Jesus – AfricaEddie

Gafcontiki Tours Tanzania – Local Volunteer becomes a Tour Operator

On becoming a tour operator in Kenya and Tanzania. What was I thinking!~

What Was I Thinking? What Possessed them to Go?

Everything about this seems wrong. Everything. What if I could convince people from Australia to come to Tanzania after the conference in Kigali to visit the church on the ground and see the real Africa? It was an ambitious thought for someone not known as ambitious.

From April 2022 I was in Musoma, Tanzania volunteering with the Anglican Diocese of Mara at the invitation of Bishop George Okoth, who I had come to know through my work at Anglican Aid. Prior to departing Australia, I remembered the post GAFCON tour of Israel organised by a pastor from Sydney which was professionally organised by Sam, a guide who gave us lots of insights in the land of Jesus.

The issue for me was Jesus didn’t set foot in Tanzania, I am not a tour guide and this would be cheap as was the 2018 trip to Israel but in areas where 1 star accommodation was luxurious by local standards.

The purpose of doing something as crazy as this was that the Tanzanian church is struggling and its relationships in the UK are tenuous and it needs friends from Australia who might take an interest in partnering through prayer, visits and support through skills and knowledge transfer, training and money. Tanzania at one time had over 100 CMS missionaries here but will soon have one.

The other issue is the Tanzanian church is divided itself. American money, and lots of it is influencing relationship and orthodox bishops are seeking to remain true to the Biblical gospel which is under attack in the western church. Money is a new form of colonialism by imperial powers seeking to overthrow the faith once delivered by them when thy were orthodox.

On arrival last year the task seemed overwhelming and I had lost heart but after communicating with a Sydney pastor who encouraged me I pressed on. I discussed the concept with Bishop Mwita Akiri, chair of GAFCON Tanzania whch counts a dozen members of 28 dioceses. He was supportive as were his fellow bishops in Mara and Rorya Dioceses.

Rather than promoting a tour like tour companies do, this was a personal invitation from the Chair of GAFCON Tanzania and Bishop of Tarime Diocese. The letter was circulated to delagates in Australia registering for the conference while details were arranged. A rough itinerary and two pages of explanation accompanied the letter.

The logistics were complex and I decided the easiest and cheapest option was for people to fly to Nairobi from Kigali after the conference ended and bus it down to Tanzania. A kenyan tour operator who arranged my climb up Kilimanjaro provided quotes and I budgetted a minimum of fifteen by October to be confident of proceeding. However the numbers were thin and that idea was canned. A local bus operator in Tanzania know to the local bishop in Tarime was met prior to my departure in October and discussions occurred about his capacity to runa bus for a week from Tarime to Nairobi and all planned visits in Tanzania until each person was dropped either at an airport in Mwanza or a hotel.

So while numbers were still thin by November, the Kenyan company was cancelled and once 12 people committed I knew it was on. The bus at 29 seats was going to be limited to 18 plus the driver and I. As numbers increased the cost reduced as the bus hire was split eventually by 19 people.

In concert with the bishops an itinerary was planned. The Archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel had also been invited by Mara Diocese to come to open Shalom School so it was possible the church would be managing two lots of visitors. This was eventually confirmed.

Bishops and their wives at Tarime June 2022 – +Mwita Akiri +George Okoth and +Musa Yamo

The early invitation included an overight in Serengeti and when feedback suggested a shorter tour than the 10 days I had initially planned, this was scrapped in favour of a drive through the park while I was at the Shalom opening.

Accommodation was arranged in Tarime at a farm that the church owned which had basic accommodation and meals in a shared dining room. Rustic would be an apt decription with running water and electricity.

People were responsible for their own flights. Everything from Nairobi to Mwanza was covered except lunch on Saturday. The anglican Church Guesthouse in Nairobi was booked and communications with them was excellent. Costs were paid as they occurred so by February all Nairobi costs had been covered in Kenyan shillings. The Tanzanian costs were all budgetted in Tanzanian shillings.

The accommodation in Bunda was a hotel which I spotted opposite the bus stop and when next in Bunda I visited and saw it was opened in 2020 during Covid. Booking six months in advance was a challenge as they had no concept that people booked so far ahead. As numbers increased a local church contact would update the booking each time.

By Christmas all was finalised and barring a pandemic the only financial risk was each person’s Nairobi booking which was paid in advance.

Wise is a foreign exchange provider which made managing the payments a breeze. Costs were minimal compared the normal banking system and each cost was paid in local currency with less than 1% fees and a mid market rate (Banks in Australia charge a spread of 3-5 percent depending on currency). Finalising the accounts was also a breeze as I was able to download all transactions, filtering them by currency.

Final costs were about AU$800 per person with a minor reduction for married couples for accommodationinBunda. The final group was made up of

The group comprised the following:

Five ordained clergy and three clergy wives
Staff member from Anglican Aid
Executive Director Anglican Relief and Development Fund Australia
A former missionary to Tanzania now retired and her daughter who grew up there. Both were fluent Swahili speakers.
The 15 year old daughter of a clergy couple whose school supports Bunda Girls Secondary School and Shalom School in Bunda
Six lay people made up of a married couple, one female and three males (self included).
Of the nineteen, two were medical practitioners and two were journalists (one of the clergy was a radio journalist before going into the ministry, the other a former SMH and Eternity Magazine Editor).

Our group of travellers ready to leave Nairobi on Saturday morning 22 April 2023

Our print journalist now posts daily on his blog The Other Cheek kept readers updated daily on what he called the Gafcon tiki tour (Contiki Tours were a rite of passage for young people in the 1970s and 80s. I will be posting about daily activities but if you want a flavour of what is to come John’s articles provide aspects of what occurred daily. My blogs will be pictorial more than editorial.

By the way I don’t begrudge travel agents now charging a fee after experiencing the work involved in travelling arrangements.

GAFCON Conference Kigali

While in Tanzania last year I worked with bishops of three local dioceses within two hours of each other which are all GAFCON aligned. The schism in the global Anglican church was finalised early in 2023 when the Church of England made decisions which the Global South and GAFCON provinces comprising over 80% of the Anglicans globally refused to accept. The Church of England is mother to most of these churches in Asia, Africa and Latin America. They are firmly saying no to revision to fit modern culture. A daily summary of the conference can be viewed which gives a flavour of the four days.

