Filed under: Africa, Anglican Church, Anglican Missionary, Anglicans United, Bus ride, God, Jesus, Missionary Society of St John, Missions, Praise the Lord, Tanzania, anglican, anglican missions, children, connection, connectionkenya, friendship, interesting, jesus chirst, kenya
Jambo! My first mission trip was in the summer of 2000 when I traveled to Kenya under Bishop Weeks and Hugh Kaiser. Over the years, I have made many friends there, among them a young man, now ordained a priest, serving in Nairobi. We have kept in touch via e-mail, occasional phone calls, and now Facebook.
This trip, I traveled across the border from Tanzania to Kenya to visit these friends. Crossing an African border at 10 PM at night required departing from the bus, leaving Tanzania through its immigration station there, walking 100 meters across no mans land in the dark, and entering Kenya, without a Kenyan visa! The visa was procured upon arrival after the border officials sweated me a bit. .
As I shared with many old friends in Kenya, I heard many phrases – “You taught us new things we never knew” and “Becoming a priest became a calling from God, not another job” and “We are different because of your teaching – still different after so many years.” In one place I was told that there are now ten babies named Francis, Patricia, or Mary. And one cow named Francis too.
There were many questions. “How is Patricia?” and “How is Bishop Fick?” and “How is Bishop Weeks and Hugh Kaiser?” There was much good remembering stories of the past.
These visits gave me time to acclimate to temperature and time differences before starting the main ministry in Tanzania this trip. The original plan for the main ministry was to teach two weeks to new students, and one week to old students, all in the Tanzanian Diocese of Victoria Nyanza on Lake Victoria. When the Bishop sent out the invitations, he expected 15 new students but over 50 signed up. Evidently, the old students talked about their initial experiences in the classes and encouraged new students to enroll.
So, the plan will be changed. All classes scheduled for old students this trip will be cancelled. Instead, I will teach two groups of new students, splitting the total group of new students in half, and splitting the total time too. Why is this important to the African church?
In many Anglican Dioceses in Africa, their statistics say something like this: 45 priests; 93 churches. What does this mean? It means that ordained priests serve only 45 churches. Evangelists lead the remainder of the churches. These evangelists are young men, on fire for the Lord, passionate in their ministry of the Word, but uneducated in parish ministry, uneducated in life, uneducated in school subjects, and doing the best that they can. Over the years, many evangelists go on to ordination.
Such men are hungry for pastoral training. They are excited by the opportunities to learn basic Christian teachings, ethos of ordained ministry, liturgy, sacrament, Scripture and preaching. They have realized that parish ministry is more than an altar call. Matthew 28:20 “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” Ephesians 4:12 “to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”
The Bishop is excited. The new students are excited. I am excited too.
Logistical obstacles will be overcome. More food will be purchased. We will work longer hours. And the legacy of the teaching done by OFM will take deep, deep root in the present and future of this diocese. The work will not be spectacular healing services that will fill soccer stadiums; but it will be basic, personal teaching for young church leaders who will make a difference here. The Bishop has entrusted his young men, the future of the diocese, to this ministry.
Thank you so much to all of you who are praying – keep praying! More teachers are needed here in Africa! Also, thank you so much to all of you who donated money to make this trip possible, and are still donating money to keep the ministry alive. You know who you are. We could never be grateful enough.
Tonight, I will rest, listening to BBC News on my new little worldwide radio, a gift from a supporting parish. Tomorrow I will visit other old friends. Sunday, I will celebrate liturgy in a little, rural, Anglican church. Next week, I will return to Mwanza in Tanzania, and begin the main ministry.
Mungu arabariki! May God bless you.
Fr Francis Wardega
Missionary Priest in Africa
Missionary Society of St John
Filed under: Africa, Anglican Church, Anglican Missionary, Anglicans United, Bus ride, God, Jesus, Lake Victoria, Missionary Society of St John, Missions, Praise the Lord, Priest wife, Tanzania, anglican, anglican missions, friendship, interesting, jesus chirst, kenya, missionary, religion
Dispatch One from East Africa, November 2009
Matt. 28:19-20 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the world. Amen.”
Most Christians recognize that quote from the Great Commission. Part of verse 20, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you,” is one of the foundation Words of the Lord for OFM. Another Word of the Lord that is part of the Scriptural foundation of OFM, is found in Ephesians 4:12: “to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, to build up the Body of Christ.” That is what OFM does in Africa. Not glamorous, not fancy, just basic ministry work.
God’s call sent me to Africa for the eighth time. The journey went from Cleveland to New York City to Dubai on the Persian Gulf above Saudi Arabia, to Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast of Tanzania, to Mwanza in Tanzania on the shore of Lake Victoria, all by air, four flights. The journey continued with an eight hour bus trip across the Kenyan border, to Rabour, to visit an old friend and examine the legacy of four teaching trips there several years ago. Leave Cleveland on Sunday; arrive in Rabour on Wednesday.
After six days in Rabour, return to Mwanza and work under the authority of Anglican bishop, Rt Rev Boniface Kwangu, of the Diocese of Victoria Nyanza (DVN).
I will teach for two weeks to around twenty new clergy and lay leaders. I will teach them about the beliefs, teachings and practices of the Faith; also introduce them to the ethos of ordained ministry, to liturgy, to sacraments, to preaching, and to Scripture. Most of these adult students were ordained with little or no ministry education because of the immediate great needs there. Our instruction is for the church leaders and teachers who will teach others. The students soak up the instruction like a sponge.
I will also teach advanced topics to around twenty different students to whom I taught the basic subjects listed above , on my last trip to Mwanza. Advanced topics include pastoral theology, and in depth instruction on the Trinity, on the Incarnation, and on Grace. This will be a challenge for them – one they will work hard at and succeed.
Thanks be to God and thanks be to you for sending me on this work. I pledge the most ministry to Him for His people and the most ministry to you for your donated dollar. Please continue to pray for blessings, protection and sustenance for this work. Please continue your financial support to keep this ministry alive. I can be contacted in Africa at e-mail address: jambofrfrancis@yahoo.com
Fr Francis Wardega
Canon Missioner to East Africa
Missionary Society of St John
Forward in Faith, Anglican Church
