WINTER BREAK (part three)

June 11, 2014...Next on my travel itinerary was a visit to St. Joseph's Seminary in Kaengesa, Sumbawanga. I had been friends with the late Fr. Revocatus Ndasi, Rector of the seminary, who passed away in 2011, from injuries sustained in a car accident. During my visits with Fr. Ndasi at the seminary in 2008 and 2010, I also became friends with Fr. Cosmas Makasi, the Vice-Rector of the seminary. Fr. Makasi was one of the many priests who came to Mvimwa Abbey to con-celebrate at the funeral mass of Br. Barnabas. After the luncheon, Fr. Makasi and I left for Sumbawanga Town, with a few other guests, to stay at the Libori Center, a lodging facility run by the diocese. There was another funeral mass the next day for an elderly diocesan priest at the cathedral in town.

Libori Center Lobby

Lobby

Libori Center courtyard

Lobby

 I was behaving like a tourist when we dined at the center, because I was so impressed with the artwork on the walls  that I couldn't control myself...I had to take photos! I appreciated Fr. Makasi's tolerance of my strange behaviour. He didn't even move to another table when I asked if I could take a photo of our "fish and chips"!

Artwork in the dining room

Fish & chips

Following the funeral mass at the cathedral, Fr. Makasi and I visited the orphans at St. Martin de Porres Orphanage in town. The orphanage was founded by the White Sisters from Europe about 50 years ago, but was taken over by the Sumbawanga diocese about 12 years ago. Sr. Marietta explained to us that when a mother dies in childbirth, the procedure is that the center takes the baby until he/she reaches 2 years of age. At this time a family member is supposed to take the child into their care but, unfortunately, many times the children are forgotten and remain at the orphanage. Sr. Marietta is one of three sisters who run the center, with the help of a few volunteers who work mostly with the infants. There are currently 48 children at the center, ranging in age from 2 weeks to 12 years. More than half of the residents are infants. The orphanage is operated with very limited funding from the diocese. Fr. Makasi and I were quite surprised when we stopped at the gate of the orphanage and three little boys ran to open it for us. I think the oldest was about 6 years old. They were SO excited to see us! I guess they don't get many visitors. There were so many children holding our hands and touching my arms, that I could hardly walk! I was so moved by the patience and care that was given to these children. We went back again the next day for another visit and brought along a few necessary supplies. Thank God there are such loving, caring individuals as these women!

Entrance to the orphanage

Sr. Marietta

Some of the happy residents!

Volunteers helping with the infants. The baby on the left is 2 weeks old.

Next on the journey is St. Joseph Seminary...home of 300 students, hopefully some of whom will go on to the major seminary.

MVIMWA ABBEY(part two of winter break)

June 7, 2014...Abbot Denis and I left St. Benedict House at 6am and were on the bus, headed for Sumbawanga, by 6:30. While we were traveling on the bus from Mbeya to Sumbawanga, I was trying very hard to relax and enjoy the ride. The view of the mountain landscapes were really breathtaking, when I was brave enough to look! Unfortunately, my fears often got the best of me and I found myself petrified, praying that the disasters I was envisioning wouldn't come true. I thanked God when we arrived safely at the Benedictine House in Sumbawanga for lunch. After lunch we rode by private car another 1.5 hours to Mvimwa Abbey. When we arrived at the Abbey, we learned that Br. Barnabas, one of the monks who is a member of the Abbey, had been traveling from Sumbawanga to Mbeya that same day. The bus he was traveling in was parked on one of the mountain roads when it was struck by a truck. The brakes on the truck had failed as it was coming down the hill. The bus was in its path. Br. Barnabas was one of three people killed in the crash. I had the pleasure of meeting Br. Barnabas in Dar es Salaam in 2010. He was the guest master there at St. Placidus House, and was such a pleasant person.

 I felt so sad for all of the monks, as they tried to process this huge loss to their community. The following day was Pentecost Sunday, a special feast day for the abbey because the patron of the abbey is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Mass was a beautiful celebration, in spite of the air of sadness throughout the church. Following the mass and a quiet breakfast, the big task of cleaning up the grounds began. The monks knew there would be a large gathering of people for this sad occasion.

Pentecost Sunday Mass

Father Abbot Denis

Br. Gwalbert (founder of abbey in 1979) & Abbot Denis

Jean with Br. Gregory - monk who made sure the guest's needs were met

I was so grateful and impressed because, in spite of all that was going on, many of the monks made sure to find time to show me around and see that I had a nice visit. My close friend, Fr. Lawrence, took me all around the grounds and explained many of the operations of the monastery. Even though I had visited Mvimwa Abbey in 2008, there was still much I hadn't seen and some new additions.