My early arrival was unnecessary as the job I had expected to do was made redundant before I arrived. The Rwandan organisers had everything arranged and were fantatstic.

This allowed Saturday as leisure and so we visited the Genocide Memorial, a week after the weeklong “celebration” memorialising the genocide of 1994 when 1 million (one million people were slaughtered in a genocide only paralled by the Holocaust and Srebrenica in Yugoslavia. I had rushed through here on Good Friday 2014 so it was good to take some hours reflecting and understanding how this genocide occurred. No photos once inside. So little to show apart from the following of the outside and a lunch we had with three international students from Malawi, Ethiopia and Canada after the memorial visit.

My week of the conference is summarised in photos. Many feature Alpha Lugoley my travelling buddy. He is principal of Bunda Bible College and apart from a week in Kenya last year had never been out of Tanzania. I pushed him to meet people as he is naturally reticient and shy so it was good to see him interacting with many. Enjoy the photos. BTW + denotes Bishops and ++ denotes Archbishops.

That is the wrap from GAFCON in Kigali. Next post will be about 18 crazy Aussies trusting me to show them Tanzania.

Palm Sunday 2023 and the Lost Sheep

The flight to Tanzania was flawless and Qatar Air and Doha Airport are great. Doha Airport was named best airport globally in 2022. No emptying cabin baggage (ie computers) in the transfer area. The arrival in Dar Es Salaam was not without incident as the five laptops in my luggage had me taken aside to empty out my bags and convince customs I was not selling them. Then checkin was complicated as I was told I could not have them in my checked baggage so had to carry them in cabin baggage! Getting to the hotel wasa nightmare. I walked there once that is how close it is but roadworks made it a 30 minute taxi and 47 minutes next morning.

Having arrived in Musoma Wednesday April 28 with Easter approaching it was clear that Lent is still a big deal and the Easter bunny is not. My trip from Mwanza was punctuated by a brief visit to Bishop Zephaniah Ntuza of the Diocese of Victoria Nyanza.

Dinner with these two.Couriering from Australia to Godwin in Dar and from Deborah to Musoma.

I am leading a group of 18 Australians who will be at an Anglican conference in Kigali who will come to Tanzania on a lightning tour to visit churches and understand how the church is functioning in a developing country. My visit to the Bishop was to meet him as our final morning will be spent visiting his diocese.

I moved back in with my friend Bishop George who was glad to see me and again have comapny in his lonely role as his wife continues in Dodoma, 1,000kms away. However she arrived for Easter holidays on Saturday night so is here for two weeks on school break. BTW she teaches a class of 235 grade 6/7 primary students with one other teacher! The bishop did ask if they learn anything or is it just chilminding?

I am back walking the dogs with Bishop in the morning. However, having housesat (read dogsitting) for two daughters in Adelaide and Sydney, I have learned a thing or two about how to slow these German Shepherds down. So my gift to Bishop was two dog leads which puts us in control of these sprinters. After two morning walks, we were less run off our feet and both dogs appear to have learned that they can no longer drag us as we control their power through our writs.

It rained non-stop my first three nights here and a funeral for a clergy person an hour and a half away that the bishop was to be at on Saturday proceeded without him as a bridge was under water from the rain. However in this agricultural society, no one complains about it being too wet.

So Palm Sunday was both of us going to the English service. However enroute we were picking up a man he had known for over thirty years who was a leader in the church that he forst was appointed to as a minister and who helped him greatly. He hasn’t graced the inside of a church for decades, having slidden into alcol abuse.

So we were 20 minutes late having waited for this man to get ready. However it was interesting when time came for Bishop to say a few words and he asked this gentleman up and told the congregation his story about how helpful he had been and how he had backslidden and was now returning to church! A big clap from the congregation. It was a lesson to behold as someone was welcomed back as the lost sheep.

The sermon earlier talked about struggle and so it was a theme that fitted in nicely as this man in his late 60s or maybe even 70 was welcomed back. The fact that Bishop made his way to bring him highlighted the humility of this man who has a pastoral heart for people.

The other pleasing thing was that the overheads using a projector and computer has been enhanced since I left and they have figured out the way to overcome problems. I left having agreed to preach Easter Sunday.

I am here until mid July. My goals on this visit are:

Facilitating a Leadership Development Program for senior staff here over three months
22 April leading 18 people on a tour of 4 dioceses for six days
Completion of the Strategic plan
Completion of Bunda Girls School buildings (it started in 2013 so it will be nice to see it finalised)
Completion of the Strategic plan for which most work was done last year.

So my focus at this stage is getting all details of the tour organised before focussing too hard elsewhere.

Back into work and Malaria strikes!

My first full week back was spent reorienting myself and looking at the remaining time here and what needs to be done. I developed a spreadsheet to plan my time as I know it will fly. I also had invitations from two nearby bishops to visit them and spend the weekend including preaching at their cathedrals. The fist was due on my second weekend back but cancelled as he is away. I will be at Rorya about two hours north near the Kenyan border on Sunday 4 September for an ordination service. So preparation for that is a priority. If you pray that would be helpful. I have selected Daniel 1 as the text.

My major goals before I leave are to complete a strategic plan in draft form for the diocese and have it ready before I leave at the end of September, help the diocese decide if it wishes to pursue a disability program following my visit to Karagwe and the opportunities that provides, work with the IT guy on the website and the next newsletter and do some financial policy work.

The financial reporting system here is not robust and I have suggested that there be a reporting system established by each unit which receives and spends funds. An audit a few years ago highlighted some basic issues that need to be established so I was asked to speak to the management team about that and the disability program. A meeting with all schools is planned for 30 September to discuss inclusive education and the possibility of using a site here as the base and having all four schools involved as part of a model supporting kids with disabilities unable go to school due to their disability.

The principal of the Bible College asked me to assist with some correspondence he received. This required the 2023 budget to be prepared and sent to the funder. Budgets here are on a CY basis and usually not completed till November or December. Apart from drafting a budget based on the 2022 budget and returning it to him, this provided focus on the whole budget preparation cycle. The bishop and the accountant agree that the end of the year means little time left to critically review and analyse budgets and make changes. The example of food at the college based on maize prices of 800TZS/kg in the budget when it is now 1200TZS/kg (thanks Putin) means that the budget for this year will see blowouts in food. Inflation here is running at least at 10% although public servants received a 21% pay rise in June.

