Morogoro
Kom ind og mød vores venskabsmenighed i Morogoro.
Først står en introduktion til kirkens arbejde i Morogoro og derefter følger en sektion med breve og nyheder fra Morogoro. Vores kilde til nyheder fra Morogoro vil som oftest være Herb Hafermann, som har arbejdet som missionær i Tanzania i næsten fyrre år, og som vi i en årrække har haft meget tæt kontakt med.
Hvis du har spørgsmål til sidens indhold eller ønsker yderligere oplysninger så kontakt sognemedhjælper Per Jensen
Sorgenfri og Morogoro
Menigheden i Sorgenfri har siden 1998 været engageret i missionsarbejde i Morogoro, Tanzania. Det sker på to måder: Dels i form af støtte til menigheder blandt masaierne og dels gennem Faraja-projektet, et projekt, der hjælper gadebørn i Morogoro. Faraja betyder håb. Vi arbejder sammen med den lutherske kirke i Morogoro. Folk fra Sorgenfri har flere gange besøgt de folk, vi hjælper og de folk, vi samarbejder med for at hjælpen skal nå frem. Disse personlige kontakter betyder, at alle penge går direkte til dem, der har brug for hjælpen. Intet går til spilde i administration.
Det går din gave til
Masaierne er det sidste kulturfolk, der ikke er integreret i det nye Tanzania. Det er deres styrke og deres svaghed. Styrken ligger i, at de har bevaret traditioner, meget af deres nomadiske levevis, værdier og sammenhold, som de ønsker at bevare. Problemet er, at det moderne Tanzania ikke levner dem plads til at leve som før. Masaierne som folk og kultur er voldsomt truet af alkoholisme, AIDS samt af, at jord bliver privatiseret. De må derfor finde en ny måde at organisere sig på, så de kan klare sig politisk og socialt, og de må finde en måde at kombinere deres gamle og unikke åndelige værdier med en ny ”identitet”, så de kan forblive et folk. De kristne menigheder er et nyt åndeligt, socialt og materielt fællesskab, som masaierne ikke har kendt til før og som giver dem det nye liv, de har brug for for at overleve.
Den lutherske kirkes missionsarbejde hjælper dem til dette.
Din gave bygger kirker, børnehaver, skaffer vand ved gravning af brønde, bygger mindre huse til evangelister og andre steder ”kulturcentre”.
Disse centre skal være både mødested for evangelister og et sted at bo, en base for det evangeliserende arbejde ved rejser ud til de nye steder, hvor masaierne opholder sig, så masaier kan hjælpes til at danne menigheder, hvor de er.
Din gave uddanner også unge Maasaier til kateketer – der arbejder som præster og lærere og sundhedsrådgivere - børnehavelærere, evangelister og nu også teologer og præster for disse menigheder.
”Faraja” blev startet i midten af ’90erne af Dr. Lucy Nkya bogstavelig talt i rendestenen. Lucy Nkya kaldte en dag nogle gadebørn til sig ved vejkanten og begyndte at undervise dem. For egne midler byggede hun snart et lille hus med et klasseværelse, et kontor og sygestue. Tidligere opsøgte man gadebørnene for at invitere dem til skolen. Men i dag kommer de selv.
Dr. Nkyas største opgave ligger nu blandt HIV/AIDS-ramte gennem undervisning og forplejning af de syge i deres hjem. Både AIDS arbejdet og skolen drives alene for indsamlede midler. Faraja har hjulpet mange hundrede børn væk fra livet på gaden, hjulpet dem hjem til familier, til videre uddannelse og til arbejde, så de kan klare sig selv.
Hvad din gave er værd
Vi hører ofte spørgsmålet, ”Hvorfor lader I dem ikke være? Respekter deres kultur og lade dem leve i fred med naturen. Hvorfor skal I omvende dem? Lad dem da beholde deres gamle tro!”
Til det svarede en masai-leder selv: ”Hvis ikke den lutherske kirke var kommet, ville vi uddø som folk og kultur om 20-25 år. Vi lever ikke lykkeligt ude i naturen. Der er masser af sygdom, fattigdom og anden lidelse nu, som vores religion ikke kan gøre noget ved. Men vores gamle gud kendte til velsignelse. Den velsignelse ser vi virke hos Gud. Hvis ikke kirken kommer først til masaierne med Guds velsignelse bliver det islam eller Cola Cola. Eller også går vores unge til i alkoholmisbrug eller AIDS. Vi har selv valgt at tro på den velsignende Gud.”
