ANOTHER WEEK

It has been a good week in Iringa.  We have had lots of things to do in the office and it makes me feel useful.  We paid some student fees this week so more Tanzanians are getting an education thanks to the generosity of the churches in the St. Paul Area Synod.  What a wonderful gift that is.  It is the beginning of changing everything.

We paid student fees this week for about 20+ students.  However, I failed to mention was how difficult the banking is when we have many different requests to deal with.  First we have to go through the requests to make sure they are on the student list from that congregation in the US or that parish in Tanzania.  Then we have to add up all the money that they have requested and go to the bank and get cash because nobody takes checks here.  (With that many students, it almost takes a suitcase to bring back the tshillings.)  Then we have to write out deposit slips for the individual school accounts for each student (praying that they have the correct numbers listed on their requests or the bank gives it back to us).  Then we have to divide up the suitcase of cash into piles to deposit into each account.  Of course, this also requires counting the piles several times to make sure we got the right amount from the bank, put the right amount in each pile and come out even in the end.  THEN, you have to take the stacks of deposits to the various banks that the accounts are in.  This past bunch only had 4 different banks.  When you get to the bank, the line is so long, it is really discouraging.  I do banking  with Tuti from the Lutheran Center.  She used to work at one of the banks and knows a lot of people.  Sometimes she can find someone who will take our deposits and do them without us having to stand in line.  If not, like Wednesday morning, you have to wait in line.  I stood for over an hour in the cue to be waited on. Of course, I am sure the people behind me were not pleased to see how many transactions I had.  The bank only had two tellers working at the time and they are very slow.  Our gentleman was very efficient and yet it still took up almost 20 minutes to get processed.  This would never fly in the US.

Wendy, Grace and Bea from Christ the King, White Bear Lake

There are three women here from Christ the King White Bear Lake who are presently coming back from their safari at Mwagusi Safari Camp.  This is the first trip to Africa for two of the women and I am sure they will have interesting stories to tell when they return.  They will be heading back home to the US on Sunday morning.   We had them to dinner on Tuesday night and got to hear the story of Bea Jones' meeting with the nursing student she has supported for some years.  The young woman was taking her final exams but the administration let her have an hour break to meet with her "mama" from Minnesota.  Bea was thoroughly touched as was the young woman, all caught on camera by the two others from Christ the King.  What joy it brings to have these relationships and know how much good comes to both parties. 

Two interesting observations I made this week.

Natural Fertilizer, waiting for the next rainy season, in 6 months

1.  When they fertilize the lawns here, the ChemLawn guy does not drive up with a truck and spray your yard.  No, you know they have fertilized the lawn because of the smell and the fact that there are large brown clumps of stuff resembling cow dung laying all over the grass.  They don't spend a lot of time watering so even after a week, it looks like they did it yesterday.  No picnic in the grass for us today!

We call it the Warthog

2.  Ken and I went to lunch at The Warthog Bookstore on Thursday afternoon about 1:30 p.m.  The bookstore has a lovely restaurant patio in the back and they serve hot sandwiches resembling paninis, quiche, chicken, soup and French fries. It is the only place I have been to eat where they serve diet soda.  No sooner did we sit down and order than the "church" next door (don't know the domination) whose main entrance is on the other side of the brick wall surrounding the patio began their full blown come to Jesus meeting complete with TWO loud speakers, music and two men chanting and shouting over each other in Swahili at the top of their lungs.  I actually thought one or both of them would rupture his vocal cords.  I could almost feel the hellfire and brimstone raining down on us. It was so intrusive and loud and annoying I could hardly believe it.  I am sure that even those nearly deaf and anyone else in this county heard the message, whatever it was.  We will not go there to eat on Thursday afternoons anymore.

 Hope you are all enjoying trips to the State Fair.  We will miss it this year.  Eat something wonderful for us!