Third Week in Tabora Diocese

Teach me to do what pleases you, for you are my God;
let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Psalm 143:10

Bwana asifiwe! Aleluya!

In the past 10 days I have become an uncle; gained a sister parish for the Church of Our Father; and begun a regular schedule of teaching liturgics at the Tabora Anglican Training Center (a.k.a. the Bible School).

On the evening of Wednesday, August 12, there was a "send-off" for an Englishwoman who was finishing up her second long stint as a volunteer in the Diocesan Clinic, and returning to England to be married. This "send-off" was a 2-hour version of a celebration that would normally last for a week, when a bride is "sent off" to join the groom's family.

So we were her African family sending her off to be married. The Bishop and his wife (Baba na Mama Askofu) were the parents; I was the uncle; and the rest were extended family. There were prayers, speeches, songs, dancing, gift-giving, and lots of food.

The next morning (Thursday) I accompanied the Bishop and some of his staff on a visit to the Kahama deanery. Pictures and explanation may be found in some of the recent entries (see below).

The Bishop's itinerary included 6 churches in the Kahama deanery. The deanery is pretty far from Tabora, and covers a large area relatively close to the border with Burundi and also with Lake Victoria. The Bishop excused me from the Saturday afternoon visit to Kakola so I could stay in Kahama itself and prepare to preach Sunday morning in St. Paul's, Kahama. I felt like a wimp not savoring the entire experience, but it turned out to be a merciful gesture. The Saturday afternoon service in Kahama was another long one. Even though I hadn't done much other than ride in the vehicle; eat; give a couple "mini-sermons" along with greetings from America and the Bradshaws; and sleep, I was pretty tired from the heat and from trying to follow conversations in a language I didn't understand.

On Saturday morning in Mosumbwe, after my usual greeting to the congregation and words of encouragement to the confirmands, the Bishop asked if anyone there had a question for me. After the service a lady approached the Bishop and asked whether it was still possible to ask a question. Her question was: Is it possible for that congregation, St. Andrew's, Mosumbwe, to have a companion relationship with the Church of Our Father. Think fast, Bradshaw... Hmmmmm... Yes!! So now we have a sister congregation in Mosumbwe, and I have a new brother rector in Fr. Stanley Karibwanmi.

Sunday morning (8/23) I preached in St. Paul's, Kahama, at a service of confirmation for about 50 people and the ordination of David Binrusha (of Kabuhima) to the priesthood, with about 600 people present (spilling out the door and listening at the windows).

On Tuesday I delivered some reference books to the Bible College library and introduced myself to the students. Beginning Wednesday I have had a daily morning appointment to meet with a class of about 20 future evangelists and church-planters. We decided that I would teach liturgics. I have brought my Daily Office book (containing Morning, Noonday, and Evening Prayer and Compline) but when calculating the weight limits on my luggage I decided to leave my 1979 Book of Common Prayer at home. So my text for the first couple of days was the Bible, and beginning today (Friday) I've been using the 1995 Tanzanian Prayer Book.

In these posts, I want to be careful not to present myself as an expert on East African culture. The longer I stay here, the less I know.

One challenge is to figure out who-all is in my African friends' families. Sometimes they will tell you the total of spouse plus natural children. Sometimes the total includes not just natural children, but "orphans," too. At least half of my friends here have orphans, the children of deceased brothers and sisters, plus other dependents, include adults. People die young here and other family members take over the responsibilty of raising the surviving children.

Another challenge is knowing how to address the women. Fr. Anthony Samaga's wife (Winifreda) is not called Mrs. Samaga or Winifreda, she is Mama Vicky. Married women with children have as many names as they have children, but usually they are called by the name of their eldest. But I learned on the first day that the Bishop's wife is known as Mama Askofu (Mama Bishop.)

While travelling around the Kahama diocese, before entering the pastor's home I'd ask one of other clergy what I should call the pastor's wife. Sometimes they would tell me "Mama So-and-so," and I could tell that she was known by the name of one of her children. But in several places I was told to address the lady of the house as "Mama Mchungaji." And while sitting in the room, I heard some of the priests themselves being addressed as Mchungaji. I began to be curious about this prolific family, the Mchungajis, in which everyone was either a priest or the wife of a priest.

Then one day, while studying the Scriptures in the guest house, I realized that Mama Isaya was addressing me as "Mchungaji." It occurred to me that this might not be a proper name, but a word whose meaning I could look up. Mchungaji is Swahili for "shepherd." Technically, a Christian pastor is mchungaji wa roho, shepherd of the Spirit, but most people just say mchungaji.

Travel tips for Western Tanzania: If soap, towels, and toilet paper are important to you, bring your own. Get used to greasy fingers at mealtime. Only wimps use utensils.