Der er gadebørn i alle storbyer med fattigdom. Gadebørn lever et elendigt og fornedrende liv. Det ved vi alle.
Men det hjælper at hjælpe. Det viser Faraja.
Din gave hjælper faktisk
Antallet af kristne vokser meget hurtigt blandt masaierne. Der bygges mange kirker, børnehaver og skoler. Flere og flere unge masaier uddanner sig hos den lutherske kirke til at kunne arbejde ude i de fjerneste bosættelser hos de masaier, der har allermest brug for et nyt liv.
Du kan selv følge med i udviklingen! Sorgenfri Kirkes nyhedsbrev ”Søndag Morgen” og kirkebladet bringer altid nyt fra Morogoro. Her kan du læse om projekter, om menneskene og om dem, der tager del i kirkens opsøgende arbejde med det kristne budskab i hånden og i hjertet.
Det kristne budskab fortæller, at der findes et nyt liv, der ikke forkaster det gamle, men i stedet skænker det ny og uforgængelig livskraft.
Det nye liv kan du give til mange mennesker i Morogoro med din gave.
Vær et dagligt mirakel for mennesker langt borte!
Breve og nyt fra Morogoro:
"Ti timers gudstjeneste!". Brev fra Morogoro
Kathrine Christensen og Inger Christensen er kommet til Morogoro i Tanzania. Læs her om deres allerførste oplevelser:
5. juni, 2007Kære alle,
Nu er det tid til en lille hilsen fra Morogoro.
Klokken er halv ti om aftenen den 4. juni. For et par timer siden kom vi tilbage efter vores tredie gudstjeneste paa tre dage. Vel at mærke gudstjenester, som alt I alt varede ti timer per gang!!! Slaa den Søren…
Den første gudstjeneste, vi tog del i, var den mest primitive. Under åben himmel med køerne som tilskuere til altergangen. Efter gudstjenesten fik vi fåremave med ris – spist med fingrene fra et fad. Det var første gang, Herb var på det sted. Der var 33 dåb og en stor altergang.
Det næste sted var en etableret menighed. Kirken var en murstensbygning med et lille hus ved siden af til evangelisten. Menigheden havde selv bygget og betalt for kirken. Inden gudstjenesten gik vi rundt og så på køer. Vi besøgte en masaifamilie fra menigheden, som havde meget kvæg og mange geder og får.
Efter tre-fire timer gik gudstjenesten igang. Der var tre kor. To fra landsbyen og et fra nabokirken. Allerede under formessen måtte to kvinder bæres ud af kirken, fordi de var besat af dæmoner. Nogle kvinder fra menigheden bad for dem, og evangelisten drev dæmonerne ud i Jesu navn. Kvinderne kom senere ind i kirken igen og deltog i resten af gudstjenesten. Der var 20 dåb og 300 mennesker I kirke.
Maden efter gudstjenesten… ris dog nu med ske og på tallerken!
På vej til den tredie gudstjeneste idag, besøgte vi en menighed, der var ved at bygge en ny murstenskirke. Den anden, en trækirke, var blevet for lille.
Resten af køreturen til den tredie gudstjeneste var ubeskrivelig. Gennem store mudderhuller og vandløb, og uden veje kørte vi paa må og få og kom efter en halv time frem til det sted, hvor Herb havde været første gang I februar i år.
Masaien, der ejede jorden, havde tidligere jaget samtlige evangelister væk. Men efter at nogle af hans koner var blevet døbt, sluttede han også selv med at blive døbt.
Der er endnu ikke bygget nogen kirke, så vi holdt gudstjeneste under nogle træer. 10 dåb og masser af børn og 2 børnekor. Her fik vi ogsaa ris efter gudstjenesten og nu med ske, men fra samme fad.
Vi har mange oplevelser foran os, og derfor vil vi slutte nu og få lidt søvn.
Mange kærlige hilsener fra Kathrine og Inger.
