Arusha and a bus fiasco

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Our time in Moshi came to an end today. We decided to leave Larry in Moshi to check on a few other details with one of the members here, while Russ and I rode to Arusha for the conference there. We walked into Moshi carrying our bags to board the bus for Arusha. By the time we arrived at the bus, our arms were about ready to fall off! It was quite a hike, and it was already very warm, even though it wasn’t yet 8:00am! The bus we boarded was a small one, only three seats wide (two on one side and one on the other with an aisle in between) and about 15 rows long. An evangelist from one of our churches was already on the bus and helped us get on and settled. The cost to take the bus from Moshi to Arusha (about a two hour trip) was 2,000 Tanzania shillings (about $1.50) per person. This is much less expensive than renting a car, and much quicker than taking the smaller local buses.

The scenery is quite beautiful along this route, with all kinds of agricultural diversity. Coffee, bananas, and corn are grown, and goats and cattle are herded. I had my book unpacked to read, but never opened it. Even though I have traveled this road many times now during my trips to East Africa, I still find new things to see and enjoy. I had to smile when we passed the Dik Dik hotel, which Bruce had made a big deal about when he was here last year. Bruce, I hope you were able to get that picture to your brother!

The ride went smoothly until we arrived in Arusha. The bus was supposed to stop at an intersection near the hotel we were staying at, but they must have been in a hurry. We told them they had missed our stop and they pulled over so we could get out. I had two bags, and Russ had two bags, plus his suitcase which had been put in the boot. As I hustled off the bus started moving, and Russ almost didn’t make it off. As we crossed the street Russ realized that he had left one of his bags on the bus. We turned around and the bus was gone! I grabbed his suitcase and told him “GO, I’ll take this!” Off he ran to catch the bus with plenty of Africans laughing at the site of a Muzungu chasing a phantom bus! At one point he grabbed on to the window of a moving Dala-dala, to get a ride after the big bus. It was here that he was assisted by a young lady named Margaret who was on her way to work.

I checked into the hotel and went up to check on preparations for the conference which was scheduled to start at 11:00am. When I came back down, Russ was back, but he still didn’t have his bag. He was talking to people to see what could be done to find it. In a matter of minutes it seemed like the whole city of Arusha (as well as all the people who had come to Arusha for our conference) were out looking for Russ’s bag! Finally, with quite a bit of help from Margaret and conference attendees, the bag was recovered. It did end up costing him about $30, but it was worth it. His camera, printer and other items were in there, and would have cost more than that to replace. His ticket to Arusha ended up being a bit more expensive than $1.50!

After everything settled down we began the conference. We had 16 people in attendance from all over the area. There were pastors, evangelists, and Sunday School teachers there. Once again I went through the study on the church year calendar and pericope, and Russ went though a study of the Second Article.

After the conference I scheduled meetings with different pastors and groups of pastors to talk about their work and individual situations. This was especially important with those who we would not be seeing again on this trip. These meetings went on for about two hours and we wrapped up at about 5:30 – just about the time Larry finally arrived from his adventure in Moshi. It was another good day, with a lot of worthwhile work accomplished.

After a short break, Russ, Larry and I sat down to discuss the events of the day over supper. Supper itself is usually an adventure. The menu is pretty limited, and you don’t always get what you order. Larry ordered fish one night, expecting a battered fillet and instead was given a full pan fried fish - head, tail, eyeball and all! To his credit he ate it, but said that it was more work than it was worth! I won’t even eat fish the other way!

Tomorrow we are off to visit one of our Masai stations outside of Arusha. We are all looking forward to it. May the LORD continue to bless our visitations and strengthen the believers here though the study of His Word!

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

The Living Water

Monday, November 2, 2009

Every once in a while, we need to have a catch-up day. Today was just such a day. We were scheduled to visit the congregation in Masita wa Tembo to the south of Moshi. No specific time was set, but we had to wait for Pastor Jeremiah to arrive from Arusha. So, after breakfast I decided it would be a good time to get to an Internet Café to catch up on e-mails and reports and to get some copies made. Most of the internet service in East Africa is very slow. The best place that I have found while I have been here is in Moshi at PAMM INTERNET. The connection is very fast and reliable, I can use my own laptop (instead of using their computers), and it is very inexpensive. I can even use Skype from there to call back home for very little cost. I told the owner that his internet place was the best place I have found in East Africa, and he was very thankful!