I met the accountant and he is happy for a policy on financial reporting to be established. We also discussed moving to computer based accounting which will be a huge task but might be looked at slowly as a trial. We will see as it does require money that is not there.

I had various discussions with staff about a staffing issue in one of the schools and the way to manage this. Cultural issues here mean a solution is more complex than in Australia.

Mwita the IT guy is away working as an IT specialist on the census so discussions about the newsletter have been limited. Hoping this can be prepared by early September.

Tuesday of week two saw me listless, lethargic and tired. It was census day so no work. I did nothing for the day and felt generally unwell. This continued into Wednesday and while not a flu I wondered if Covid had hit me again. I googled malaria late Wednesday and took myself to the Coptic (Egyptian) Hospital Thursday morning. They actually spoke good English. I waited like everone else – mainly women with infant children and a few older people. A very ordered system where on arrival a small marquee is where you have your BP, temperature and pulse done and then go inside to register. Pay 2000 TZS ($1.25) to see the Egyptian doctor. He ordered a blood smear to test for malaria as well as RAT for malaria which was interesting. Back to the cashier to pay 2,000 TZS for the blood test. Waited an hour and back in to see Dr Peter who confirmed falciparum malaria and said there were three options. The best he told me was the drug I was prescribed, I didn’t need to worry about the other two as I had financial capacity.

The wait between the blood test and the result was interesting as I sat outside the room where my blood was acuired from a needle prick and I hear every kid screaming after they entered so most were being tested for malaria. The killer for kids is if they come to late and the disease becomes untratable due to cerbral malaria. It is a terrible death. However I was also conscious that these parents, as poor as some of them looked invested 2,000 TZ which may equate to a day’s wage for their children’s sake.

Rembrant’s Prodigal Son in the waiting room

The cost of medical treatment. Cheap for me but unafforable for most. US$/2300

I was seated next to a mum still breastfeeding her daughter who was happy to clamber over me. She had a cough but looked OK otherwise so I guessed she also ws there for malaria. Once I had seen the doctor, received my script it was back to the cashier to pay 15,500 TZS ($10) for my medication which included 20 panadol which I didn’t think necessary but on reading the side effects of the malaria meds I realised they were for the possible side effects.

Saturday lunch at the Rehema Cafe. Last Saturday as the coordinator Heather leaves for South Africa for annual medical checks. Lunch was a group of ten or so. Arthur from the office, the bishop’s son and daughter and the IT guy Mwita as well as Arthur’s family.

Tipi (UK) Rachel, Mwita (IT at work) Jeremiah and Arthur from work

The coming week is going to be busy.

Six weeks away and back to Musoma

During the ordination service 12 choirs participated. Prior to the sermon all choirs joined together and sang and danced with congregation members.

It has been seven weeks since writing. My holiday to Europe was full of interesting surprises with initially the cancellation of my flight from Tanzania by KLM and still waiting for insurance to finalise my claim.

I met Linda in Southampton and together we cruised to Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, back to Denmark (Copenhagen), Norway (missed all of it), Iceland, Lerwick (Scotland), Newcastle and back to Southampton (30 days in all).

The cruise was more relaxing than intended. On July 12 all passenegrs staying on past Copenhagen (where many were exiting and others getting on) underwent a COVID test. I tested positive and spent nine days in isolation while Linda was able to enjoy her time without me. I was asymptomatic, other than a slight runny nose for a day or two. I stayed in the isolation room, jogged on the spot for 40 minutes daily, ordered liberally from room service and read lots and watched 4 movies. I totally missed the four stops in Norway and first two ports in Iceland and got to know my neighbours from chats on the balcony. A lovely couple from Florida who we had dinner with towards the end of the cruise.

We left the ship in England on 29 July for Heathrow. Linda to Australia and me to Franfurt for a flying visit to German family I had not seen for twelve years. Following five full days in Germany, I flew to Riga, Latvia, mainly to catch up with an 88 year old cousin to obtain more family history on my father’s side. She was a lot more open on this visit than my previous visits and I learned a lot about my father, his family and her as well living, with my grandparents on the original farm when the Soviets arrived looking for uncles (three of whom subsequently captured went to Siberia and not for a holiday).

Back to Tanzania leaving Riga on Sunday. I arrived in Mwanza Monday night 8 August after five airports and four flights. I flew Tuesday to Bukoba to do a favour for a friend from another agency who had some projects in Lweru Diocese and also for a meeting with a disability organision in Kagera Diocese on behalf of Mara Diocese. The disability meeting opens a possibility to commence a disability program in the Musoma area but there is a LOT of work. My visit to Lweru was fascinating as I visited families which had been gifted a cow for nutrition purposes as well as income generation. One of the families I visited had a child with sysmptoms of kwashiorkor so milk will assist in overcoming protein deficiency once it has calved.

I also visited a number of churches where my friend’s agency had put roofs on churches which is the most expensive part of a church building. Locals make the bricks and construct the walls but the cost of iron sheeting and timber often sees these buildings damaged in heavy rain. My last church visit the people gave me a chicken and a bag of nuts as a token of appreciation (thanks Lucy) as I was the ARDFA rep in their eyes.

Back across the lake Friday. Two meetings in two days and two days to get there. I saved a day by flying direct from Dar Es Salaam to Bukoba otherwise it would have been a full week away.

Back to Musoma late Friday afternoon and feeling “at home.” Bishop’s wife and son and youngest daughter are here for all of August due to the national census. Biblical in its organisation, each person returns to their home and the country effectively is shut on Tuesday 23 August as thousands of census collectors visit each household in each village across the nation, tablet in hand to personally interview each household member. Schools, colleges and universities are closed for the month instead of the normal July break. It seems to be a mammoth and very expensive task as census collectors spent 11 paid days being trained.

I preached at the English service on my first Sunday back and my first week back has been frenetic. Then to the Cathedral where an ordination service commenced at 8am and finished at 2:36pm! It was some service and whilst long, the penchant for music was in full force as twelve choirs including mainly visiting choirs sang. There was a mosh pit as these choirs and congregations came together and sang and danced in praise. Unlike English churches where a song may be 3-4 minutes in length, some of the Swahili songs stretch out to 10-12 minutes so ninety minutes minimum is all song. Then the ordinations which were held in two parts. Deacons which is their first ordination comprised nine men and women and then priests who have generally been ordained as deacons for some time and this was much longer for the six men and women. Photographing them from behind the bishop, the solemnity and emotion were clear on their faces as hands were laid on them as the bishop ordianed them.