10. januar, 2007
CURRENT STATUS OF THE MISSION DISTRICT OF MOROGORO
Paul F. Kleine
January 10, 2007
Introduction:
Any attempt to describe the dynamic growth of the Mission District of the Morogoro Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania must recognize one fundamental problem: The description will be outdated before it is written, distributed and read. And, praise God for that problem! The growth in preaching stations, number of evangelists and baptisms of both adults and children continues as I write. Pastor Herb Hafermann, with much help from his evangelists and the Holy Spirit, has provided the leadership and planning to solicit and coordinate the resources required to allow the continued growth of God’s ministry among our sisters and brothers in Tanzania. Please read and rejoice with me.
Preaching stations and congregations:
Currently, 95 active preaching stations are functioning to bring the Word and Sacraments to over 10,000 new and recent Christians. Each week, men, women and children walk from 1-3 miles across the bush to spend a day in joyous celebration of their faith. For those of us fortunate enough to witness these worship services first hand, it is easy to recall the sights and sounds of groups of women and children emerging from the bush singing hymns of praise as they gather. The beauty and precision of those voices will ring in the ears of all of us who watched in wonder the joy and happiness of the Massai and other tribes coming together in their lovely native dress prepared for a day of social and spiritual growth.
For those of us who have not witnessed these scenes, I will simply ask you to take on faith what it means as each week, groups of 40-180 Lutherans add their voices to the total of 10,000 others scattered across central Tanzania and assemble for worship. Some will worship in simple stick and mud structures with metal roofs. Others will worship in older buildings such as existing churches or schools. Still others will be worshipping in dozens of pole churches that have been built by local members often with help from construction teams visiting from the U.S. and from Europe. And, still others, will be worshipping under the trees with herds of Massai cattle observing devotionally from nearby.
Each service will consist of several hours of liturgy, Scripture reading, hymns and prayers with ample time before and after the service for choir practice and social visitation. Each service will conclude with a meal of rice and perhaps beans and roast goat for all attending before the members return to the boma in time for milking the cows and other chores. As frequently as possible, Pastor Hafermann leads the service to bring the Sacraments and to conduct baptisms. To get around as often as humanly possible, Pastor Herb will lead services 3 or 4 times a week in an attempt to serve this vast, widespread and rapidly growing membership. It is clear that when Pastor Herb appears it is a special day, indeed, and word of his presence brings out dozens and dozens for baptisms. On these days, prior to the service itself, a large group of parents, grandparents and children gathers under a tree to provide the necessary information for a baptism registry. It is at these discussions that valuable information if learned and stored for future use by Pastor Herb and the evangelist assigned to this preaching station. Information regarding medical needs, educational opportunities, family problems and other needs are shared. Learning of family connections and community needs enables Pastor Herb and the evangelist to better serve the membership. At times the baptisms reach as many as 75 or 80 at one service and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the lives of these adults and children is a sight wondrous to behold. On two occasions this last year the writer has been privileged to witness the baptism of two village elders; one 69 years of age and one who was 89 years old. To see these men of this stature and age accept Jesus Christ is a powerful testimony to everyone in the village.
Evangelists and Pastors:
The support system for the 95 preaching stations consists of an ever-growing number of lay evangelists and pastors. As young men are identified in each preaching station, they are selected, encouraged and prepared for service by Pastor Herb. Training is provided in Bible Schools, Seminaries and they are assigned one or more preaching stations where they are gradually developed to serve. Each week, Pastor Herb will meet with them in groups at the Morogoro Junior Lutheran Seminary or in the field to study the Scripture readings and Gospel for that particular Sunday and to further their understanding of Lutheran doctrine.
Currently, there are 74 evangelists serving the 95 preaching stations and more are both needed and are being added to that number. As you can imagine, the challenge of providing financial support and educational support for this group of young men in ministry would be a task that could well keep a small staff busy in and of itself. Pastor Herb solicits and coordinates the resources needed and he is blessed with the help of many people and congregations from many places. Each evangelist has a very modest salary of $30 per month; yes, that is $30 per MONTH! Out of that meager amount, each evangelist puts aside $1 per toward a common fund to help with medical expenses of fellow evangelists.
Asbury Methodist Church of Tulsa, OK has been a long time, faithful supporter of the evangelists. For over 10 years ,Asbury has provided a steady source of funds, medical and dental teams and funds for water well drilling over the years. Currently, they support 25 evangelists and the Mission District is indebted to Asbury for its long and sustained commitment to the Lutheran Mission District. The remaining 49 evangelists are supported in various ways. Thirteen are serving preaching stations that have matured into congregational status and are contributing to the evangelists’ salaries. Depending upon their ability to pay, these congregations begin by paying 15% of the salaries and gradually assume full responsibility for the total support of their evangelist.