Later in the morning, several men arrived to visit with us about the work in this area of Tanzania. It was so very enjoyable to see their zeal for the preaching of the Gospel! There have been some divisions between these men in the past, but now they are coming together to carry out the LORD’s work. What a joy!

We were supposed to go to Masita wa Temba to see the church there, but some changes had to be made. Last night we had a hard rain and it made travel to the congregation we were supposed to visit very difficult. So we had to cancel our visit. Pastor Martin of Masita wa Temba, was given a loan to help him support his family and ministry. We heard that he had put his loan to good use by drilling a well to provide water for crops. Larry especially was eager to see his project and how the loan money had been used. So, Larry, Martin, Jeremiah and I rode out to see Pastor Martin’s land, crops and progress. We drove south out of Moshi past the Kilimanjaro Brewery (where they brew Kilimangaro Beer), and past a huge sugar cane plantation of 60,000 acres and factory. As we drove through the plantation, it was crop after crop of sugar cane in different stages of growth and harvest. They have a portable irrigation system for watering the crop during the dry season, and about 1,500 workers employed there.

From there we drove into an area of fairly good land which was used for growing corn and beans. It was in this area that Pastor Martin had his small field. He proudly showed us his field with corn, tomatoes and beans, and the well he was able to drill with the loan from the CLC. This area is currently very dry, and without the water from the well, would be unable to be farmed. He has a very good system of flood irrigation, and should have a good harvest with the water he now has. We were told that he has set a great example here and that many are pointing to his field as a model farm for this area! In addition to the farm, Pastor Martin operates a small store in his village. He buys products in bulk a the market in Moshi and takes them back to his village to sell them for a small profit. This seems also to be going well.

We were thankful to see a loan being put to such profitable use, and pray that the LORD would continue to bless his efforts to support his family and church.

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1).

Sunday in Marangu

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Today is our first Sunday in Africa this year – we have been here for one week now. It was planned that we would visit the church in Murangu this morning. Last night we made arrangements with a taxi driver to take us to Murangu in the morning. We would have to leave a little before 8:00am to make it there in time for the 10:00am service. After our now-typical breakfast, Larry, Russ and I met Pastor Malyi in front of the hotel and loaded our luggage into the boot (that’s the African word for trunk). We headed East out of Arusha and passed several other churches that I have visited on previous trips: Momella, Legruki, Moshi, Kiberaloni, Jerusalem, Osehu, Uchira, and Himo. We left the shadow of Mt. Meru and entered the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Along the way we decided to drop Larry off in Himo while Malyi, Russ and I went on to Murangu. The seminary building is located in Himo, and one of our congregations uses the building for worship services on Sunday mornings. One of last year’s seminary graduates now serves the congregation in Himo.

After dropping Larry off in Himo we turned North and headed right for Mt. Kilimanjaro. About 20 kilometers north of Himo is Murangu, right next to one of the entrances for the Mt. Kilimanjaro park. It is a very beautiful and prosperous area with all the agricultural products that are grown there.

We arrived a little late – it was about 10:15am – but there were only a few people there. Slowly, more and more people began to show up and finally we began at a little after 11:00am. The congregation was made up primarily of women and children, but this seems to be typical of African churches. They had congregational hymns, responsive readings, Scripture readings, a condensed liturgy, and the time for the sermon. Russ used the story of David and Goliath as a reminder that even the small and weak can prevail with the Lord on their side. I preached on Ephesians 2, and reminded the people that we are dead in sins but have been made alive in Christ. I emphasized the fact that this is the work of God since dead people cannot do anything for themselves. I was amazed how many people remembered the sermon I had done on the armor of God two years before!

After the service one of the women of the congregation brought us oranges, cucumbers, papaya, and donoughts, with coffee. I am not a coffee drinker, but I tried some – I still don’t know why so many people like coffee!

We returned back down the hill to Himo to pick up Larry at the seminary and greeted some of the members who had remained after the service to visit with him. It was good to see them again, and they were glad to see us as well.

After saying goodbye, we turned back to the west to return to Moshi. We had a meeting scheduled with a member here to talk about some of the issues facing our churches in East Africa. We visited for about 3 hours and learned a lot from the meeting. It was well worth the time and effort.

