Filed under: Africa, Anglican Church, Anglican Missionary, Fire Ants, God, Jesus, Lake Victoria, Praise the Lord, Priest wife, Tanzania, anglican, connectionkenya, funny, interesting, jesus chirst, religion | Tags: Anglican Church, Anglican Missionary, Mwanza, Priestwife, Tanzania
Dispatch 3 From Station Mwanza in Tanzania
Summer 2008
Fr Francis Wardega
For many, mission ministry has a sort of exotic glamour to it. Such work includes large crowds, healing services, hospitals built, schools visited, and similar events. Such work is very good and very blessed. This ministry is different. We teach. We teach the teachers. We teach the preachers. We teach the leaders. We teach the ones who had no real prior opportunity to learn. There are many such people in Africa.
The bulk of the work is done daily. The schedule: teach 9 am to 7 pm. Teach ministry subjects to the depth that they are useful to the leaders of the parish. Do this every day, less an occasional rest day. The students quickly adapt to the schedule. They write down more notes than is needed. They listen and ask insightful questions. This is a two-week investment in a life that bears fruit in a parish for the next twenty to thirty years. Not glamorous – just effective.
Pastor Erasto puzzles about the deeper meaning of
Ezekiel chapter 37.
Notice the copious notes that he has taken in his notebook.
This week, we finished up the class on Ordained Ministry and moved into Fundamentals of Sacred Scripture. Then we ended with Sacramental Theology. These eleven students are different. They have absorbed so much. They talk about different things. They have a whole new and deeper appreciation of the Bible and their personal Bible. Everyone preached once and was affirmed and critiqued. They want more. “Can you stay for three months?” Sorry. They were very proud to pose for their class picture.
Proud members of Class #1, Nyakato School of Theology
As available, I go to local churches to meet the people there and celebrate the liturgy. Last Sunday, I visited St John in Nyamanoro. I preached in both Sunday liturgies. Each service had a 25 person choir, a different choir for each service. They worship with contemporary African worship music, choreographed. It is Motown gone Jesus! Such music keeps the young people in the Anglican Church instead of being attracted to other, more seeker friendly churches.
Fr Francis preaches at St John Parish in Nyemanoro, Sunday Aug 17
The work this trip will soon be finished in this diocese, until next year. Next on the schedule is a ten hour bus journey to Dodoma, the national capital in the center of the country where I will be working with Bishop Daudi Chidawali again. I will be teaching at his Bible College in Buigiri where I taught last year.
One unusual experience. I was invited to dine with Bishop Kwangu and a visiting bishop. As we sat and talked, I realized that somehow, many red fire ants crawling on me. I tried to be a good guest as long as I could but the others noticed my discomfort. I ended up trying to stand still while two Anglican bishops and one bishop’s wife killed so many ants that were feasting on me! That was my lesson in humility that day.
Thank you for your support. God and you make this possible. Please keep on supporting this mission. Please sustain this good ministry. It works!
Fr Francis Wardega
Office of Foreign Missions
Missionary Priest in Africa
18401 Canal Rd
www.connectionkenya.wordpress.com
Clinton Twp MI 48038
Africa e-mail: jambofrfrancis@yahoo.com
Filed under: Africa, Anglican Church, Anglican Missionary, God, Jesus, Lake Victoria, Praise the Lord, Priest wife, Tanzania, anglican, connectionkenya, interesting, jesus chirst, missionary, religion, worship | Tags: Anglican Church, Anglican Missionary, Missionary Society of St John, Missions, Mwanza, Tanzania
I just received this dispatch my hubby early this morning, enjoy!
Dispatch 2 From Station Mwanza in Tanzania
Summer 2008
Fr FrancisWardega
Your mission support is beginning to bear fruit again in East Africa on the southern shores of Lake Victoria. People here in Mwanza, a part of the Anglican Diocese of Victoria Nyanza, were excited to start this mission. The mission started with liturgy on Sunday Aug 10, at St Nicholas Cathedral, one block away from the lake. The lake breeze made the temperature most comfortable. I preached and assisted the bishop, Rt Rev Boniface Kwangu, at the service. The bishop asked me to distribute the Holy Eucharist to his people. One young woman was confirmed at the service. This liturgy, one of three liturgies every Sunday, was the English service – the other two services are in Swahili.. It was very powerful to hear the Words of Institution, prayed by the bishop in his British accented, East African English. “Thees ees my boudy, brrroken for you.” Different and the same. Holy.
Our ministry is primarily a ministry of teaching. The need here fits precisely what we do. Here, there are many priests ordained over recent years with little or no ministry or priestly education. Here, education is hard to get. Bishop Boniface brought eleven priests together to receive the teaching that God has called us to give. 
Who are these men. All but two are in their fifties. The other two are in their sixties. All are ordained priests and are pastors of parishes in the diocese. Two came from the island of Ukerewe in Lake Victoria. Here in East Africa, they are addressed as “pastor.” Their names sing an African song, grounded in Scripture, colored by British history. Their names: Japheth, Erasto, Stafford, Zephania, Julius, Boniface, Jesse, Solomon, Iohanna, Abednego, and Josiah. Josiah has a bible school diploma and an M.Div from Cambridge in England. Solomon will be beginning studies at a bible school in Uganda. The rest have a 7th grade education at best, some less.