The service ended with the usual auction and I bought two of the three goats as ordination gifts for two of the women priested. Both are women who suffered polio in their younger years and have overcome adversity to attend college for three years, supporting themselves in the process while still raising families as single mothers. The commitment is extraordinary against a background of poverty and disability disadvanatage.

A mosh pit as all choirs and congregation joined together in song

I had planned to summarise my first week as well. It has been busy but will defer for another week.

The Last Two Weeks

My last two weeks here easily the busiest with a flurry of activities I wanted to complete.

Saturday 11 June saw a record number of students graduate from Bunda Bible College. This is the largest cohort in the history of any college in the Anglican Church of Tanzania. Apart from the local bishop of Mara, three other Bishops being Musa Yamo from Rorya and former college principal with whom I worked closely from his appointment in 2016, Godfrey Mbelwa from Lweru on the other side of the lake whom I have worked with previously on various projects and Stanley Hotay from Mt Kilimanjaro who I met for the first time also made the journey.

It was a festive occasion, held outdoors under rented canopies and trees as guests spread out under shade from the equatorial sun. As the guest, I was asked to speak and prepared a speech/sermon (it turns out there was a church service) focusing on the role of the pastor. Students were suitably adorned in graduation gowns and I was provided with a cap and gown trying to make me look important.

Before the start I was decked out in graduation garb

The diocese employed, on my urging, a young 28 year old guy who has been looking after the website as a volunteer. He had been an intern at a business in town for eighteen months (without pay) and when I met him he got the website up and running within an hour after being off line, unknown to many. Mwita is a nice guy who will feature in a later blog. Suffice to say of his family he is the only one to get to university. Apart from the website, I’ve had him producing a newsletter and looking at setting up an email system so all staff working with international partners use a common corporate email address. A lot of the last two weeks has been spent with him, editing material, teaching him the importance of getting things right, checking and double checking and setting up a database for the emails to be sent and learning Mailchimp (which he did amirably).

In the end one of my jobs was going through the bishop’s emails back to late 2020, adding to his contacts people he knew from overseas (he lived in USA for three years studying for his doctorate) and in addition adding other contacts and we ended up with 200 names. Tedious.

Yona Masinde is the Director of Christian Education and he grabbed me one morning to discuss training for pastors lacking formal education beyond the initial 3-6 months training they may have done many years ago. He had in mind a course from Moore College in Sydney and I put him in contact with the External Studies Department.

A visit to Nufaba Island took place on the Friday of my penultimate weekend. This was both a tourist adventure, but Max the diocesan secretary was born on this island in the 1950s and had arranged with a visiting Englishman to run a mission here to establish an Anglican church on the island.

Lake Victoria is huge, about four times the size of Tasmania and dotted with innumerable islands, some just uninhabited specks. Those that are inhabited are few and generally provide a base for nomadic fishermen who base themselves on an island for periods during fishing seasons, which are reducing due to the overfishing that occurs and undersized fish being captured. The lake is home to tilapia, Nile Perch and dagaar, a small sardine type which is not well loved but provides essential protein for the poor. You’ll see them in droves in any market in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, bordering Lake Victoria.

Getting there was the adventure. Loaded up with foam mattresses in the rear cabin of the 4WD, we set off from Musoma at 8am. Max, his wife and the Education Officer were in the rear huddled amongst the mattresses, seedlings and other assorted stuff being transported. We stopped an hour down the road at Bunda to collect a wooden bed frame which was carefully added to the top along with other furniture already tied up when we left Musoma. A chicken joined us for the trip. I wasn’t sure if it was lunch but I have travelled with many chickens during my stay. They are fairly unobtrusive passengers.

We dropped the Education Officer at Bunda Girls School for the day expecting she would make her own way back by bus. Chai was taken at the school and then we made our way west on Ukerewe Rd which soon became dirt. The road is being tarred in various places so for twenty kilometres we drove on unsealed roads on the side, impassable. Nafuba has no roads, electricity or water. People living there make the journey to the mainland to buy foodstuffs which is really their only contact with the outside world. It is a subsistenance lifestyle, reliant on cassava, some maize and of course fish. There are two villages. Max’s village is 9km from the village on the other side of the island, which has the school attended by kids from his village.

Max introduced me to six of his seven siblings, one being disabled and bedridden after being left for dead twenty years prior following a drunken fight and subsequently a stroke. He epitomized the significant disadvantages disability overlaid on poverty for those unfortunate to have a disability in undeveloped nations. A long day and 9pm before we got back to Musoma.

After lunch, prepared for all visitors including the boat crew, we made a departure back for the mainland and home. We arrived back shortly before 9pm. A long but interesting day seeing the challenges a church has in establishing churches in very remote areas.

Two further strategic planning workshops occurred in my last few weeks, one each in Musoma and Bunda, with English speaking staff who were generally leaders of schools and other institutions. This was outlining what a SP is, the need for it and gathering data for it via a SWOT analysis. I will have the task of finalising this before I leave in October to allow the executive to finalise a long term plan. Both groups went well and were illuminating for staff who had little knowledge of what a SP is or ever been invited for input. The bishop was clear he wanted it built from the bottom up.

Probably the highlight of my time here has been the return of Helen, a long term missionary in Tanzania for over thirty years, who went home in early 2020 (before COVID) was diagnosed in Australia with pancreatic cancer and had surgery and remarkably no chemo. Greatly loved by all in Mara she arrived on Sunday 19 June to a formal reception and speeches in Musoma and met the following day with the bishop. I drove down with her to Bunda where apart from the SP workshop on Tuesday, we spent Wednesay visiting schools to finalise building plans funded by a foundation I am secretary to and meeting the builder to go through plans.

Helen was met at Bunda by the Girls Brigade Sewing Centre she established and our car took 11 minutes to drive the 500 metres from the main road to her home as the girls walked in front, singing, ululating and waving palm branches and laying them on the road in front as I drove down (similarities to Palm Sunday are allowed at this point).

My last week effectively had me in the office only one day as I spent Mon-Wed in Bunda with Helen as we had various matters to discuss around the schools, running the workshop and meeting the builder. Thursday was scrambling to get everything completed including the newsletter which was eventually dispatched Friday morning as Mwita struggled with getting Mailchimp addressee perfect (at my insistence). The mailing list ended at 200 and initial results showed better than 40% opening and two emails from people who had not had contact from the bishop for some years. So a good finish to my time here.