The remaining 36 evangelists are supported by various and sundry means which Pastor Herb is able to gather for the cause. Congregations and Synods in the U.S. account for some of the support and generous congregations in Denmark and other parts of the world also contribute. Obviously, as the Lord continues to bless and grow the Mission District, the necessity of raising more and more funds for support of the evangelists will grow accordingly. It should be clear to any discerning reader that the local tribes are doing everything they can as soon as they can to assume responsibility for their support. It should be equally clear to any thoughtful reader that, for a period of time, we would need to find ways to support the growth of new and expanded preaching
Worship Sites:
I had the opportunity to sit and discuss with Pastor Herb the worship sites for each of the 95 preaching stations. What was most impressive to me is that he could go down the list of the 95 stations and give me an accurate description of the building or lack of building that exists for each and every one of them without consulting notes. It appeared that each worship site was a sharp mental image in his mind as a result of many visits to minister to the faithful at each location.
A summary of the existing sites will give the reader a grasp of both what has been accomplished to serve the existing worship needs of the membership but also an idea of what yet needs to be done. Herb indicated there were 45 sites that currently have churches that meet the members’ needs reasonably well. Usually, this means either a pole church composed of 11 concrete pillars with a metal roof and a 3 ft wall wrapped around the building usually with a poured concrete floor. These structures are the type being built by local tribal workers under the supervision of a young construction supervisor and assisted by funds and volunteer labor provided by construction teams from the States. Currently, the cost of each church can be built for the modest sum of $6,000. Sometimes these structures are older buildings that have been adapted or have been built longer ago to serve as churches.
An additional 24 church structures would be considered either partially completed structures, borrowed school or meeting rooms or existing mud and stick structures in various stages of deterioration. Many of these churches are still serviceable and quaint but the upkeep is rather demanding. The thatched roofs need frequent attention and the mud chinked stick structures do not withstand many rainy seasons before maintenance us required.
The remaining 26 worship sites can be described very simply: Under The Trees.
Each preaching station begins this way and for some months or even years the faithful assemble under God’s canopy of trees and pray, sing and hear Scripture expounded to them. Of course, each congregation and evangelist longs for the day when an actual church building can be erected. If the funds and labor are not forthcoming for a more permanent pole and metal roof structure, the local warriors will attempt to build some shelter from the elements as best they can the worship continues. It is hard to estimate how important it is to provide an actual place of worship for the growing faith community. To have a place of their own signals not only to each other but also to their neighbors that the Lutherans are here to help and they are here to stay. You don’t need to be fluent in Swahili to read on their faces the words, “This is OUR place to worship Jesus Christ, our new found Savior from sin.” The sense of community is so vital to a nomadic people who need to be mobile and yet yearn for a place to call home. We continue to work and pray for those “Under The Trees” to achieve a simple house of worship.
A summary of this kind gives one a good sense of the amount of effort required to develop, build and maintain 95 congregations with such limited resources. Just meeting the building needs of the growing community of faith in the Mission District requires approximately 50 churches to adequately serve the CURRENT number of preaching stations. And, no doubt, between the time I am writing these words and the time you are reading these words there will be another 4 or 5 preaching stations emerging “Under The Trees”.
Mission District Infrastructure:
With the Topsy like growth has come a strong need for developing an infrastructure for the recruitment and training of pastors to provide the necessary oversight of the 95 evangelists. While in its embryonic stage, significant progress is already evident on this front in two areas: Pastoral training and Evangelist Centers.
Young, talented evangelists have been identified and are being trained for the pastoral ministry. This year, five former evangelists will have completed a two year training course and will be ordained December of 2007. Another seven evangelists are currently in theological training ready for ordination in March of 2008. Finally, two evangelists are being trained in the Moravian Seminary for a three-year period to be ordained in May of 2008. When completed, God willing, these 14 young pastors will be carefully assigned around the Mission District and also in the Diocese to provide the structure needed to support and sustain the 95 evangelists. The idea is to assign one pastor in a region with perhaps four or five evangelists under his tutelage to serve that region. In a way, assistance could be given for the preparation of sermon texts, an increased understanding of the readings and liturgy and, most importantly, the pastor could bring the Lord’s Supper and baptism to each congregation as needed.
