Day Three Tungamalenga

Women coming for water seen on morning walk down main road of Tungamalenga

Before we started out on our road trip to Kisilwa Preaching Point, we took a short walk in downtown Tungamalenga.  We saw women coming for water and women cleaning their market stalls before the market opened.  We found some preventative maintenance being done on tilling machinery.

Young girl at market

Market Stall

Two girls at market

Machine repair, changing oil on tiller

Our guide arrived to take us to Kisilwa and on the way we stopped at Kitangolo which is where the water connection was made to join our Mahove water pipe with a pipe with water from the hills.

Our driver for three days - Isiah Abraham

Where water pipe meets pipe from the hills

Kisilwa Preaching Point

The chapel at Kisilwa reminded me of many that we visited almost eleven years ago.  The Kisilwa Chapel will soon be replaced by a new chapel.  The old chapel had a space above the altar where the thatch is left open and  the sun provides additional light.  There are nine benches on either side of the central aisle and their construction is mounded dirt making the seats cool in the heat of the day.  We were introduced to six elders, one of whom is Mfaume's mother.  Mfaume was sponsored by Shepherd to the Valley in secondary school and college.  He is now works as a community developer in Mbeya, a city southwest of Iringa.  He is married and they are expecting their first child this summer.  Mfaume will be one of three guests invited to visit us in October.  

Inside Preaching Point Chapel

Isack Mgalilwa, Evangelist

Kisilwa Preaching point in front of new chapel under construction

The holding tank for fresh water is a short distance up a trail.  We walked up there with our Kisilwa hosts and walked around the tank.  The tank was cool and we thought this might be a good place to stay on a warm sunny day.  The tank is designed to take overflow and the overflow water nourishes bananas and other very healthy looking plants.  

Water tank holding water for Mahove and other areas

Walk back from water tank

Washing hands before eating freshly cooked corn on the cob

Lyn and Naftal eating corn

Mama Kisakinike , Mfaume's mother

We assured Mfaume's mother, that we would take good care of her son and return him safely to Tanzania.

At noon we met the Gustavus Aldolphus church group at theTungamalenga church offices for a brief time of celebration and then we returned to Tungamalenga Camp where we had lunch.  After lunch, Bonnie asked us, both Americans and Tanzanians, to go around the table and share what brought us hope. Carol discovered that one of the church leaders was named Robert just like her father.  Carol was made honorary Bibi (Grandmother) to Robert.  No one lacked for an answer to Bonnie's question.

Lunch with Gustavus Adolphus Church Group and some Tungamalenga Church Leaders

Hands joined together, Pastor Bonnie, Absolum and Nafta

We visited the Tungamalenga Dispensary where Barnabas Kahwage is Chief Medical Officer with two nurses, four student nurses and a night watchman.  The dispensary was dedicated in 1985 and new building with wards and labor room was completed in 2007 in partnership with Shepherd of the Valley.  Shepherd of the Valley contributed a portion of its capital campaign to the improvement of the Tungamalenga Dispensary.   New wards for men and women and a labor room were added.  Another moment filled with meaning took place when Pastor Bonnie offered a prayer in the delivery room where over 50 births took place in the past year.

Kate Madison, Bob Kelfsass, Ben Olson, Carol Sandberg and
 Pastor Bonnie Wilcox in Dispensary Office

In August last year, Lyn and I and Richard and Joan Dornfeld participated with 25 Shepherd to the Valley students from grades 1 to 5 in a Culture Camp Program.  With the help of many SOTV staff, Emily Feld,  Kirsten Levorson, and Sharon Mertz, we introduced our students to life in Tungamalenga.  Among many other activities the students wrapped bandages.  We gave the bandages to Barnabas and they will be used at the dispensary.  We shared this camp experience with many preaching points in Tungamalenga and many found our experience interesting and found hope that our partnership would go to the next generation.

Bandages wrapped by SOTV Tanzanian culture camp students nurse and two student nurses and nurse in background

We saw a lot of people carrying hoes.  I got this picture while walking in Tungamalenga  very near the church.  We were visiting during a very busy time for people tending their shambas (garden plots).

 boy carrying hand hoe

In the late afternoon we drove to Idodi Secondary School.  In 2009 there was a tragic fire at this school where twelve girls students died.  Seven of the students were from the Tungamalenga area and two of the students were sponsored by Shepherd of the Valley.  The remains of the girl's dorm were destroyed and a new structure was built that houses boys seems busy with activity.  A short walk up a hill from the dormitory area is an enclosure containing the graves of the twelve girls.  We visited the graveyard where Pastor Bonnie lead us in prayer; another really meaningful  time.  Barnabas shared that this funeral was one of his first pastoral duties and such a difficult one.  

Elizabeth and Chake were students sponsored by SOTV

Graves of students sponsored by SOTV who were killed in dormitory fire