Friday I had been invited to go with the bishop to what I thought was an opening of a regional Mothers’ Union Conference in Tarime. 360 women from Lake Victoria region gathered, sang and were meeting for three days. Nothing is short here and after all formalities were done the bishop of Tarime, Rt Rev Mwita Akiri called me up front for what I thought was the standard meet and greet and answer a few questions. I was not aware that I was was about to have the greatest compliments spoken about me ever, culminating in him making me a lay canon of his cathedral, followed by Musa Yama, bishop pf Rorya doing the same. Great honour for me for the work I did when I was employed at Anglican Aid. Mwita’s words however were very humbling.

So my initial time here is up. My visa allows me ninety days at a time. I had initailly planned to leave early June, but the war in Ukraine meant the holiday we had planned was scuppered as the ship we were to cruise on is now housing 1500 Ukrainians. We had literally three days prior to me leaving to reschedule our trip and as I conclude this from Klaipeda in Lithuania there are no regrets about the changes. The Dutch government committed to house 50,000 Ukrainians and the Dutch waterways are an ideal home with so many waterways. A few ships housing Ukrainians from where they can go to school, work etc is a novel way of providing humanitarian aid.

My last Sunday saw me preach at the English service, duck off for my COVID test at the hospital next door and then travel to Mwanza four hours away to catch the early morning flight to Dar Es Salaam for my flight to Amsterdam. As I was leaving that plane, I got a notice from KLM that my flight on 27 June had been delayed and they had rebooked me to fly on 30 June! Mild panic as I made my way to the terminal, knowing KLM were unlikely to have staff here. In the end to cut a long story short I flew Emirates direct to London and will let insurance sort out the rest.

Back in Tanzania mid August.

Jonah of Tanzania and My Busiest Week

I mentioned in my last blog a visit to a village on Saturday where the Bishop was speaking on Saturday afternoon and going back Sunday for confirmation for those ready and able to demonstrate they understood its significance. While there I met Pastor Francis whose story I tell because it describes so much that challenges Tanzania economically and the church in particular.

On arrival we were met by a group of church leaders and taken to Francis’ home to be welcomed officially. He is sixty three years old and has been pastor in this village for seven years. He has one wife (polygamy still exists so this is to clarify) and ten children. His monthly stipend is usually about 10,000 TZS or AU$6-7 but may sometimes be double that. So he farms to feed his family.

Apart from the village I am in, he also has four other congregations that he is responsible to pastor, supported by catechists (non-ordained pastors who may have some theological education). So he visits each congregation monthly to do the priestly thing about communion that non ordained pastors cannot do.

As I was asking him about his family and time in ministry he told me he went to Bible College in the early 1990s but was not a Christian at the time. We ran out of time at this stage so I had to continue a few hours later after all the activities we were there for had concluded.

He went to Bible College as a young man, enthralled with the vestments and ceremony of the Anglican Church at the time. He actually completed three years of college and was sent to villages to start new churches, something many do which is a tough gig. He eventually moved on to another community after establishing a new church and found life a bit tougher there. Many would say to him “you will die poor. Why don’t you get a job and look after yourself.” Not really having had a “call” he eventually left life as a minister and went fishing in Lake Victoria where many at the time were making excellent income from huge catches as large numbers of fish populated the lake and excess catches fed an export market. The boat was incidentally owned by his father.

From my stays in a hotel at Mwanza overlooking Lake Victoria, the distant lights at night tell the story of the fishing industry. Small lightweight, canoe style boats for 2-3 dot the darkness of the night as these men, the equivalent of sustenance farmers eke out a livelihood on Africa’s largest lake.

After some years, one night out fishing wth two older men a storm commenced. He suggested lowering the sail and they argued. One of the men mockingly suggesting if he was scared to walk across the lake to land. The boat capsized. All three hung onto ropes attached to the boat.

The sun rose and as they awaited their fate, poisonous snakes popped their heads over the boat looking at them. He prayed for safety for he and his colleagues from the snakes and did not see them again. The day became night. He prayed for his colleagues that they would survive. He had concluded he was responsible for this situation because he had left the ministry and he did not wish his colleagues harm.

As he kept praying aloud, they told him to stop praying as he might disturb the sea ghosts. “Sea ghosts” I asked. He explained these men were pagans who believed in evil spirits which lived under the water. He kept praying. Day turned to night and night to day.

On night three they saw distant lights and began shouting. Eventually the boat came closer and three bedraggled, naked men emerged for rescue. He saw his father and told him he was never going fishing again and saw the bishop of the area and returned to pastoral duties. After some years he again went to Bible College at Rorya for three years and became ordained as a priest/pastor.

When asked why he was foing to the Anglican Church, which people from his tribe equated as the church of the Luo, he recounted to friends that when his father was sick in hosptal it was the church that helped his father with fees. When he died the Anglican Chrch paid for his funeral as he was penniless.

While he has never equated his experience to that of Jonah who spent three days in the belly of a whale while running from God, the parallels between the expriences of Francis and Jonah are recognisable.

Francis lives very simply. He has a house made of mud bricks and a rough uneven floor. There is electricity for lighting and limited power. I ran into his daughter with Bishop later in the week and she send money home. She works in Musoma with the local soccer team.

While the village is generally poor, there are signs of increasing prosperity in some of the houses. We had lunch in a room of a house under construction for ten years. The owner is a teacher and buys materials and labour when he has savings. Dinner was at another older church member’s home in a small compound that suggested some improved economic circumstances. Bishop mentioned it was good to see wealthier members of the church providing hospitality as this was an indication they had hosted the meal.

In speaking to Pastor Francis, he appeared content. He was preparing for retirement in a few years but expressed satisfaction with his life since the near drowning. He is thankful that God spared his life, although there were no bargains made at that time. He was just praying and asking if he died that his body was found so he could have a burial.

The rest of my week was busy and this was the busiest so far. Lots of admin work, video meeting with Anglican Aid and staff from here to discuss a building program and in between training people on Google drive and discusssing a newsletter with a young guy who is going to produce it.

All in all an amzing week

Aussie Visitors and a Sheep Story that only the photo makes believeable

A wek of contrasts in Musoma

Sunday started with Anglican Aid staff member Chris Cooper coming down to preac at the Cathedral here in Musoma. Tim Swan the CEO was speaking at Rorya Diocese’s Cathedral about an hour an a half away.

