Friday 8/13
Hi to all of you,
We had a nice and low key day. Many of us used the day to explore Arusha's vast market place of Africana. Much of which is extremely nice. Some of our group bought gem stones called Tanzanite, mined only in this country. It is lovely, but costly. I had more pedestrian tastes and left the gems to those who feel they want the stones. Tomorrow we meet the Prime Minister, he will be present for the dedication ceremonies for a new hospital. Things of importance take time in Africa. We are scheduled to be at this event from 9:30 am to 3 pm. Most of us think, as things have a tendency to go long, that we will be glad to be back at the hotel by 5pm.
I hope your Friday and Saturday are as memorable as mine.
Peace,
Gary

Thursday 8/12
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The prayer of the day for Tanzanian travelers is this: Mungu Baba (God our Father), we pray that our paved roads will few speed bumps. When our roads are made of dirt grant us few ruts. When there is no road may the dust settle quickly. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

The Tanzanian travelers from Northern Illinois left early today for Ketumbeine Lutheran Parish. We traveled about 75% of the way on a paved road. We then went to a dirt track that eventually led us cross country on roads that only goats would gladly roam. We crossed the paths of impala, giraffes, goats, sheep and cattle.

Dusty, with every bone jarred and every joint feeling the latest "pitch 'n roll" of the Land Cruiser, we entered a village and were greeted with warm handshakes, broad smiles and a snack. The journey was hard, but the destination was priceless!

Following our snack we had the great privilege of participating in the open ceremony for a new church building. Bishop Wollersheim preached about the firm foundations needed for the Church to flourish, that firm foundation being Christ. Lunch was served after worship and we boarded the Land Cruisers to visit a small clinic several kilometers from the new church building. After a brief tour of the Dispensary at Ketumbeine and the school, we boarded once more and headed to Ketumebeine's central congregation. There we were greeted with softdrinks and the warm greeting, "Karibu" (You are welcome).

As the sun was setting over the Serengetti we left for Arusha. The dusty tracks of the Tanzanian bush country eventually yielded to pavement leading us to the New Safari Hotel.

The hotel is abuzz with clergy from the ELCT preparing for the Jubilee celebration on Sunday. We are blessed to be partners with this wonderful church and blessed to celebrate this glorious occasion.

Soon our eyes turn toward home where we will see longed for faces. But for now the pilgrims' journey continues and we thank God for every moment spent on this great continent.
Peace,
Gary Erickson

Thursday 8/12/2004
Dear friends,
Tanzania is an immensly interesting land. Today we went northwest near the boarder with Kenya. It is dry season and we were in a dust bowl of immense proportions. Several places, as our Land Cruisers toiled through the dust, we were unable to see beacause of the immense clouds raised by the large tires of the trucks. In the flat area one can see for miles. I counted, at one point today, seven dust devils swirling high into the air. The truly amazing thisng is that in October, when the rains begin, this dust-bowl will turn into a lush, green terrain. A doctor we met today told us that during the rainy season people eat well and the children grow. But during the 5 months of dry the children cease growing and most people go 5 months without fresh fruit or vegetables. It is truly a harsh climate at this time of year.
Tanzanian hospitality is first rate. Today we had a snack of softdrinks and goat liver. The goat liver is really not too bad, but don't worry, I won't prepare any for you if you come to visit.
Peace,
Gary

Wednesday 8/11/2004
Greetings,
We have traveled down some dusty highways and along paths that are little more than donkey tracks. But the destinations are always worth the trouble of the trip. Last night our group stayed in the beautiful highlands of north central Tanzania. Today we we hiked in the Great Rift Valley and saw some prehistoric cave paintings. It was awesome. On the hike back I walked near a cattle herder and listened as he called the cattle and whistled them along to a watering hole. The Great Rift Valley is thought by some to the birthplace of the oldest humans. It is, however, thousands of miles long.
We also toured a farm where the divers crops included coffee, bananas, rabbits, goats, fish, minnows, cabbage, carrots, reeds for basket weaving, beef and assorted other things for family consumption. The man was amazing and enjoyed sharing his farming with us.
Enjoy your remaining days of summer. We look forward to a long dusty journey tomorrow and a day off on Friday.
Peace,
Gary

