 Coast View Hotel |
 Afternoon view looking West |
 Sunset View |
Good morning all at least for those in the USA. It’s 2:00 PM here to that would make it 7 AM on the east coast, etc.. Cathy and I are here now in Kigoma. We left Kasulu yesterday. The trip was actually pretty good. The roads were in better shape than sometimes in the past. There is new road construction going on along the way. They are constructing a paved road that will eventually extend from Kigoma and Kasulu and beyond. It makes SUCH a difference, both in driving time and wear on the vehicles ( and the occupants as well!). We are staying at a hotel called the Coast View which is a local Tanzanian owned hotel. Pricing is very reasonable by western standards and the place is comfortable and has beautiful views overlooking Lake Tanganyika and Kigoma. I always like coming here because of the relaxed atmosphere and the wide open vistas.
This morning started early with a 7:30 AM Worship Service at St Michael’s Anglican Church in Kigoma. Pastor Kalebu had us sing two songs during the service. We like to have the congregation participate with us, so we sang songs where the chorus’s have been translated into Swahili. The first song was Oh Our Lord, which is Oh Bwana Wetu in Swahili. The second song is one we have done many times before; Sing for Joy, aka Imba Kwa Furaha. Many in the congregation remembered this one from an earlier visit to St Michael’s, so participation was good. I really liked that Pastor Kalebu joined in with Cathy and I for both songs. He used to be a choir leader before he became a priest years ago, so naturally, he has a good voice and harmonized nicely.
I gave the sermon today, which was a mix of Roman 8:1-10 along with personal testimonies of the Holy Spirit’s workings in my life and encouragements to the congregation to live in the Spirit and say “yes” to the Lord in all circumstances in their lives.
The service ran pretty long because they had a fund raising activity towards the end of the service for a conference center that their church is building nearby. Afterwards, we had lunch together, which included a delicious chicken soap with japate. Then it was back to our hotel where we can now relax through the afternoon and get ready for our flight back to Dar Es Salaam tomorrow morning. I love Sunday afternoons like this where you can just take notices of blessings of the day or even the week before and cherish the moments before heading into a new week. Tomorrow won’t be busy as much as it will be hard as we will be heading back into the city and leaving the beauty of the western side of the country, and of course, leaving our friends again. But as Bishop Makaya said as we were leaving Kasulu, “It is not goodbye but it is see you soon”. And for sure it will be. Already I can’t wait to get back here.
Again I give thanks to all of you who have been praying for our time here. It’s been both constructive and relaxing at the same time. That’s always appreciated when we take vacation time to come here. We definitely want to work and be helpful to our friends, but at the same time, we need the stress relieving break from our everyday busy lives back in the USA. We have had both for sure.
In Christ,
Canon Bill