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| Mkwawa Lutheran Church: Iringa, Tanzania "Bega kwa bega" is Kiswahili for "shoulder to shoulder"--a powerful image to shape our mission partnership with the people of Mkwawa Lutheran Church. Working bega kwa bega, side by side, with our brothers and sisters in Iringa, Tanzania makes us equal partners in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We pray for one another, learn from one another and are blessed by one another in Jesus' name. Building Relationships bega kwa bega Each year Incarnation sponsors either an adult or a youth and family mission trip for the purpose of building personal relationships with the people of Mkwawa Lutheran Church. Everyone who has met the people of Iringa agrees that it’s a life-changing experience to be the recipient of such gracious hospitality. June 2011 Trip to Tanzania  For more information about the trips, click here to see the Quick Trip Facts sheet. Registration Information: You can sign up for the June, 2011 Youth and Family trip to Iringa, Tanzania in the Incarnation Office. Please bring a check for the $200 non-refundable deposit made out to Incarnation with “TZ 2011 Mission Trip” in the memo line. The deadline for registration is Thursday, June 3, 2010. For letters and stories from the previous mission trips to Mkwawa / Tanzania, click here. To read stories and journal entries from Pastor Jeanne Markquart's time serving as Pastor/Teacher in 2007, click here.  Companion Congregation Program Incarnation is one of more than 65 ELCA congregations within the Saint Paul Area Synod that partners with a congregation in the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Iringa, Tanzania, in the south central part of Tanzania. Mkwawa Lutheran Church: Main Station & Preaching Points  Incarnation and Mkwawa have been companion congregations since 2000. Mkwawa’s main station is on the outskirts of Iringa town. Like Incarnation, it is a large “suburban” congregation. The pastor at the main station is Rhoden Mang’ulisa. The congregation at the Main Station is in the midst of building a new sanctuary where 1,200 people can worship at one service. The kindergarten at the main station partners with Incarnation’s preschool. Besides the main station, there are three preaching points that are a part of Mkwawa Lutheran church. An Evangelist, who leads worship and teaches Christian education, staffs each preaching point. Itamba (e tom’ ba) Itamba is located five miles from the Main Station. Incarnation worked with St. Paul Partners to provide a well so the people of Itamba have safe drinking water. The Itamba preaching point also has a kindergarten that also partners with the Incarnation preschool. The preschool teacher is Ester who is pictured with Pastor Mang'ulisa. Ester received a scholarship from Incarnation's Preschool. Ikonongo (e con an’ go) Ikonongo is located two miles from the Main Station. The villagers receive their safe water from the Iringa city water supply. This is the smallest of the preaching points. Juliana Mkongwa, the evangelist at Ikonongo, demonstrates the use of the new water supply, generously provided by a member of Incarnation.  Kigamboni (keek am bo’ ni) Kigamboni is the largest preaching point, located one mile from the Main Station. The ground for the new six-sided building was cleared by the youth from Incarnation in 2002. Incarnation partners with Mkwawa in the following ways: Secondary School Sponsorships Secondary school can cost as much as a year’s average wage in Tanzania so help is needed to provide the opportunity for the youth at Mkwawa to attend secondary school. Providing a secondary school education opens doors for the student and for the sponsor as students receive an education and sponsors enlarge their families! People of Incarnation currently sponsor over 60 secondary students. Most are funded by gifts from private individuals or families. To sponsor a secondary student, contact Lynda Thompson at Incarnation. Capital Projects Incarnation currently partners with Mkwawa Lutheran Church to help them build a new worship space. Past projects include funding for the Mkwawa Kindergarten Center, as well as various projects at each of the preaching points. Transportation Incarnation has provided motorcycles for the pastor and district pastor and bicycles for the evangelists, enabling them to travel the many miles they need to travel each day, more efficiently. Incarnation is also involved in other projects in the Iringa area: Huruma Center Orphanage "Huruma" means mercy in Kiswahili. Mama Chilewa is the mother to 40 street children ranging from age 3-18. There are so many orphans in Iringa, many from HIV/AIDS. In some families, orphaned kids are taken in by another family member such as a brother or sister, however often families that are already stretched financially cannot even support one more both to feed. Mama Chilewa provides the children not only a loving atmosphere in which to thrive and sends them to school, she also teaches them good life habits such as how to cook, maintain their living area, or care for farm animals. When groups from Incarnation travel to Iringa, they always make visiting Huruma Center a priority. People from Incarnation have supported the ministry on the Huruma Center financially, especially purchasing food, chickens to stock the chicken coops, and even a cow! As always, relationships are the most important part of partnering and time set apart to play with the children is a highlight for all! The Ilula Health Center Sponsoring Theology students at Tumaini University Iringa College St. Paul Partners Water Project Check out Incarnation's other ministry partners: Chontala: Guatemala New City Parish: Los Angeles, California LifeHaven/Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota: St. Paul, MN Families Moving Forward: Minneapolis, MN For more information on Mission Partners and mission trip opportunities, contact Lynda Thompson at 651-484-7213 or lthompson@incarnationmn.org. |
