Ilula

I want to begin by apologizing for not posting a blog sooner. I've been experiencing some internet difficulties here in Tanzania. One of my modems died and the other (which I switched to using) decided that it no longer was going to connect to the internet. And, although I went to the Vodacom shop multiple times to buy a new modem, it took about a week and a half before they got new ones in. But, thankfully, I've been able to get it and am back online.

This past weekend, Kjirstin and I officially began our tour of United Methodist Sites in Tanzania. As for me, I've been in Morogoro for over a year now and I've seen and done just about all there is to do within our vicinity. So, the prospect of getting out and seeing more of Tanzania has been very exciting. I've also been very curious to see what else the United Methodist Church is doing throughout Tanzania. I've known that there are other sites, but I've grown very curious about how well those sites are developed and what other programs the church is offering in different areas.

Our first stop was Ilula, Tanzania, which is near Iringa Town. There, we visited IOP, the Ilula Orphan Project, which was started about 11 years ago by a really remarkable woman. She is originally from Norway, but has since changed her citizenship to the States, but is living in Tanzania. Of course, I’m getting ahead of myself since we didn’t know any of this before we arrived.

The journey to Ilula itself was quite an adventure of sorts. We left on Friday after a very hectic day at school and rushing to pack and get lunches ready for us to eat on the bus. We were practically running to the bus station because we were running late and I was throwing up frantic prayers to God that we would make it in time to catch our bus. I need not have worried. Our bus (quite an old one at that) was 30 minutes late coming from DAR. It was a relief to get on and get going; or so I thought. I knew something was wrong the minute we turned off the main road onto one of the poorly maintained dirt roads. We continued down a few different roads for a while until we made it to the Abood bus service station. When we pulled in, many people, especially from the front got off and I thought “Oh, I guess we’re taking a rest/bathroom break for the people who were coming from DAR.” Honestly, I could come up with no other way to explain our presence there. That is, until I began hearing work noises and seeing lights. I realized then that they were literally started welding the bus with us on it! I had to laugh to myself because that is just so Tanzania! I watched as two, perfectly good buses pulled into the service area and then pulled out again. Each time, I thought to myself “We’re saved! They’ll let us switch buses and we’ll get going again!” But, that would be very counter “Tanzania”. Instead, we waited while they worked on the bus for an hour, and finally at 2:45pm, almost 2 full hours after the quoted departure time, we were on the road.

Let me tell you, our driver was harakaharaka (very very fast). I guess he was trying to make up time, and maybe he was quite confident in the new fixes that had been made. But, I was not quite so sure and I kept shooting up prayers to God that He would hold our bus together and we would make it to our destination safely. All the while, our driver was speeding over the speed bumps and flying around curves while I was flying out of my seat. It was a very exciting ride, but maybe not in the best way. We did pass on the main road through Mikumi National Park and we got to see all kinds of wild animals (elephants, zebras, giraffes, impala, etc.), but we were going so quickly past that I wouldn’t have been able to take any pictures of them. I didn’t realize that Ilula was up in a more mountainous region, and I was pleasantly surprised by our ascent up the mountains (though our driver continued to fly, even around the sharper curves). We saw quite a few cars/18-wheelers in trouble, and even one 18-wheeler which was overturned. It wasn’t very comforting. The other thing that wasn’t so comforting was the vague directions which we were given. Wait until the bus goes up a steep mountain and then get off at the next stop. I kept wondering to myself if we were going up the “steep” mountain yet. But, praise God we arrived and the bus driver’s assistant came back to get us when it was time for us to “drop” and when we got off a group of volunteers from IOP were there to greet us.

When we arrived, we were shocked by how well developed the site is. There are so many buildings and projects that are happening simultaneously and successfully. We thought that our site in Morogoro was doing pretty well, but we had no idea what was in store for us in Ilula. Berit began the site 11 years ago after having been to Tanzania multiple times and having been moved by the orphan problem that has been the result of the HIV/AIDS problem that has plagued Africa. Initially, she only planned to stay for two years. But, soon she found herself overwhelmed with the number of other problems that people were facing and set out to change things for them, too. Now, what began as an orphanage for girls has gained a large amount of land for farming and raising all kinds of animals, a pre-school and high school, a library which is still in the building process, a sewing center, center for making shoes, and a center for wood working. There is also a set of shops and café that are run by IOP. They even have a medical program that reaches out to people with HIV/AIDS (especially those who are underground, meaning the workers go out at night to the less desirable places to begin building friendships with people who are considered less desirable) and a foster care program for children!! They’re also hoping to build a primary school in the near future. It seems like the list of services never ends and I’m sure it’s amazing to see how things work for them. Berit said that they employ a large number of local people at their site, which is great! I can see how this site is truly making a difference in the lives of the community. I rather regret the fact that we didn’t get to stay until Monday to see how everything works.

Here are some pictures from the IOP site:

The girls from the orphanage sang and danced to welcome us!

The Lord's Hill High School (Secondary School)

One of the classrooms at the secondary school

The wood craft shop

The preschool building/church

The orphanage building

 

One of the big highlights of our time at IOP was getting work on the shamba (farm) with Upendo all Saturday morning long. He brought a jembe (hoe) and a big bag of seeds and we went to work. He was making the holes with the jembe, I threw in the seeds, and Kjirstin came behind me and covered them. It was really quite fun, and I kept thinking of all kinds of Biblical references. I kept looking at the seeds and thinking about how small they were and we were just basically throwing them into the dirt and somehow, by God’s grace, they’re going to grow into beautiful sunflowers. The field was so big and it seemed like the seeds could get lost in the mix of it all so easily. It reminded me of how we’re just thrown into this world, and it’s so big, and it can be so easy for a person to get lost in everything. But, somehow, by God’s grace, we grow and find our place in this world. We can’t always help where we’re going to end up, but we have the power to respond to our situations in positive and negative ways.

Also, Upendo is quite an amazing person. His passion and love for God and God’s people is inspiring. I learned from Berit that his first day in Ilula, he was going out to people’s homes and evangelizing. The United Methodist Church in Ilula has had experienced a number of trials over the past few years and was down to just four members or so. But, now it has come back to just under 30 in the couple months since Upendo’s arrival. He truly cares about people and constantly talks about his desire to find people’s God-given gifts and help people to nurture those gifts and share them through the church. He’s also been planning a number of activities to encourage people to learn about and join the church. And, from what I learned, being a pastor here is basically considered a volunteer position, so you can imagine what kind of sacrifice that would mean for someone (especially someone like Upendo who has completed his Bachelor’s degree). 

Here are some pictures of us working on the shamba:

Working at the shamba (farm

mbegu za alizeti (sunflower seeds)

Me using the jembe (hoe)

I have to say that I have rather been inspired since visiting IOP. It's a wonderful site that really focuses on development; which is what is desperately needed here in African countries. I wish I could say that I feel as though the difference I'm making in people’s lives here is as great. Sometimes I wonder if what I’m doing really matters in the grand scheme of things. I’m here for such a short period of time. Soon, I will go, and I will just have been one of the thousands of people who have made their ways to Africa to offer their assistance. God only knows what kind of an impact my time here will be and what it will mean for His kingdom.

Well, that's all for now. This weekend, Kjirstin and I are planning to visit Dodoma and the United Methodist site there. I hope that I'll be able to blog about that early next week!! I hope that you're having a great week so far!!

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,

~Christine