Jean with Fr. Lawrence Ntiyakila OSB

Many banana plantations

Banana winery & store run by local women

As the day of the funeral approached, food preparations began. Many of the local people, as well as visiting religious sisters, helped with the preparations. 

On Tuesday evening, the body of Br. Barnabas arrived at the abbey. 

The funeral mass followed on Wednesday, the feast of St. Barnabas, the apostle! I was honored to be part of this whole experience...to witness such love and dedication to a fellow brother.

Eternal rest grant unto him, Oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

HOME VISITS

When students ask me to go to their homes for a visit, I’m never sure where that might take me. I know the children walk to school, so I assume I should be able to walk the distance. Shalo and Casi are twins, as far as we know at Shaloom. They had asked me a number of times to go to their home but I was a little reluctant because I knew their grandmother brewed local beer as a source of income for the family.There was no telling what I might encounter during a visit. After much consideration, I decided it wasn't fair to Shalo and Casi for me to avoid visiting their home while I had visited some of the other student's homes. I knew I was in for an adventure the day I decided to go. All along the way, Casi told me the distance to their home was quite far, and she asked me if I was really going to walk all the way?! I thought, I should be able to do this. Why not? Well, the more we walked, the more I realized Casi's concern for me. We walked to the peak of the mountain in the photo above before we arrived at their home. It was necessary for me to ask the children to stop a couple of times along the way so I could catch my breath and drink a little water. The grandmother, aunt and uncle, whom I met when I arrived, apologized profusely for my "climb". After all the praying I did along the way, I was sure to thank God I arrived without any disasters.

While I was visiting, I noticed how much responsibility Casi had with regard to the chores. She was sweeping the area around the house while also carrying her little cousin on her back. Her aunt had told her to put him to sleep, and that's the way it's done here. She walked around, swaying back and forth, until Shadrock was fast asleep. I felt kind of sad for Casi but she did seem to enjoy caring for the little guy, and she is basically a happy girl. I guess the situation could be much worse.

Casi & Shadrock

I think the distillery where the beer is brewed is in a different location, apart from the family home. There were no unpleasant experiences, other than the climb. I enjoyed the visit and was served beans, rice and soda! Most of the time dagaa (small fish) and ugali (corn meal & water) are served. Dagaa is my least favorite food here, and ugali is probably second. The climb back down the mountain wasn't near as bad as I expected either. I didn't fall, even once!

I've been to visit with Omari's family a couple of times. They live about a mile from my house, and the climb isn't near as steep as the one to Shalo and Casi's house! Omari lives with his Mama mdogo (aunt) and her three children. She just gave birth to the third child on July 18th. Her parents and sister had come from Ukerewe Island to help after the birth. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to hold the little one while I was visiting. I was surprised to learn the baby hadn't been named yet, and she was already a week old. There is a tradition that was explained to me by the mother, as to why the baby hadn't been named yet but I wasn't able to understand all of the explanation. It had something to do with the culture, or their religion.   I wasn't as fortunate during lunch at Omari's house. I was served dagaa and ugali! Because I was Omari's guest, only him and I ate lunch together first, on separate plates! Usually, all the children eat from one plate and the adults share another, at least in the less fortunate families. Kevy, Omari's little 2 year old cousin, sat next to me while I ate and continually asked me, "Umeshiba?", which means, "are you full yet?". He loves to eat, and he really loves dagaa!! I think the thing that bothers me the most about dagaa is it's cooked and served whole...head, tail, eyes and all. With all the dagaa I've eaten up until now, I've never gotten sick from it and I've even been told it contains nutritional value! That's what I try to think about with each "crunchy" bite!

Mama mdogo is in the center, Omari is on the right, Kevy is in the back

Omari is in the slower group in our kindergarten class so his aunt has asked me to tutor him. I agreed to work with him twice a week after our regular class. Since Omari lives near me, we take the bus together and he comes to my house for lessons. He also enjoys using the modern conveniences I have at my house...running water, inside toilet, dining table, chairs. I think he's making better progress now that he's getting a little extra attention.