Tonight we are staying at a hostel in Moshi, probably one of our favorite places to stay while in East Africa. It is used as a training facility for hotels across East Africa and offers inexpensive lodging, great food, and wonderful service. I turned in some clothes to get washed and had a whole load of laundry done for me for less than $5! It is always clean and it is returned very neatly folded! Usually we spend more time here, but this year we will only have two nights. Maybe we will have more time here next year....

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

To Arusha, Tanzania

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Friends in Christ,

I had my alarm set for 5:40am so I could ready and waiting for Charles when he arrived at 6:00am. I didn’t need it. Russ woke up at around 4:30am and couldn’t sleep so he read for a while. I awoke as well, but went back to sleep. About an hour later I woke up again and saw it was about time to get up. There was no sense trying to go back to sleep. I got up and went down to the lobby from our second story room to wait for Charles in the lobby. All the lights were still off, but people soon began to appear. A young woman materialized at the front desk, and a light flickered on back in the dining room. A young man began hosing leaves off the front side walk while an older man carried chairs and tables out front to get them set up for the days activities. Ah, the beginning of another day at the Southern Blue!

Charles arrived just a few minutes later and arranged to have me taken to the bus terminal to get our tickets to Arusha. I stopped to exchange some money, and then headed to the bus station. Two men greeted us as we pulled up, and were all too eager to help. I told them that I wanted three ticket to Arusha and asked about the price. They told me they were 18,000 shillings and I told them that was much more than last year and I wouldn’t pay that much. “I’ll find another bus to take me” I told them. Then one of them said he would give me a deal. “How much?” I asked. “1,200” he responded. After some quick calculations (1,200 Kenya Shillings would be equal to about $16.50) I told them I’d take them. (After reflecting on this on my way back to the hotel I came to the conclusion that I had misunderstood him the first time, and he probably said 1,800 shillings, and not 18,000 shillings! I had bargained down the price and bartered a better ticket price quite by accident!) It was a good deal, but the bus left at 8:00am and Russ and Larry didn’t know we were leaving that soon. We had to hurry to get packed up, eat breakfast and get back to the bus station for boarding at 7:30am.

Everything went smoothly, and we left right on time. It was a 7 hour ride to Arusha. We rode south across the wastelands of southern Kenya, crossed the border into Tanzania, and passed even more desolate land there. It was very dry, and reminded us of what things must have been like in Midwestern states during the dust bowls era in the 1930's. You would have to see it to believe it. As we neared Arusha, which sits at the foot of Mt. Meru, things began to change. It rained (we drove through the rushing water that was the result of a short, strong burst of rain which must of passed just before we got there) and the landscape turned from brown to green. It is amazing to see what a difference the mountain makes in the climate of an area!

We were the last to get off the 30 passenger bus, and they dropped us off right at the Eland Hotel. We checked in to a “triple” which was really double with three beds. (I walked into our room and told the man that this was a double not a triple and he responded “I get you another bed.” He then proceeded to take the chairs, table and TV out of our room and replace it with a third bed. It was tight quarters, but it worked!

We unpacked and prepared to go out to get some money exchanged and get something to eat. As we were walking out the front door of the hotel, Pastor Malyi arrived to meet us! We visited with him for about half an hour and Pastor Jeremiah arrived as well. We caught up on how things have been going in the Arusha and Moshi districts here in Tanzania, and went over the schedule for the week.


After settling up with the hotel and discussing the cost of the conference here on Tuesday, we sat down to finally get something to eat. It was about 7:30pm and we hadn’t had anything to eat for 12 hours - since we had breakfast in Nairobi. We were all hungry! Both Russ and Larry abandoned their African food staple of chips for something more hearty on this night (usually they both order a plate of potato wedges). Russ ordered pepper steak, Larry ordered the fish fillet, and I ordered Spaghetti bolognaise. Each meal was very good, and cost about $5.

After supper we retired to our room. The Eland is a bit more expensive than other places we have stayed because of the Arusha area, but Pastor Jeremiah and Malyi both insists that we stay here for safety reasons (they are concerned that we might get robbed if we stay somewhere else). It isn’t our favorite place to stay, but we usually don’t stay here very long. This year we will stay in the Eland a total of five nights. We are looking forward to going to Moshi area tomorrow where we will be staying in one of our favorite and least expensive lodging places in East Africa. More about that tomorrow...

