Tanzania

Karibu (welcome) Saint Peter!

I hope this letter finds you well. It is Saturday morning here in Arusha, Tanzania (Friday night in Colorado). We arrived safely and the other half of our group is about halfway here.

Our first full day included a trip to Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Moshi. This hospital began as a request of the government to Protestant churches in 1961 to build a referral and teaching hospital for the northern part of Tanzania. With the help of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Tanzania, the money was raised and the hospital first began serving their community in 1971.

The hospital has continued to grow and to provide care as well as training for future doctors and nurses. In the last ten years they have been able to develop their treatment options for those dealing with cancer. The cancer center has been able to expand from providing outpatient services, such as chemotherapy, to providing inpatient care with 48 beds, to recently providing Radiotherapy. 78% percent of the people who come to KCMC seeking cancer treatment are already in stage 3 or stage 4 when they are diagnosed. The medical center is working to improve screening and early intervention measures to help bring these numbers down and improve people’s life expectancy. Grant money from US AID was able to provide new equipment that is  used at hospital’s like the Mayo Clinic to treat patients in the United States.

On the day of our tour, it was an important day for the hospital as they were using brachytherapy treatment for the very first time. Brachytherapy is a type of internal radiation where radioactive sources are able to be placed directly inside or very close to a tumor. This helps minimize the damage to the healthy surrounding tissues. 

Saint Peter has helped to support KCMC and the Cancer Care Centre with money raised in our “We run so they may walk” 5K race. Our recent fundraising opportunities have been in honor of the late Dr. Mark Jacobson and the development of the Brain Cancer Initiative at KCMC.

As I think about these parables we receive from Jesus in Matthew 13, I realize that the work to which we are called is one in which we are able to serve near and far. Sometimes we are tempted to serve those things that we determine to be worthy of supporting.  We want our money to go to things we want to see succeed.  As I step into a country and a culture that is new to me, I find my heart being filled by the universal language of love and care that transcends words and human created boundaries and lines.

My eyes are opening. I’m reminded that what I think and what I want is eclipsed by a much greater vision of what God offers to all of us.  When we serve those who are in need, when we scatter the seeds of God’s love, grace, and mercy, the kingdom of God flourishes. And in that flourishing we find that the blessings of God are more than enough for all.

Asante Sana (Thank you so much), Lord!

On Monday we visited Step by Step Learning Center and Eripoto Safe House. Step by Step educates students with a variety of disabilities, who often aren't accepted in traditional schools. Eripoto provides housing, school, and counseling for girls who have escaped dangerous situations at home. Tuesday we went to Maasae Girls Lutheran Secondary School. The school educates Maasai girls, who often don't receive secondary education, and prepares them for jobs after school. The common thread between these organizations and their founders is that there was a need in the community where some were being overlooked, but someone chose to do something about it.

An impactful few days in Arusha: Our time in Tanzania continues to show us the many ways that God's work is happening for the underserved in Arusha. We shopped at Widow's Mite, visited with staff and met students at Step By Step Learning Center, heard harrowing stories of the girls saved and educated by Eripoto, and spent an entire day at MGLSS where we attended chapel with the girls, toured the campus, played volleyball, danced and ate delicious food prepared by the staff at the beautiful new guesthouse on site. We have taken a little Jesus with us everywhere we go, and we feel incredibly inspired by the courageous women and children we have had the privilege to meet.

The last few days have been full for all of us. As we have learned about the history and culture of this part of Tanzania. We have begun to understand how difficult it can be for girls who are Maasai. Historically their communities and culture have placed the value of women and children below men and the livestock they own. Schools and programs like MGLSS and Eripoto Safe House work to help empower and provide the skills, confidence and education in order for them to help give them the ability to choose their own path forward. The strength, determination, hard work and joy that these young women embody have been an inspiration to all of us.

Step by Step Learning Center has become the life work of Margaret Kenyi, Founder/Director SSLC. Needing to provide for her own child’s learning needs in a community that often neglects, overlooks, and sometimes abuses people with disabilities. The center works with 20 students, 13 graduates, and teachers that allow for a 5-1 ratio to help each student learn and grow as they are able. We have been moved by what they have been able to do and to provide holistic care.