t know Greek either.  They also sang “How great Thou Art.”   Same issue, Greek.  But here are some photos, in pretty clear English.

Don't complain about hard church pews.  These have no pads on the kneeler

s and straight backs!

The Choir after church, before the auction.

Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam

We are sitting in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.  People are trying to get their devices hooked into the free wifi with varying degrees of success.  I thought I would write a note before I blow my free wifi.

Everything has gone smoothly to here.  I played “sweeper” and arrived last, my lovely wife and granddaughter dropping me off at MSP.  Just to maintain the pattern, the TSA decided to examine the contents of my carry-on: two motherboards, two processors, two hard drives, my pill bottles, tea light candles, M&Ms and Hershey’s Kisses.  Must be some miscellaneous stuff too.  Probably the Hershey’s Kisses that got me flagged.  I promise they won’t be coming home with me.  I am guessing I will have a backpack inside a duffel inside a bigger duffel on the way home.

Dr. Randy passed out an article on travel hazards.  Pastor Tom passed out the final program for Day of Grace.  I am tired, catching no zzzzzs.  Some did, some didn’t.  Everyone is still smiling!  Ally made it up from Rochester on the shuttle.  She asked me about the “Yellow Card.”  I have the feeling we have been drilled about how important it is to have the standard Yellow Card, but her new ones are short and less comprehensive than mine, so there wasn’t anywhere to record a couple she has had.  Then she asked me what vaccinations are required?  I dunno.   We tried to look on the CDC site and the Tanzanian web site, but I could not find the list.  I have never had it checked.

We start the check-in process in another half an hour so I will upload this now.  Most of you should be sleeping at this point.  But if you happen to be driving, WAKE UP!