After church Chris and I went back to where I am staying, walked to Lake Victoria and met Tim Swan and then went to lunch at Matvilla with three bishops. All six of us had Tilapia (I am sure that came as a surprise). It was a working lunch of sorts as various issues were discussed. We then drove to Bunda where the three Aussies stayed at the home of a retired Australian missionary who has been unable to get back since 2020. The whole group of about a dozen had dinner while the locals went off to their accommodation. Alpha Lugoley, the principal of Bunda Bible College stayed back at my suggestion as Tim and Chris’s visit was about visiting BBC and discussing scholarships and the development of the college. This allowed an opportunity for Alpha to explain issues at the college as next day will be busy.

Monday started early for the 7am chapel service which was excellent. Students even had an Anglican Aid song they composed. Video and lyrics Then after “chai” we walked the grounds of a college spread across sixt acres and the Anglican Aid people discussed the infrastructure needs and locations. Tim left Chris while I accompanied him to Shalom Primary School, constructed by Anglican Aid since 2017. The development since my last visit here in 2019 has been astounding and the school looks great. Met the builder who is onsite constructing a classroom and had a chat to him and commended him on the quality of their work.

Principal Alpha, Chris AA(L) &Tim Swan CEO AA (R)

Then back to college for lunch before a visit to Bunda Girls School. A real flying visit as Tim and Chris had a three hour drive from here so time very limited.

From BGSS we made a quick stop to the Girls Brigade Sewing Cetre which explains what it does. Village girls come in for a year and from never having touched a sewing machine are sewing within two months as some of the examples we were shown testified. This helps girls who may not even have been able to start secondary education and be destined to early marriage and life in a village with no skills to at least have a chance of earning an income. Apart from sewing they are taught the basics of business, keeping records and pricing work.

After the formalities, Tim was presented with a cake to mark his visit which he duly cut. The girls then asked if they could sing a song which being acapella was displaying the natural ability of these girls’ voices and rythm. After what was a rushed visit Tim and Chris bade us farewell as they headed to Mwanza to arrive before dark.

The rest of my week was flat out. On Wednesday I have the morning off for a retirment course I am doing on Zoom back home. I got into the office at 11.30am and asked to meet in the Bishop’s Office with the Link Officer and Bunda Bible College principal. Three international students have run into visa issues and were going to be deported. I did assist them to find a solution.

Bishop and I visited a former disability program about 8kms south of Musoma which is a white elephant. After operating since 2003 and the Dutch funders building a massive complex to provide community based support to children and adults with all sorts of disabilities, the centre closed at the end of 2014 when funding ceased. One of my tasks is to assist the diocese find a solution. The buildings have not been repurposed as the bishop wanted to ensure the funders are involved in any decisions about future use. I have a meeting with the national coordinator coming up to discuss the options.. Truly depressing when I have seen a similar program Anglican Aid established on the western side of the lake which meets so many needs for families with children with disabilities.

On Thursday I arranged a meeting to discuss the development of a newsletter for overseas partners to tell of the many things happening in Mara Diocese. It has the approval of the bishop so the link officer and Diocesan Secretary were involved in how to get it up. The website is down so Bishop rang a young volunteer who maintains it. While on the phone the error message changed to site down for maintenance. He came in later in the day and I met him briefly. He was to return Friday for a meeting to discuss the newsletter and website further.

Musa the Bishop of Rorya turned up as arranged for a two hour lesson on Google Drive and how to make best use of Google features. That was time well spent.

The week finished with a meeting to discuss the farm with the Manager Annarose. She is also responsible for parents in their nineties who want to return home to their village. A real difficulty for her given both have had strokes in recent years and mum requires total care. The farm issues a re being slowly addressed. Sunflower harvest looks good and she has lots of ideas about progressing things there.

And Friday afternoon was spent with Mwita the young guy who will work on the newsletter. I went through the various things that should go into it. He will not only do the graphic design but also the reporting by interviewing the staff and getting the stories. I left him at 4pm as I am facilitating the English Bible study each week. It had it largest attendance since I have been here. It is alerting me to many issues that need help in the church here.

He is 28yo, graduate of a university in graphic design and unusually knows Apple products.

As I type the weekend is coming to a close. Saturday was a visit to a village where 25 people has been baptised in the morning after a week of evangelism. Bishop goes out on Saturday afternoon to do some teaching and be a presence among the local community. Sunday he goes out to confirm any who are ready and teach again.

Lunch on Sunday with Sange Wangoya and his wife Mary. A beautiful couple, each with amazing stories. I will post about them on Facebook.

I heard what sounded like a baby crying as I was typing and after searching the house went to the window in my room to see a sight I won’t see again in my life. Gifts are never knocked back. I got given a chicken once in Congo but they did swap it for something I could travel with. Too much to write about here so hopefully a separate blog. The photo tells the story of the village showing appreciation to the bishop.

Yes this sheep and a goat stood on a thirty minute journey on rough rural roads on top of the vehicle to come home with Bishop.

Life in Musoma

Routines

After three weeks my routines are fairly well established. On weekdays the bishop and I rise for an early morning “walk” with his dogs which are alsatians named Tiger and Simba. They are really Rin Tin Tin I and II on steroids. Rather than us walk the dogs they run us. 2.5kms in less than 20 minutes is faster than I have run for years as these dogs drag me along. My heart rate reached 179 on one run and consistently is above 160. I have learned how to control the dogs and am getting a consistent pace of between 140-150 on average. Saturdays is dog washing day and there is a public government run dog wash where you dip and wash your dogs in a chemically treated bath to kill parasites, fleas and whatever else dogs need to be treated against. I went the first Saturday but told Bishop I needed a sleep in. About 80 dogs a day go through so he likes to be first so there is no waiting. A good service for about 30 cents AUD for a dog.

After walking the dogs we are back for a shower, breakfast and off to the cathedral for morning prayers. I did bring my stove top espresso maker with me for real coffee (there is only so much one can do without). Well it has been a hit with Bishop and Mama Bishop when she was here the first week. So the usual routine is while I am in the shower, Bishop is feeding the pigs, puts the eggs on and I put on the coffee and toast and by the time Bishop is out all is ready for breakfast and then to the cathedral for 7.30 am morning prayers for all staff.

My 20+ year old pot has travelled with me before – 3 months in South Africa in 2009.

