Meeting with the General Secretary

This morning we had an engaging and informative hour with The General Secretary of the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, Nayman Chavalla. We enjoyed his warm welcome and his entertaining stories about cultural differences between the US and Tanzania. We learned that the partnership between the St Paul Area Synod and the Iringa Diocese is a standout among US-Tanzanian synodical relationships.  It is not top-down but rests on the involvement of thousands of people.  Our partnership creates lasting friendships among many visiting groups from Minnesota and their partner congregations here.  The personal sharing among these American and Tanzanian people creates a sustainable community that transcends our cultures and unites us in Christ. The three principles that undergird our shoulder-to-shoulder relationships are, in order: 1) prayer, 2) visitation, and 3) projects.  That order is critical, and the relationship is developing from it.  The people of our partner congregation in Idunda, whom we will visit tomorrow, are praying for us, preparing for our visit, and eager to talk about projects.  We look forward to seeing them and renewing and making connections over the weekend.