In addition to the expanded number of pastors, the plans call for adding to the number of Evangelism Centers, three of which currently exist in the District. An Evangelism Center is a structure with four bedrooms, a common study area and meeting room, a kitchen and a bath to provide housing for 3 evangelists and a pastor. Given the far flung nature of the preaching stations and the lack of transportation other than two feet and perhaps a bicycle, the possibility of living near the preaching station will allow a much more efficient use of pastoral time and more ready access to the lives of the members of the congregation.
Currently, Evangelist Centers have been built in Fulwe, Makuture and Melela and are being put to great use for the ministry. Each Center costs approximately $16,000 and this modest sum allows for a dwelling for up to four pastoral families. Recent Centers have been built with money from Asbury Methodist Church and from the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod of the ELCA. Future Centers are proposed to be built at Lusane, Chakwale, Mabwegere, Mvuha and Lugoba. The completion of these centers and the ordination of the pastors described above would go a long way toward providing the necessary infrastructure for the growing Mission District of the Evangelical Church of Tanzania.
Water Well Development:
While the spiritual needs of the Mission District remain foremost in our minds and hearts, Christ would not want us to ignore the physical, medical and emotional needs of our young Christians in Tanzania. The availability of clean, pure water is vitally important to the stability and health of tribal communities. Without this life giving water, sickness and death result with fully 1/3 of all preventable deaths attributable to bacterial infections resulting from contaminated water supplies.
While not as obvious, the lack of a water source within walking distance of people and cattle, the men and boys of the tribes are often forced to travel great distances with their cattle to seek water. This distance keeps young boys from attending school and prevents men and boys from participating in worship and family life in the boma. The availability of a well can provide for a stable family structure and a stable family contributes to a stable community.
Again, our faithful partners of Asbury Methodist Church of Tulsa have been in the lead to raise the rather large amount of money to drill wells and install a reliable mechanical pump. Each successful well is drilled to a depth ranging from 120 feet to 160 feet with each well and pump costing approximately $7,500 due to the difficulty of bringing scarce heavy equipment many miles across bush country often without benefit of roads of any kind.
Currently, Asbury has drilled or proposed to drill 10 water wells and the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod has provided funds to drill five more. In addition, four existing wells and/or well systems are available with another 14 sites identified as locations for future wells. Of course, many more wells are needed but these areas have been identified as having stable community structures that can provide monitoring and minor maintenance for a well. A major unmet need at this time is to provide someone to coordinate the well projects with the well drilling companies that need frequent supervision. In addition, an unmet need is the availability of personnel and resources to provide major maintenance for the pumps, which, over time will need attention.
SUMMARY:
The purpose of this narrative is to describe the status, needs and potential of the Mission District of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania. Anyone wishing to contribute toward the growth and development of this rich evangelism field can contribute to the following funds. Since the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod is a 501-3c corporation, all contributions are tax deductible. Here are some possibilities:
1. Support of an evangelist for one month $30.00
2. Support for a pastor for one month $55.00
3. Support for an evangelist to attend one year
of biblical training $520
4. Support of pastoral training for one-year $1,500
5. Cost for a pole church $6,000.00
6. Cost for an Evangelist Center $16,000.00
All contributions may be sent to:
The Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod of ELCA
6931 South 66th East Avenue Suite 310
Tulsa, OK 74133-1760
21. december, 2006
But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. John 4:35 b
Dear friends
The text chosen to head this letter was the theme of the seminar of the Mission District which met at the Lutheran Junior Seminary from Dec 3 to 7. The keynote speaker was Pastor Daudi Bundi, close co-worker for the past 43 years. It was a joyful meeting with over 240 delegates gathering from our over 90 preaching places and from among our more than 10,000 Christians, many of whom were baptized in the past few years. In fact four of the delegates came specifically for their own profession of faith and baptism before the assembled group in the closing service.
The exciting fact of such a gathering is that those in attendance come with the assumption that evangelism is what Christianity is all about. Many of them have been drawn to the faith by the witness of others around them and are only happy to share the Good News with others. As they gathered in area groups as well as mixed groups one could sense the urgency felt to reach out to the many others who are at present calling for the church to come among them. Not many in the group were from among the rich and the powerful, nor were most of them even fully literate. Many of them came from areas where poverty and oppression are a real factor of life. There was a palpable sense of gratitude for the times the church has involved itself in advocacy for those whose land rights are trampled upon and also for the efforts to provide clean water which the government has failed to give them despite official projections and promises.