After prayers everyone lines up. It has taken me a few weeks to realise that the order in which people line up is heirarchical. So the Canon of the cathedral, other canons and lay canons, followed by senior staff, other staff and the students from the vocational college all line up as I follow the bishop in greeting them all. So after three weeks I have learned enough Swahili to say good morning or how are you and the appropriate response. However it is not automatic yet and the canon who follows me sometimes prompts me as I am thinking. The girls from the college were laughing at me one day this week as I responded “shikamoo” to one of their responses – the greeting from a younger person to an older person to show respect. Repeating greetings to 50-60 people daily has helped.

Staff then head off to he hostel for a subsidised breakfast. I usually bring a coffee bag (Vittoria) and have a coffee while Bishop has something else to eat. Occasionally I will have a chipati or chicken broth.

Anlican Retirement Village clothes go a long way

The workday commences at 8.30 and concludes at 4pm. All staff are given an hour daily to pursue income generating activities, in recognition that church slaries are minimal.

Monday of week three had me start work on a presentation for week four on planning and community development for all senior clergy to encourage their communities in developing income generating activies to lift their communities’ incomes and alleviate poverty. It will also assist pastors who get barely AU$30 monthly to look at how they can establish income activities.

After only 18 days my data package of 37gb ran out. I went to the Vodacom shop to get a new bundle and walked out with an MPESA account. This was developed by Africans, in Kenya I think as a money transfer system using mobile phone technology. It has revolutionised African economies. I loaded funds into my MPESA account, bought my bundle using it and left funds in there to buy my next bundle. It was interesting seeing ANZAC day in the news on Monday and how it has returned to pre-pandemic times.

Tuesday 26 April is a public holiday in Tanzania, remembering the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar making one country. It was a quiet day but in the afternoon we drove to the cathedral, parked and walked to Nyasho Markets where I got my shoe bargain the previous Saturday. Bishop didn’t know this market and was surprised at its size. Clothes, shoes and all sorts of household items. I went into one of the myriad men’s clothing stores and for 21,000 TZS bought a pair of jeans and two casual trousers/dockers. The clothes come in containers from developed countries and like the shoes make their way to the local markets from the capital. So people walking aroung in designer named clothes are not wearing Chinese knock offs but genuine brands, often almost new.

Wednesday was a meeting with Arthur the development officer and Martha the Mothers’ Union secretary to discuss funds available from Anglican Aid and encouraging them to plan priorities to request the use of funds. One of themusts I suggested was completing a fence for the girls’ hostel, opened in 2019 by the Archbishop of Sydney. The rest of my day was spent on developing the workshop material. at 3pm all are off to church for the Wednesday service before heading home. This was to be my last day in the office this week.

Food and Diet

Unlike developed countries, food is a necessity, not consumed for pleasure but to ensure life. So food is fairly basic and plain. Those who are aware will know I have been on a keto diet since 2019, which saw me lose 15 kgs. In this environment I went from a high fat, low carb diet to massive carbohydrates, low fat and enough protein.

For most rural Tanzanians a diet of ugali, a tasteless, odourless dish made of cornflour is a staple along with beans and greens. Meat is a luxury and will be usually chicken. Living with the bishop I am aware that he is providing more meat than he himself would normally eat. Christina the housekeeper is an extraordinary cook and I love her beans. Beans are a staple here, along with plantains which Bishop loves. Meat and fish provide additional protein and always there are greens. Dessert is fruits of the season. It was bananas when I arrived and now it is the biggest passionfruit I have ever seen. So I am not starving, despite Bishop’s wife who rings to ensure he is feeding me enough (he is). So far I am not aware of any weight gain.

We have managed to eat out a number of times since my arrival, after church on Sunday and occasionally during the week. Fried tilapia and chips is my standard meal out. It is a great fish.

Despite having gas, Christina prefers cooking beans on charcoal

Thursday and Friday were Diocesan Council and while I had much to do, was encouraged to attend and I am glad I did. While the agenda and business papers were in Swahili, Google Translate and Ezekiel, the English speaking principal of a school who sat next to me helped me follow all that was going on.

Thursday was a later start as staff from outlying areas, some three hours away arrived for an 8am service in the cathedral, prior to breakfast then a 10am start. The two days helped me understand better the structure of the church here and the many challenges it faces. Day one ended at 4pm, the chair indicating the agenda next day was light on and so this provided time for people to catch up with each other before dinner. Day two had another sheaf of papers on the tables and clearly there was a lot to discuss. Like till 7pm when the meeting closed and a number of staff commented to my astonishment that it was an early end! Apparently these meetings have been known to end as late as midnight and 1am. Everyone has an opportunity to speak and express an opinion. All in all very respectful, civil and democratic. Bishop is someone who clearly wants to hear each opinion and no one is rushed.

Sarah and Joyce are teachers I first met in 2014 when both were much younger. Since then Sarah was promoted to Principal at Bunda Girls Secondary School after the founding principal left during COVID as her husband moved. Joyce left after two years, returned to university to get her degree and returned to a primary school in Musoma before being promoted to principal of Shalom Primary School in Bunda. I was able to given them both Anglican Aid’s 20/21 Annual report which had a Bunda Girl on the contents page and a prayer diary that featured Shalom students on the cover.

Saturdays since I have been here are fairly quiet days. Twice Bishop has left me here alone as he went to villages overnight. I have eaten at Rehema Cafe each Saturday. It is the only western cafe between Mwanza (4.5 hours south) and the Kenyan border (2.5 hours north). It is located in the church compound and provides work for women as well as a sewing centre where I have had shirts made on revious visits. Its customer base has been shredded by COVID as most western people working in the area left to go home during COVID. Heather the English missionary is back and they are doing a menu on order so there is no wastage. Today was curried fish and a vanilla milkshake. Others had a wrap.

I walk to Rehema and this takes me through town and the central markets which are as interesting as any I have visited. The pictres tell the story.

The nurses school does their washing on Saturdays

Sundays is church and all the music. It has been four hour services the last two Sundays and while this seems long, it is normal here.

Inflation

While news reports indicated Australia has an official inflation rate of 5.1%, here in Musoma prices are going up with each purchase Bishop makes. My guess is that inflation here is running at around 15%. Three purchases in the last week are the anecdoatal evidence that support this view.

