Our Last Day in Tanzania

Meeting with our Tanzanian Wartburg alums

We are sitting at the airport in Arusha, waiting for our flight to Amsterdam—both looking forward to being home and sad about saying goodbye. It has been an amazing trip and we are still processing all we learned and all the ways we have been changed. Beth’s final question for us was, “How will you pray differently after this experience?” It is a great question that we are still contemplating!

I have two days to catch up on, but I want to start with today. We spent the morning doing tourist shopping in Arusha, which was both very fun and a little overwhelming for those of us who aren’t used to insistent sales pitches! But, we found some lovely gifts: nativity sets, fabric, dresses, and Tanzanian hymnals. One of us who loves Christmas might have purchased a little Santa riding an elephant, too! We all were relying on Lotegeluaki for help bargaining on the prices!

Then we stopped by the North/Central Diocese office, where we were able to greet the bishop elect, and the assistant to the bishop elect, who also happens to be Lotegeluaki’s brother. We brought greetings from Warburg Seminary, and some gifts!

**Rev. Dr. Godson Abel Mollel, Bishop Elect,**
&
**Rev. Laretoni Loishiye, Assistant to the Bishop Elect**

Then, we came back to Tumaini University Makumira, where we were hosting a small lunch for some Wartburg alums. In attendance were Ms. Janet Justo (whose husband studied at Wartburg), Rev. Dr. Gabriel Kimirei, and Rev. Dr. Elieshi Mungure.

Wartburg has a long history with theological education in Tanzania, and we have over 30 graduates who have served, or are serving in Tanzania now. So, it was fantastic to reconnect with that part of Warburg’s history, and for our students to hear from them what their educational formation at Warburg meant to them in their ministry.

And then we were off to pack, and head to the airport!

But I also need to mention Monday. Monday was our safari day at Arusha National Park, and it was amazing! we saw baboons, giraffe, waterbuck, Columbus monkeys, flamingos, Cape Buffalo, warthog, and even elephants! The landscape was absolutely gorgeous, and the whole day was awe-inspiring. We even got to take a walk to Tululu waterfall, which was beautiful.