We went through together the opening chapters of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. There was no problem finding many good examples of how the Spirit is still working and alive in what is going on around us and among us. For them spirit possession and exorcism in the name of Jesus is an ongoing reality. Healing, preaching, sharing and witnessing are an essential part of the lives of the Christians, together with the opposition that the Apostles experienced. We have set a goal for our sixty plus evangelists, several pastors, scores of evangelism students and theological students to study the book together for the coming year. We feel that this can greatly strengthen the sense of renewal that we can sense going on around us.
The more than 2,000 baptisms carried out by pastors this in our district is a living witness of the response of so many to the message of the Gospel. The joy of the 14 theological students from our district who look
forward to ordination within the next year and a half gives us great hope for the sustainability of the whole thrust of evangelism that saw the opening of eleven new preaching places this year alone. People are hungry for the Word and sacraments as witnessed by the fact that over 17 thousand were in attendance at the 147 worship services that I shared in this year with nearly 7,000 participating in Communion. What is impressive is the fact that most of these services were held during week days showing the willingness of people to drop what they are doing to come and worship when a pastor can be present. These same people also come and share in the Sunday worship services which are led by the evangelist or church elder in their area.
When I return in mid-January I anticipate opening a good number of worship places again and making second visits to the new areas. There is a special reason for the sudden numbers of calls to go to new Maasai villages. In fact, at this time, the evangelists in the Kambala-Sokoine area are taking turns visiting a number of new places that have been asking for the church to come to them. The congregations of these evangelists are footing the bill paying for bus fare for their evangelists to go to these places. When they return they tell of the gentle reproaching of the people in these places “Why haven’t you come to us before this?”.
This surge of interest in the church has come from a special meeting (which I have described to some of you in The Struggle for the Maasai Soul) held in one of our small preaching places on September 25-26. In one sense, it had begun as a tribal conflict between the warrior age groups. On group had called in the Laibon (medicine man) to curse the age group senior to them. When this was found out the senior group decided to hold a special worship meeting to ask for a blessing. This was done by some influential Christians in this group, despite the fact that most of their age mates were non-Christian. The acting head of our diocese, Pastor Mameo (a Maasai) and I were asked to participate. The main speaker was the prophet Isaya Ole Ndokoti, who as a medicine man in Kenya had visions of Jesus telling him to call the Maasai speaking people to the Lord. It was he who led the revival that resulted in the baptism of thousands in the Lutheran Church in the Arusha region in the 90’s.
The Christians of that age group sent out a call to their fellows and gathered money and six cattle to be slaughtered. As a result over 1,500 were present for the service on the first day. The prophet Isaya had held a number of meetings to try to reach the Parakuyo in the past was overwhelmed when he saw the crowd gathered and said, “This is the work of no Person, but a visible working of the Spirit of God”. The next day there was a service of healing and forgiveness followed by the baptism of over 240 adults by five Lutheran pastors. His final admonition to the group was to be faithful in forgiveness and reconciliation and above all begin to hold and attend Christian worship services. The group then scattered to the four winds, and from that time there have come requests for further baptisms and calls to hold worship services in many villages. Luke records the words of Jesus, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” We can sense the enormity of the task but continue to pray to the Lord of the harvest.
The last worship service I led, two days before I left was in the company of Emmanuel and his wife. Emmanuel was the Muslim shehe (religious leader) who was baptized in April in response to his visions of Jesus. When he heard I was going to have a service in the area he asked if they could go along. He was full of enthusiasm as he described his new faith in Jesus and had brought his cousin along who also wanted to be baptized. And so it goes on, the life where spiritual things are so important. On the last day one of our theological students beeped me on the cellular phone so that I would call him back and share what had happened in his area. He then asked me to hang up so that he could call me back and pray for me (at his cost). What followed was a warm and meaningful prayer of intercession.
In His peace, Herb Hafermann
9. december, 2006
Dear Friends at Sorgenfri,
We were overwhelmed here in the mission district to hear of the tremendous amount of assistance the Sorgenfri congregation is going to provide to us as a result of your Christmas Market. The news came as the council of our mission district was meeting and during the course of the seminar where 240 people from all over the district were in attendance.