Monday 8/9/2004
Hi Rafiki (Friends)
What happens when you spend hours traveling along dirt roads? You make friends! Bethlehem has a new relationship, a companion parish. Naberera Lutheran Parish is a cluster of 8 congregations spread across a 45 mile section of the Silmanjaro District of the Arusha Region of Tanzania.
Naberera has 2,900 members in the 8 congregations. The smallest has 23 in worship in a beautiful setting called Namalulu. It is grand, they worship under a tree, but they are building a church from bricks they are making themselves. They cannot yet afford a roof for the building. One end of the parish is the town of Naberera, the other end is the town of Orkesumet. The dominant population is Maasai, the people who raise goats and cattle and wear bright cloth across their shoulders and around the waist. They are a very handsome and dark people. I hope someday many from Bethlehem will make this journey. Until then photos and letters will constitute our relationship. I have many stories to tell you of how this came about and the joy because of it.
Peace,
Gary

Friday 8/6/2004
We are back at the New Safari Hotel for an overnight stay. Tomorrow we leave for Orkesumet, about 125 miles south. We wil journey by Land Cruiser
(Toyota) because the roads may become dirt tracks. We are to carry water and be prepared for dust (which is everywhere in the dry season).
Yesterday and today we encounterd the large animals of Africa, giraffe and elephants, hippos and wildebeest, along with the fast animals of Africa, gazelles and impalas, and the funny ones, too, warthogs, monkeys and baboons. The animals are everywhere on the Serengetti, truly one of the wonders of the world.
Peace,
Gary

Wednesday 8/4/2004
Greetings from cool and comfortable Arusha.
Today we were at about 5,000 feet above sea level visiting two schools and a church west of Arusha. The air was cool and dry. This is amazing considering we were 4 degrees south of the equator!
The roads here are paved if they are in town or traveling from one major town to another. But other roads are little more than dirt tracks. We are glad it is the dry season since dust is easier to deal with than mud. Our last visit today was to the Maasae Lutheran Girl's School. Awesome place and quite an interesting story regarding the education of Maasai females. It is too long for an email. But, the point being the roads, when we left the school we went down a long, winding dirt road through open country that afforded a great view of Mt. Meru. We went slow due to the ruts in the road.
Saw several Maasai herders along the way (recognizable beacause of their bright clothing) and had to slow for a herd of goats crossing the dirt road.
All is well here. Tomorrow we get a play day going on safari to Ngorongoro wildlife park. We'll spend the night there and then be back in Arusha Friday evening.
I wish I could show you Arusha, but understand it is crowded near the markets, very poor in many places, but always bustling during daylight and relatively quiet after dark considering there are a million people in the metro Arusha are.
Peace,
Gary

Tuesday 8/3
Greetings from Arusha, Tanzania [East Africa],
I hope this finds you all well and happy. Arusha is a noisy, crowded and endlessly interesting city. The region including the city has about 1,000,000 residents. The Arusha Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania has 350,000 members (compare to 100,000 in the Northern Illinois Synod).
The people of Tanzania are friendly. We visited a school today and the young ones all wanted to hold our hands. They were very precious.
Tanzania is a beautiful country. Sadly, it is second or third poorest nation in the world. Some of the poverty we have witnessed is heart wrenching. But uplifting is the sense of hope carried by an very industrious people.
My group is staying at the New Safari Hotel in Arusha. We are just a block from the Arusha Conference Center where the U. N. is holding the international war crimes tribunal on the atrocities in Rwanda from several years ago.
the hotel is great, very European in its look and feel. The food has been wonderful. The sights are stunning. We had a look at the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro on our arrival in Tanzania. Awesome.
Greetings from Africa.
Gary