My head is so full of connections, notions, and wonderings. My heart is full of joy and awe.

Our delegation (Deacon Heidi and Dan; Pastor Ethan and Carla; and me) and Bishop Mtenji of the Ulanga Kilombero Diocese (UKD) arrived at dusk to a party and choir. The whole Tumaini Seminary, a secondary school and Bible school run by the UKD, came out to greet us.

Yesterday our group heard from the bishop and staff about the growing church in Tanzania. They have more of a Catholic model-parishes consisting of several congregations. Is that the direction the ELCA should go? Should we be recruiting Lutheran pastors from Tanzania? Why or why not? The UKD is encouraging Saturday small groups in the home (prayer and reflection on scripture with guided questions-provided by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania). What can we learn from that? Anything, or are our contexts too different?

Back to today. I was in the Northwest Intermountain Synod on internship in 2003-2004, served in Iowa, and came back to the synod in 2010. We were giving and still give scholarships to girls who attend the secondary school. I remember former bishop Pastor Martin Wells talking pretty early on about the need for the dining hall at Tumaini. The synod started raising money. Then the ELCA decided to do its first capital campaign and synods were invited the have a campaign alongside it. Wells, the staff, and synod council made the decision to do a campaign and the dining hall was one of maybe three components. Making the long, often bumpy, ride yesterday makes the completion of this project all the more remarkable to me. There are almost 200 students.

Four of our delegation read scripture this morning and Heidi and I both brought greetings from our synod once inside. The singing was a highlight.

We think the staff saw Bishop Jaech in a cope for my installation. When they found out our synod did not own a cope, they made one for our visit. Bp Mtenji loaned me one of his miters.

After the Inauguration, we all got in our cars and traveled to a nearby parish (Kipingo) for their Sunday worship. They are raising money for a new church building. The bishop preached on David building the temple.

After worship we met Angela, now in Kipingo and at worship. She was a visitor to our synod some years ago when she was the head of the UKD Women’s Ministry.

We continue to walk shoulder to shoulder, bega kwa bega.