The council session asked me to send a very special message of thanks for this great gift that will allow us to continue our expanding work of evangelism. It was in this session we heard of the 10 new preaching places that were opened this year and over 1,700 people were baptized during this period. Four adults were baptized in the seminar and we received invitations to begin evangelism work in a good number of new places. We will be opening work in two new places on the first two Sundays when I am back in January.
We also announced in the general session of the seminar the good news about your generous gift and the whole group also sent very special greetings of thanks. This gift enabled us to send four more young people to Bible school in Usangi, to promise to send new Bible school students to Ilambilole in August, to send two more young Maasai girls to kindergarten training at LJS, to train three more people in the Christian Education course at LJS, to send a young Maasai lady to finish her two year Montessori training in Lushoto and to provide fare and fees for our theological students in Njombe, Iringa and Mbeya.
Both the council and the assembled group in the seminar cheered when they heard that you will be sending your new pastor together with Inger to get a picture of the work here. They say that you are both very welcome. We will try to arrange the schedule so that you can see as much variety as possible of the work here.
As the costs of all the courses have increased greatly for this coming year, we will first sit down and work out budgets to see that all those whom we plan to send for further training are cared for during the year of 2007. After we see how many T shillings we receive from your transfer we will be able to plan to see if we can also erect a church and pay towards a well.
At the evaluation session following the seminar we sat down and went through the whole programme and its logistics. Because of the great success of this seminar and with the knowledge of your great gift of support we are now considering holding a seminar for youth in July where we can deal with their special needs and give encouragement to the many young people who have recently been baptized. Both of our seminars will probably be larger as we have promise that the LJS Centre will be free for two weeks both in July and December overagainst the past two years when we could only have half the number of delegates because of sharing the school.
Sorry for the delay in sending this as there was no electricity for the entire day yesterday and into the night and this morning the internet server only now opened up.
Many thanks for all that you continue to do for us. We look forward to the coming of a delegation from you congregation in May.
In His peace, Herb and Kirsten Hafermann
Brev fra Morogoro, oktober 2006:
Vi har fået brev fra Herb Hafermann om arbejdet i Morogoro. Herb fortæller om, hvad det indsamlede beløb fra julemarkedet sidste år er blevet anvendt til – og det er ganske meget. Læs selv:
Nu er tingene faldet lidt mere til ro her i Waverley [i Iowa, USA] hvor jeg tager hul på min fjerde uge hjemme. Jeg har endelig fået lejlighed til at sætte mig for i fred og ro at gøre regnskabet op over alt det, der sket i missionsområdet. Og jeg har især set frem til at skrive jer en så nøjagtig oversigt som mulig over alt det, som de 15.929,88 dollar, I sendte til Morogoro d. 21. december 2005, er blevet anvendt til.
Først og fremmest har jeres gave betalt afgifterne for de studerende, som vi sendte på forskellige uddannelser før jeg rejste hjem midt i januar. Senere har andre givere betalt en del af dette beløb tilbage, hvorefter pengene fra Sorgenfri blev brugt til også at betale uddannelser til studerende fra Maasaiområdet. Det var især en stor velsignelse, at pengene fra Sorgenfri satte os i stand til at sende evangelister til to særlige teologiske uddannelsser. Sorgenfri har således betalt for to af de fem studerende, der blev sendt til teologiske uddannelser på Kidugala Lutheran Seminary i den sydlige del af stiftet, mens tre andre har fået deres uddannelser betalt af Asbury Methodist Church i Tulsa , Oklahoma.
Disse studerende afslutter deres uddannelser ved udgangen af 2007 og vil da kandidere til at blive ordineret, når de med gode resultater afslutter deres uddannelser. Alle deres studieafgifter, rejseudgifter og legater til forsørgelse af deres familier er nu betalt for hele 2006.
Den anden uddannelse er en særlig to-årig uddannelse for for Maasaievangelister ved Tumaini Lutheran University i Iringa, en uddannelse som kvalificerer dem til at blive ordineret i marts 2008.
Denne uddannelse kræver, at vi betaler alle afgifter forud. Pengene fra Sorgenfri gjorde dette muligt for os såvel som at betale alle rejseudgifter og understøttelse af familierne under hele 2006.
Disse to teologiske uddannelser er af særlig betydening for distriktets missionsarbejde da de kvalificerer evangelister fra området og som tillige vil løfte den opgave det er at videreføre det store arbejde med at evangelisere hele området.