Bottled water is bought in dozen lots for households. The recent purchase made resulted in the TZS 4,000 rising to TZS 5,000 or 25% up.
Cooking oil is a staple for most households and has risen from TZS 28,000 to 33,000 or 18%.
Gas for cooking has risen by TZS3,000 to 59,000 or 5%.

Petrol price increases have been blamed for these increases.

Transport

On my first visit here in 2014 there was little in the way of private transpory for most people. The better off may have owned a very late model Japenese car imported when 10-15 years old with very few kilometres on them. The lift I had to church this week owned a Rav 4 from about 2008 with 57,000kms. He imported it from Japan for US$4,400 but landed with freight and taxes he paid close to USD$11,000 for a car barely run in.

The big changes however came with the advent of cheap Chinese motorcycles which are owned by many. This has resulted in a proliferation of motorcycle taxis and groups of motorcyclists parked under the shade waiting for customers or like in Australia cruising the streets for a fare. Many people seem to have their preferred rivers and just ring for a lift. However these motor cycles act as couriers delivering goods for many businesses. It is not unusual to see them loaded up with goods for delivery.

Daniel travels 60kms on dirt to come to work weekly

Names and Heirarchy

EconYou will have noticed my reference in this blo to Bishop rather than the bishop. That is because over here anyone with a title is known by that title rather than by their Christian name. So Bishop is la proper noun ike calling someone Peter. If you don’t have a title you are generally referred to by your last name. So leaving church this morning, I asked Max (Katibu is his title) what was the first name of the assistant priest. He knew his last name but had to go and ask him for his first name (Fredy). So I am constantly called Lay Canon or Canon by people because that is how I am introduced. All sounds unusual but that is how society operates here in Tanzania.

Women are still very much down the heirarchical ladder here. In any queue they will always allow men to go first. In 2018, I was lined up at the tap waiting to wash hands talking to a woman who had returned from USA for her father’s funeral. As we arrived simultaneously at the tap, I beckoned for her to wash her hands. She declined and I insisted. I was shocked when a Tanzanian woman who has lived in the USA for twenty years said “No you must go first. In Tanzania men always go first!”

Church

The Anglican Church here maintains a liturgical approach to services in an African way. The formality is focussed on the ceremonial aspects of church in the vestments, processions and formality around communion. However, services are full of music with people who can sing both with music and acapella. The services are long and that’s not because of the preacher. At St John’s Cathedral it is usual to have seven choirs, some of which lead singing for ten to fifteen minutes. My fourth service was the shortest at 21/2 hours because most choirs were away singing elsewhere.

So life is fairly predictable. I expect there won’t be much change to routines. Work will be the major challenge as I work through the list I have been given pf things to look at review and deliver. This week I am doing a two day training workshop for senior clergy on planning with a focus on community development in the rural areas. I have also been ased to prepare a course on development for students at Bunda Bible College so that they understand how it all works and can assist their communities in economic development.

COVID-19

Early in the pandemic, after closing schools and various institutions, Tanzania stopped collecting data, testing people for Covid and kept the economy open. The former president understood in a developing country the economic damage could be worse than the pandemic. So after most foreigners left, schools and institutions reopened. Churches never closed even at the beginning. Anecdoatally it appears there were many deaths in the cities of Dar Es Salaam, Arusha but the rural towns and villages anecdoatally saw little COVID. Only one named death has been mentioned in Musoma, a businessman who contracted it in Dubai and brought it back with him. There are suggestions that herd immunity was established in early 2020 as the virus swept through the population and aged and vulnerable people succummbed. However the mean age of Tanzania is 18 years so it is possible many had a dose, were not sick but established resistance. Rates of immunisation are very low.

How Can it be Easter if there is No Easter Bunny?

A country where there is no Easter Bunny but there is Easter

This is the question that came to me a week after arriving in Tanzania where I am volunteering with the Anglican Church of Tanzania in Mara Diocese. It struck me earlier in the week that there is no chocolate to be seen or advertised anywhere.

No Easter Bunny.

No Easter eggs.

No advertising it is Easter week. Where has Easter disappeared to in this country? What is going on?

Based at the area office of the church, everyone there is acutely aware that this is Easter week. Church last Sunday had everyone waving palm leaves, as it was Palm Sunday. This was the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt and the crowds covered the streets in palm leaves in honour of their king. A week later this same crowd were shouting for his execution. No chocolate eggs that day, only blood and death.

But where is the commercial reality that reminds us it is Easter. Can we really have an Easter celebration without chocolate? I realise this is a heresy for which I could be crucified (metaphorically speaking).

The theft of Easter in our consumer driven west has meant that those “celebrating” Easter are celebrating a myth. This is the myth that chocolate eggs and rabbits are the reason for Easter. Spiritual issues are avoided. The guilt driven may attend a church service along with the annual Christmas pilgrmage. But outside that it is eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow …..

Gone is the Easter celebration of the man who gave his life in the humiliation of death on a cross. The God man dying the death each of us deserved to offer us each an escape from eternal death. We squander this gift for chocolate eggs. We satisfy carnal desires in lieu of seeking the spiritual reality that Easter offers.

Maundy Thursday had a 3pm church service where choirs ranging in age from seniors to junior groups sang about their understanding of Easter. No chocolate. No exchange of gifts. Simply joy at the gift provided by God who gives them hope for the future and joy in the present.

One of the choirs at the Maundy Thursday Church Service

Could there be another reason why western marketing has not made it here to the streets of Musoma and most other towns in Tanzania to extol the importance of the Easter Bunny? Oh that’s right, chocolate is expensive. There is no market for people whose lives are lived on survival incomes. Where it is rare to see anyone smoking cigarettes. Where AU$200 monthly is a living wage. Where the manager of a mobile phone shop trades her increased income for the lowly salary of a church worker because she sees the value in serving others, not chasing a material life.

Are the culture wars in the developed world seeking to shut down Christianity so that the spiritual challenges of our mortality can be literally out of sight and out of mind. So everyone can be a monkey. See no Christianity.Hear no Christinity. Definitely don’t speak Christianity. Slincing Christians won’t stop the good news of Easter. Jesus came Jesus Ddied. Jesus rose from the dead. 2000 years of attempts to stop Christianity have failed. Using the Easter Bunny to divert us from the Easter message may blind many but won’t stop Easter being celebrated for what is is all about.

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Routines

Food and Diet

Inflation

Transport

Names and Heirarchy

Church

COVID-19

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