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

Jesus said to His disciples: “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4).

A unique opportunity

Friday, October 30, 2009

Friends in Christ,

Today was unique. Usually we have days where we are scheduled to visit congregations and teach – as we have been doing so far. We were supposed to visit one or two congregations in the Nairobi area, but today we had a change in schedule. Last night Charles called me with a surprise request. Since we have been here we have had another man driving for us. Our driver usually sits in the car when we are on a congregational visit. But while we were in Gatarakwa, he must have listened in because he commented to me after our meeting, "You had a good sermon" – that was all. But last night Charles called and told me that the man who was driving for us was listening to what we were teaching over the past few days and was interested in learning more about the Church of the Lutheran Confession. He had asked if we would come to his house to explain Lutheran teaching to him and a few of his neighbors, and we readily agreed.

The three leaders of our Nairobi district: Charles M, Charles G, (our driver - also Charles!) and Simon.

He picked us up at the hotel at 10:00am and he took us to his house in Tena, which is a large suburb of Nairobi. Tena is replete with one apartment building after another. A large part of the population of Nairobi must call this area home. After winding through a maze of these buildings we pulled into a small walled courtyard which surrounded another apartment compound. We exited the car and were led through some narrow outdoor corridors into the innards of the complex. We then climbed four flights of concrete stairs (this area would even put Texas to shame with its liberal use of concrete!) and were invited into our drivers home and introduced to his family. One by one, others began to arrive and introduce themselves to us. In the end we had an eclectic group of religious background represented: Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, and others. From our visit it was clear that few of these people really knew anything about the Bible, in spite of the fact that they were or had been a part of another church.

We gave them a few Spokesman issues and catechisms and pointed them to the CLC Missions website for more information, and asked them to contact us if they had any more questions. May the LORD bless their study of His Word!

After the meeting, our driver asked if he could learn more and we discussed the possibility of going through the catechism online after my return. I brought a few of the new Sydow catechism workbooks with hyperlinked cd’s and may use one of these to go through the catechism with him during the coming year. What an exciting opportunity we have here with this man, simply because he had the opportunity to hear the Word of God while he was driving us!

In the afternoon we visited a small orphanage that Charles had been working with. They cared for 34 abandoned boys from age 4 to 17. The manager, Lucy, was very well organized and ran a very tight ship. They had crops planted to provide food, and cared for a cow, chickens and rabbits (which were raised for food). All the boys and the manager lived on the property, and the younger boys were schooled there. They washed their own clothes and helped with the care of the animals and crops. It was a very interesting visit.

Rabbit, anyone?

When we were finished, we needed to return to Nairobi, and we wanted to stop and buy our bus tickets to Arusha for the following day. At first everything went smoothly. It was rush hour, but everyone was coming out of Nairobi and we were going in. But as we got closer to the city center, traffic picked up and we became stuck in a mess of traffic. Atlanta, you haven’t seen anything like this! Bus after bus packed full of people, all jockeying for position and cutting one another off, eager to prove that they could get their fare to the destination before the next! From the back seat I was watching the gas gauge which was now below the line marked E. We passed one gas station after another without a stop. In an effort to conserve gas our driver began to turn the car off when we were stopped in traffic. An hour passed, and it became dark and then it happened. As the traffic began to move, our driver turned the ignition to start the car, but to no avail! No, we had not run out of gas – the battery had died! Now we were in the middle of a traffic jam, car horns honking all around us, and we have a dead battery. To make matters worse, we had switched cars and now had an automatic, which meant that we couldn’t push start it.... So, we jumped out of the car and slowly pushed it out of traffic and off the road. It must have been quite a sight – three muzungu’s (Swahili for white man) pushing their car and driver off the road in downtown Nairobi! Always an adventure.

Charles came to the rescue and helped us get back to our hotel, although it was after 8:00 pm and we had to abandon any thought of getting our bus tickets tonight. Charles agreed to pick me up at 6:00am to go and get our tickets to Arusha. In spite of all the excitement at the end of the day, it was a good and very beneficial day.

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

"This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).