Udsigten til at få yderligere tolv nye præster give os fornyet håb og styrke til at fortsætte arbejdet med at udvide evangeliseringen . Dette er særligt betydningsfuldt eftersom vi er begyndt at forkynde evangeliet syv nye steder i år og fordi 950 er blevet døbt i vores distrikt, hvilket bringer antallet af registrerede kristne i vores 90 menigheder og prædikensteder op på 9000. Det giver mig også håb om at jeg som pensioneret kan hvile i forvisningen om, at der i årene fremover vil være tilstrækkeligt med præster til at uddele sakramenterne i hele området.
Beløbet fra Sorgenfri har også spillet en væsentlig rolle i arbejdet med at uddanne unge mennesker til det evangeliserende arbejde i distriktet. Pengene har financieret studierne for mindst 8 bibelskoleelever ved Usangi Bibelskole i nærheden af Kilimanjaro.
Sorgenfripengene har ligeledes betalt for et særligt uddannelsesprogram for 6 unge Maasaier, der er blevet hjulpt til en bibelskole i Iringa stift.
Dette program er for størstedelens vedkommende blevet financieret af den danske lutherske mission, men jeres gave har betalt grundafgifterne for uddannelserne samt elevernes rejseudgifter, bøger og andet nødvendigt før studiestart. Disse unge er færdige midt i 2007 og vil blive et væsentligt bidrag til at vi kan udvide arbejdet blandt Maasasierne.
En anden vigtig opgave, som pengene fra jer gjorde os i stand til at løse, var at betale alle afgifter for det første af to studieår ved Montessori seminariet i Lushoto, som drives af katolske nonner. Vi har sendt en ung Maasaikvinde , som netop har afsluttet et to årigt bibelkusus og som allerede har praktisk erfaring fra arbejdet ved Lutheran Junior Seminary. Hun klarer sig meget fint ved Montessoriuddannelsen og kan påregne at begynde at arbejde i børnehaven ved LJS ved udgangen af næste år.
Jeres midler har dækket alle omkostninger for tre studerende under deres uddanelse ved børnehaven ved LJS, iblandt hvilke er en ung mandlig Maasai og konen til en evaneliststuderende. Alle tre er klar med deres uddannelse ved udgangen af november.
Hertil skal lægges, at I har været med til at betale for tre elever uden for LJS blandt andet to mandlige Maasaier, der begge håber at kunne fortsætte i kirkens tjeneste. Endelig har vi med jeres midler kunnet indkalde til et planlægningsmøde i stiftsrådet for anden halvdel af dette år.
Som I selv kan se har Sorgenfri spillet en fremtrædende rolle i uddannelsen af mange engagerede unge mennesker, som vil påtage sig ledende opgaver i arbejdet med at bringe evangeliet ud til deres folk i hele missionsområdet. Jeg håber I vil tage imod mine ord som en bekræftelse på anvendelsen af pengene og som et udtryk for vores taknemmelighed over den store hjælp I har ydet til uddannelsesprogrammet i missionsområdet.
Jeg indrømmer, at I i jeres kampagne for indsamlingen har talt om brøndboringer, uddannelse og kirkebyggeri. Vi har været dybt engageret i alle dise projekter såvel som i et omfattende uddannelsesprogram til fremme af læseevnen selv om vi ikke har anvendt Sorgenfripengene direkte i dette arbejde. Lad mig sige det på denne måde: med Sorgenfris stærke og aktive engagement i uddannelsesprogrammet er der blevet frigjort midler til at løse disse øvrige opgave og sætte gang i andre aktiviteter.
Det var en meget stor glæde for os have gæster fra Sorgenfri menighed hos os under sommeren, nemli Kasper, der kom sammen med Anne og Kirstine Andersen, som kom sammen med sine to døtre! Vi besøgte sammen steder i missionsområdet for ved selvsyn at opleve, hvad der sker. Vi byder med den største glæde alle fra jeres menighed velkommen på besøg her for at bevidne, det der sker under det meningsfulde evangeliserinsgarbejde, der finder sted i missionsdistriktet.
Lad mig slutte dette brev med at ønsker jer alle Guds velsignelse over livet og arbejdet i Sorgenfri menighed mens I rækker hånden ud til menigheden og sognet samt til resten af verden.
I Hans fred,
Kirsten og Herb Hafermann
