I finally figured out how to post a reply to your Blog. Too soon old and too late smart! Gerry
Hello All,
Molly & I have been following the Internet Blog postings of our church's TZ Mission group's present visit to Tanzania with much interest. If you haven't read their postings, be sure to do so. The URL was given on Pastors Rhodes last "This Week At Bethel (Lutheran Church). Go to www.bethelTZ2008.blogspot.com.
If Molly and I didn't have health problems we would probably have accompanied the group on this visit, but I'm afraid our overseas traveling days must be behind us. Africa has always had a fascination for me but the present political climate, except for a few spots like Tanzania, is much worse than it was during the so-called bad days of colonialism.
In 1955, Robert Ruark, a favorite author from my early days wrote, in the style of Hemingway (spelling?), a book called "Something Of Value"-a work of fiction based on the then Mau-Mau uprising in Kenya-next door to Tanzania. Ruark prefaced the book with the following Basuto proverb:
"If a man does away with his traditional way of living and throws away his good customs, he better first make certain that he has something of value to replace them."
It appears that at least for the Maasai, Christianity is that something of value and we can thank the Lord for allowing us to help bring it to the Maasai. The mission is just one of the many links that our congregation has been part of during the last 20 years or so. The hospital in Arusha, the girls' school, the missionary building, etc. Molly and I both pray for their continued success and the work of the mission team. We were happy to see the increased Tanzanian budget item on this years proposed church budget.
It is unfortunate that this same something of value is not being accepted by all of the tribes of Africa-perhaps it is at some other places and we don't hear of it.
In another of Ruark's books titled "Uhuru" (Swahili for freedom) one character asks a Kenyan Kikuyu man what he will do come Uhuru-he says "pull the tail on the locomotive and make him scream and take bwana's guns"-it appears the Maasai have had a better idea-they appear to be embracing Christianity instead. The character then says "The Zulu will sharpen their spears" (which they've done but unfortunately they've replaced spears with automatic rifles). Ruark and his wife spent quite some time hunting in Africa and wrote another book (non-fiction) called "Horn Of The Hunter" which I can recommend for its many African scenes of the early 1950s before the troubled times following independence.
Tanzania, a bright spot in a deeply troubled land, we hope and pray it will remain so. We are helping to bring them something of value. God bless. Gerry & Molly Berghold
It is so good to read your entries everyday. You all look so happy but tired. The pictures are coming through nicely and it sounds as if you are all busy as can be. Thanks for being there. Thelma and Ed
2 comments:
I finally figured out how to post a reply to your Blog. Too soon old and too late smart! Gerry
Hello All,
Molly & I have been following the Internet Blog postings of our church's TZ Mission group's present visit to Tanzania with much interest. If you haven't read their postings, be sure to do so. The URL was given on Pastors Rhodes last "This Week At Bethel (Lutheran Church). Go to www.bethelTZ2008.blogspot.com.
If Molly and I didn't have health problems we would probably have accompanied the group on this visit, but I'm afraid our overseas traveling days must be behind us. Africa has always had a fascination for me but the present political climate, except for a few spots like Tanzania, is much worse than it was during the so-called bad days of colonialism.
In 1955, Robert Ruark, a favorite author from my early days wrote, in the style of Hemingway (spelling?), a book called "Something Of Value"-a work of fiction based on the then Mau-Mau uprising in Kenya-next door to Tanzania. Ruark prefaced the book with the following Basuto proverb:
"If a man does away with his traditional way of living and throws away his good customs, he better first make certain that he has something of value to replace them."
It appears that at least for the Maasai, Christianity is that something of value and we can thank the Lord for allowing us to help bring it to the Maasai. The mission is just one of the many links that our congregation has been part of during the last 20 years or so. The hospital in Arusha, the girls' school, the missionary building, etc. Molly and I both pray for their continued success and the work of the mission team.
We were happy to see the increased Tanzanian budget item on this years proposed church budget.
It is unfortunate that this same something of value is not being accepted by all of the tribes of Africa-perhaps it is at some other places and we don't hear of it.
In another of Ruark's books titled "Uhuru" (Swahili for freedom) one character asks a Kenyan Kikuyu man what he will do come Uhuru-he says "pull the tail on the locomotive and make him scream and take bwana's guns"-it appears the Maasai have had a better idea-they appear to be embracing Christianity instead. The character then says "The Zulu will sharpen their spears" (which they've done but unfortunately they've replaced spears with automatic rifles). Ruark and his wife spent quite some time hunting in Africa and wrote another book (non-fiction) called "Horn Of The Hunter" which I can recommend for its many African scenes of the early 1950s before the troubled times following independence.
Tanzania, a bright spot in a deeply troubled land, we hope and pray it will remain so. We are helping to bring them something of value. God bless. Gerry & Molly Berghold
It is so good to read your entries everyday. You all look so happy but tired. The pictures are coming through nicely and it sounds as if you are all busy as can be. Thanks for being there.
Thelma and Ed
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