Bill Schrull
 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
 Ruhita Church |
Today was a bit different than most on our visit this year. We got to spend most of the day in worship activities. Bishop Makaya asked us last night if we would like to come with him in the morning to the village of Ruhita to visit the church there. They were going to have an installation/dedication of the rural area Dean. We said yes of course as we have not visited a lot of churches this time around. Ruhita is about a 30 minute drive from the compound. I was glad to go because I had visited Ruhita back in 2008 when they were just starting to build their new church building. At that time it was just a partial shell with no roof. Of course, when ever you visit a church here in Tanzania, their is always a time to fellowship and eat, either before or after the service or meeting. In this case we had food graciously presented to us before and after the service. There is one thing for sure that I have learned about Tanzania over their past 11 years and that is their hospitality is second to none.
So, after breakfast at the pastor’s house the service started. It lasted about 2 1/2 hours. Again, pretty normal if you’ve read any of my earlier posts. During the service we had the opportunity to sing few songs with the congregation and also to speak to them and share our greetings. Along with our greetings I shared with them about callings and how I came to Kasulu 11 years ago and what happened to me at that time that brought me back each year. It’s something I’ve written about before in a blog post from 2011, so if you want to read it go to the link below.
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http://tzblog.schrull.us/2011/12/09/dec-9-dreams-to-come-true/
When we got back from Ruhita, we had a short rest of about 30 minutes and then we were off to Bethany Church to lead a bible study. I lead them through a study on Ephesians 2:1-10, similar to the study I lead at Kidyama Church a week ago. Once again we also had a chance to share some songs with the congregation. They really seemed to appreciate it and asked that we come back for Sunday worship with them on our next visit to Kasulu.
Tonight is our last night in Kasulu. It’s kind of bitter sweet for me. In one sense I always appreciate our home back in Connecticut. And I really enjoy our fiends and family. Even so, there is just something about this place that captivates me. I thoroughly enjoy every moment here, and I do mean every moment. Life back at home is plagued with what you have to do in the future, somethings focusing on things months in advance. Everything is so planned all of the time. I remember a saying my mom used to say occasionally; “Stop the world, I want to get off”. It feels that way to me at times back home. Over here I am completely freed from the pressure that all the scheduling brings. And interestingly enough, it’s not that we don’t have a schedule when we are here. Yet somehow it all seems at ease in a way that I can be fully present to each moment and not be thinking about what I have to do next until it’s time to think about it.
So I’ll call it a night now. We’ll get to our packing in the morning and plan to head out to Kigoma by 2 pm. But hey! Those are moment I don’t have to worry until tomorrow. Praise God for that.
Bill