Kwaheri, Africa

This will probably be my last post before returning to the states. I am sitting in an Internet cafe -- sort of -- in a little shopping and restaurant area in Dar es Salaam. You may recall, my original plan was to spend 7 hours on a bus today, bumping my way to the airport. You would not believe how many people said, when told I was taking the bus: "well, it's a great way to see the countryside!" (Looking for the silver lining, no doubt!)

Well, instead, I got a ride on an airplane operated by MAF - Mission Aviation Fellowship. You can find out about them by going to www.maf.org -- but here is a little paragraph from their website: Our passion is to see individuals, communities, and nations transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We promote this transformation by positioning Christ-centered staff in strategic locations worldwide utilizing aviation, communications, learning technologies, other appropriate technologies and related services. In accomplishing our mission, we collaborate with churches, subsidiaries, partners, and networks. They also transport missionaries and friends when they have an empty plane one way!

For $50US it took only 1.5 hours to sail above the beautiful landscape, all in a very small plane. For real, really small -- just a propeller in the front for the most part. And I was sitting in one of the three seats on the plane -- the back had been emptied out to load cargo in Dar. The pilot was either Dutch or German and a very nice fellow -- he did a very abbreviated "welcome and here are the sick bags and earplugs" talk -- then we prayed together and took off. The flight was really wonderful -- low enough that I could see the terrain change from the sub-desert of Dodoma, through the greener pastures of Morogoro, then to the relatively lush area of Dar es Salaam -- the Indian Ocean has a lot to do with that. The good news was that I got a flight -- when we checked last week, there were no flights scheduled on Wednesday this week -- but another flight was added on Monday. The bad news is that the flight took off at 8 AM -- which meant I had from 10 AM to 10:50 PM to kill in Dar es Salaam -- and if you could see the airport, you would know why that is bad news. So, I got picked up by Frank, who was the taxi driver that picked me up the first night I was here -- and he took me to this little resort area called The Slipway.

This little mall is right on the Indian Ocean -- the view is breathtaking, and there are restaurants and shops. I treated myself to a final African meal -- beef masala, rice, a delicious soup and Tanzanian salad -- very thinly sliced tomatoes, red onions and peppers in a vinaigrette. I am planning on having ice cream for dinner before getting on the plane tonight -- since I dreamed about it several nights ago! There is a little creamery here with a seating area that provides a wondrous view of the water.

I spent some time in the grocery store here -- comparing kinds of foods and prices. Sardines come in a can that looks like the tiny cans that tomato paste are in, in the US -- and the prices of things are horrifying. Very little is manufactured in TZ -- so all the food comes from, usually, South Africa. A very small jar of peanut butter costs $6. But, you would be very comfortable in the super market -- right down to the Deli, where you can get a salad or sandwich -- and there is also cold beer and all kinds of liquor sold as well. There was a security guard around the alcohol -- but otherwise, it looked like one of our smaller grocery stores.

Of course, I spent several hours in the book store -- but it is an English store -- from the UK, so they sell everything in pounds. Again, you would be most comfortable with the titles -- but the prices are more than double what you would find in the US for the same book -- that's the exchange rate at work.

It was both sweet and bitter to be leaving. I have told people that my stay was too short for a long visit -- and too long for a short visit. I will be glad to be home -- and have become so aware of the abundance of my life in Atlanta -- and how blessed I am to be among the people of St. Luke's parish -- and to be a priest. There was one moment this past week, as I vested with the other priests and lined up with them for the confirmations, when I said to myself in absolute incredulity -- "daggone, I'm a priest in Africa with other priests -- and we're moving to the procession like it was the most natural thing in the world." That memory gives me hope that we can come closer together - priests and people, across the world -- as long as we can march together in worship, we have a chance of being in real relationship.

I became quite fond of the people of the Diocese and Msalato -- and deeply, deeply impressed with their faith and their ability to handle hardship without blaming God. I also survived seeing a snake, being attacked by a huge bee that had settled on my laundry hanging on the line - for real, that bee looked like a small dog.... and I witnessed the giving of a goat leg to a Bishop. I am more than satisfied with my time there! HA!

I was quite honored to be asked to preach on my last day at the seminary -- had to do it with a translator, of course -- but it seemed to go over well. Despite my vast four years of ministry, it is still a bit threatening to preach in front of the teachers and fellow students -- all of whom really know how a sermon is to be done and presented! The Degree 1 students, whom I have come to know the best, told me that they could understand me, even without the translation -- now, even some of the St. Luke's people cannot always make that claim in terms of my preaching! I was also greatly honored to be told by the Principal of the seminary, both in public and in our last meeting, that I had become "one of them" -- and was welcome to return any time. In my last days, I had some incredible encounters -- breaking through that "polite guest" and "polite host" relationship. to real talking, real connecting. We have begun the process of becoming friends, colleagues -- and for that, above all, I am most extremely grateful.

So it is now, kwaheri to Africa -- "goodbye". I am far better than I was before I came -- I even know the names of five animals in Kiswahili - tembo, punda, twiga, paca and simba -- maybe six, hyena! I know how to respond when someone says hello -- in two or three different ways. I have encountered the living God here, Mungu kuu -- and my life is enriched in ways I am just beginning to understand. Asante, Bwana - asante sana (thank you Lord, thank you very much).