Conference in Nairobi

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Friends in Christ,

While I am here in East Africa I have two main objectives. One is to visit the congregations here and encourage them with the Word of God. The second is to meet with the leaders of our churches and study the Word of God with them and help them grow in their knowledge of the great things God has done for them. There are other responsibilities as well, but these two are the most prevalent. So far we have been doing church visiting. But today we had the opportunity to do the study and instruction. This morning we scheduled a seminar for the leaders of the Nairobi district, which stretches from Mombasa on the coast to north of Nyahururu above the equator. These men come a very long distance to meet and study God’s Word.

My faithful sidekicks - Larry Hansen (standing) and Russ Schmitt (seated).

Twelve men from the Nairobi district came to meet with us in a conference room not far from our hotel. We began at about 10:30am and continued until about 2:00 in the afternoon. As much as we would have liked to have gone longer, many of these men had long distances to travel, and had busses they had to catch.

For our meeting, I explained the Church Year, and the value of following a pericope which can assist pastors to preach "the whole counsel of God." Russ had prepared a study on the Second Article on the Apostles’ Creed and went through that with our men as well. We gave each of the men who came an English Bible, and small booklet on the chief parts of the Catechism, and one of the 2010 CLC Mission Calendars put together by the Mission Board. They were quite excited about the calendars since many of these men and their congregations were pictured on the November page!

After the meeting we met individually with some of the men, and then had the rest of the afternoon to catch up on reports and make preparations for coming seminars and conferences. This short break was greatly needed. I had gone to the Cyber café (there is no coffee at this café!) in the morning and had only enough time to print off sheets for our conference and read a couple of e-mails. The computers here are generally very old, and the connections are very slow as well. So I went back in the afternoon, and it took me about an hour and a half to put a bit of information on the blog and read important e-mails. The Internet here is nothing to write home about!

Tomorrow we will be visiting a couple of congregations and make bus reservations for going to Arusha, Tanzania on the following day. Our work continues...

It is such a joy and privilege to have the opportunity to be a part of the Lord’s work in this way! May the Lord be with these men in their work of ministry and bless the proclamation of His Word through them!

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

"Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3).

On the road again...

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Friends in Christ,

Today started unexpectedly. We were supposed to be ready to go at 10:00 for our visits, but at 7:45am we received a call from Charles saying that he was at the hotel with some of the men from Nyeri and they wanted to visit! We were all still in bed after a long day and late night the previous day, so it caught us a bit off guard. But we got up and Larry and I walked up to the lobby to meet with them. We were updated on what was going on with our churches in the Nyeri area, and had a good visit with these men. We wrapped up at a bit before 10:00, ate a quick breakfast, packed our things, checked out, and were ready to load up and head to Nyahururu by 10:30.

It was a two hour drive from Nyeri to Nyahururu across increasingly dry landscape. When we arrived in Nyahururu we saw corn that had tasseled, but that was no more than two feet tall! Much of Kenya has been facing a harsh drought for going on four years now, and many of the people are suffering. It is a heart wrenching thing to see. Our congregation tried to help as well, but there is little that they can do. In spite of the severe drought, the Bougainvillea tree outside the Miano home boasted beautiful red flowers. If only the corn could thrive like that!

When we arrived we were greeted by Pastor Miano and his wife. They welcomed us into their wooden home and gave us boiled chicken, chapati, and vegetables. Although we were not very hungry we ate what we could, and it was very good.

Following the meal we gathered around the word with a few others who had been able to come, to encourage them with the Gospel during this difficult time of drought. We pray that the Lord would send rain for these people soon, according to His good and gracious will.

After about an hour and a half in Nyahururu we began the long journey back to Nairobi. We made it back to the Southern Blue at about 7:00pm.

After settling back in and eating supper, I set out to go through the over 250 pounds of books that we brought over from CLC members in the states. These books were donated by individuals, schools and churches throughout the CLC and will be put to use here in many ways. Some will be give to the new seminary that is starting in Arusha, Tanzania. Other books like Bibles and catechisms will be given out to pastors and evangelists throughout East Africa. And some children’s books will be given to the Etago orphan school. They will all be put to use in the work of ministry here in East Africa. We give thanks to the Lord for all that our fellow members have done to assist the work here, and ask that you keep the work here in your prayers. There is so much to do, and so little time to do it.

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Luke 10:2).