Protection from the sun walking home

Puzzle lesson at my house

WINTER BREAK! (part one)

We closed Shaloom for the month of June for "winter break". June is one of the nicest months of the year, with regard to weather. The rains have ended and the temperatures are cool. All of the government schools close in June, so it was recommended that we follow the same program, even though Shaloom is a private school. I thought the kids were ready for a break, and so I decided it would be a good time to visit a few friends around Tanzania. The dry season is best for traveling.

Fastjet is a fairly new airlines, serving in Tanzania, Kenya and now Zambia, with very nice planes and exceptionally low rates, if you purchase your ticket a couple of months in advance. For the same price, you can take a 1 1/2 hour plane ride, or a 15 hour bus ride. I opted for Fastjet! On Wednesday, June 4th, at 8am, I flew  from Mwanza to Dar es Salaam to begin my three week vacation. One of my Benedictine friends, Br. Cassian, met me at the airport and we went to the Benedictine house close to the airport for lodging. There were no set travel plans for the next three weeks so my vacation unfolded one day at a time. All I knew for sure was that I didn't want to travel by bus alone, and there were certain people I wanted to be sure to visit. As luck would have it, or maybe it was Divine Intervention, Fr. Denis Ndomba was also staying the night at the Benedictine house, on his way from Kenya back to his monastery in Sumbawanga. One of the places I wanted to visit was Mvimwa Abbey in Sumbawanga! Fr. Denis and I had been close friends in the US during the five years he studied there. Last year, when he returned to Tanzania from the US, he was elected Abbot of Mvimwa Abbey. Abbot Denis made the arrangements, and him and I were on a bus to Mbeya at 5am the next morning!

Mountainous terrain during most of the journey

One of two stops along the way for necessities

The weather in Mbeya was much cooler than in Dar es Salaam! It was actually cold during the night and early morning, which was quite a relief from the heat in Dar. We stayed two nights in Mbeya at a Benedictine house, run by Br. Gasper Toke. Fr. Denis and I both needed a break from traveling before we got on another bus bound for Sumbawanga, a 6.5 hour ride. I spent the time leisurely wandering around the grounds and learning about the work the monks are doing to help the people in the area. Br. Toke received a grant, making it possible for him to have a well dug 80km deep, which provides an ample supply of water to the guest house and the gardens on the property. The water is also available for local people who are in need, at no cost. The gardens throughout the property are very well maintained by a woman who walked to the guest house one day asking for work. She told Br. Toke that her house had burnt down and she had no one to help her. All she wanted was to take care of the grounds for the monks, and get food in return for her services. She didn't expect any payment. Br. Toke was so touched by her humility that he hired her for a small salary, food and medical attention, when necessary. John, the cook, has been working for the Benedictines for many years. I met him in 2008 when he was working at St. Placidus house in Dar es Salaam. I think he is one of the sweetest men I've ever met. He's always smiling and giving hugs. He baked mandazi (sweet biscuits) for Fr. Denis and I before we left for our bus ride to Sumbawanga. He does his best to keep the guests comfortable and well fed.

St. Benedict House

gardens in the back of the house taken from the second level

Br's Guido, Bonzi, & Damian, me. Abbot Denis & Br. Gasper

St. Benedict House chapel

watering pond for the gardens

 

well and water tanks

The gardener

John, the cook

Br. Toke took me for a visit to a local vocational training center, where the students are all either physically or mentally challenged. There are currently 29 students enrolled and boarding at the center. We were greeted by Sr. Anna Marie and five of the students. The remaining students were visiting with their families for the month of June. The two sisters who run the center have a special arrangement with a priest in Sumbawanga. The priest searches out these special children in his parish so that they might have an opportunity to attend the training center. These children are almost always "pushed aside" by the family and society in general, and never considered when they reach the age to begin an education. The children range from 12 to 18 years of age. When the priest locates a child, he notifies the sisters and the sisters make the 6.5 hour ride to Sumbawanga. They go to the home of the child, meet with the family and try to persuade the parents to allow the child to go to the center, get an education and learn a trade. The children are given a basic education and then taught gardening, tailoring or carpentry skills. The center also maintains a large vegetable garden and cultivates corn, which they grind into flour on site. They also raise chickens, which provide them with eggs to sell or eat.

Br. Toke with Sr. Anna Marie and the students

Working in the garden

Br. Toke with some of the students near the corn field

Sr. Anna Marie and Michael

Carpentry students and teacher

At 6am Saturday morning, Abbot Denis and I were on a bus bound for Sumbawanga. Watch for the next posting to learn what transpired during the following days.