Trip update - Dar es Salaam

I arrived in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, yesterday after some delays due to a cancelled flight. But I was not under time pressure so I just waited it out and it worked out - only about 5 hours later than the original schedule. The bishop met me at the airport and took me to the hotel. Today I met with the bishop and some of the pastors of the Dar es Salaam area, the Eastern Diocese of Tanzania Mennonite Church. They have planted several new churches in the past year and are well on their way to reach their goal of 10 new churches and 2,000 more members in 3 years, beginning 2010.

Dar does not seem to be quite as congested as Nairobi, people are just a little more laid back. This morning I took a walk through part of the city when I went to find a place to change some money, and came back through some side streets - the only white face around, and probably one of the few that ever show up in those parts. It is certainly not the tourist part of town. 

On Sunday I worshiped at Mathare North Mennonite Church in Nairobi. Mathare is a slum area on the edge of the city known for its poverty and this church has been growing. The church is cooperating with Mennonite Central Committee to operate a primary school grades 1 to 8.

You can check our blog at joegloriabontrager.blogspot.com for updates and a few pictures.

Travelers Checks are not very useful

The day before I left for this trip, I went to the local bank to get travelers checks. That is how I have been taking money when I travel for the past 40 years or so. The conversation in the bank was something like this:
“I would like to buy some travelers checks.”
“We don’t sell travelers checks anymore.”
“Really? How do people take money with them when they travel?”
“I don’t really know. I think they use debit cards.”
“Where can I get a debit card? Do you have them?”
“You can try a drug store. They have prepaid debit cards.” (Really? What are banks for? Maybe someday soon I can buy deodorant at the bank.)
So I went to the drug store and bought a prepaid debit card. Later I found that the card provided is only a temporary card and the real card will come in the mail – not before I leave the next day.

The next part of the story is that I have some travelers checks left from a trip 8 years ago – amounting to $100. So at least I have that much. When I was in Nairobi, I tried to cash them at a bank. “We don’t cash travelers checks. Go to an exchange bureau.” Good, I thought, I am going to the airport in a couple days, I will cash them there. “We are regulated by the government, and cannot cash travelers checks unless you have just come into the country. You have been here 2 days already. You must cash them inside airport security.” Inside the airport, “We can’t cash them here, you must cash them in the arrivals area, after you pass immigration but before you leave the airport.” So I still carrying $100 in travelers checks that no one wants. I will try when I pass through Nairobi airport again later this week. If all else fails, I will try to go back to the bank in USA where I bought them 8 years ago. In any case, I will know the next time.
Joe

I arrived in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, yesterday after some delays due to a cancelled flight. But I was not under time pressure so I just waited it out and it worked out - only about 5 hours later than the original schedule. I was able to let the people in Dar know so the bishop was at the airport to meet me and take me to my hotel. Today, Tuesday, I plan to meet with the bishop and pastors of the Dar es Salaam area, the Eastern District of Tanzania Mennonite Church. My brief conversation with the bishop on the way from the airport is encouraging. They have planted several new churches in the past year and more are planned.

Here I am meeting with the leaders of Nairobi Mennonite churches to discuss their vision for leadership training .

Mathare North Mennonite Church, Nairobi, where I worshipped on Sunday. Mathare is a slum area on the edge of the city and this church has been growing. The church is cooperating with Mennonite Central Committee to operate a primary school, up to grade 8.

Children attending the worship service at Mathare North Mennonite Church.

I had good conversations with church leaders in the Nairobi area. One of the issues that keeps coming up is dealing with the economic problems of the people. Mennonite churches tend to be in poorer areas and members have limited incomes and often the bishops and pastors are unpaid, totally volunteer. This limits the time they have available for church leadership and pastoral care because they must earn a living in other jobs. So that raises the question of how church development is linked to economic development in developing countries. 

I went to downtown Nairobi on Saturday, the day after I arrived. I am impressed with the movement and vitality of the city and the people. Heavy traffic, cars, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles, people weaving in and out, people on the move, along the sidewalks, crossing the street whenever they want to. It is interesting to “feel” the culture at a deeper level, not just what appears on the surface, but the underlying dynamics of personal interactions, mainly. One sees it in how drivers interact on the road, each acting like he does not see anyone else, yet always being able to stop in time or swerve in time to avoid a crash. It is in how people interact on the street, as though they don’t see anyone else, unless it is a friend. But people are always friendly and helpful when you need them. Africa is a relational society – relationships trump all other factors.
Joe

In Nairobi

This is just letting you all know that I arrived in Nairobi this evening, pretty much on time and I will be staying at the Mennonite Guest House. It feels good to get back to familiar places and people. I was also able to sit down with Aram DiGennaro, EMM's East Africa field director, to begin planning the schedule for my time here.

Tomorrow (Satruday) I want to see several people in the Nairobi area and generally get ready for the rest of the visit. Monday morning I fly to Dar es Salaam to meet with the bishop there and some of his pastors and return to Nairobi on Friday.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for safety in traveling, because I certainly experienced that. I plan to share regular updates.

Sincerely,

Joe Bontrager

Zurich

I am sitting in the Zurich airport on my way to Kenya and Tanzania for 3 weeks. While there, I will be talking with the bishops and other leaders about their vision for leadership training.
I am thinking about the importance of Zurich in our own church history. It was here in Zurich that a group of young academics began to question the teachings of the other main denominations and turned to the New Testament and the teachings and example of Jesus for their final authority. They eventually became known as "ana-baptists" - the "re-baptizers" - a somewhat derogatory name at first. They believed and taught that love defines our ethics, that the church is fundamentally a community of faith, and that salvation is by personal choice - all revolutionary ideas at that time that led to severe persecution. It was in Zurich that one of the young academics, Felix Manz, was tied up and thrown into the river, one of the early martyrs. And that same faith continues today, nearly 500 years later, around the world. It has taken root in Africa and it continues to grow.

Joe Bontrager

In January, the history of Kenya Mennonite Church was completed. Kenya Mennonite Church dates its beginnings to the 1940's, when evangelists from Tanzania Mennonite Church were touched by the East African Revival movement and visited Kenya to bring the gospel to their fellow Luo tribesmen. Kenya Mennonite Church was formally organized in 1977 as a separate entity from Tanzania Mennonite Church. In 2006, Kenya Mennonite Church sent missionaries to Uganda to evangelize and plant churches. For a news release from Mennonite World Conference on writing the history of Kenya Mennonite Church, use the link http://www.mwc-cmm.org/index.php/news-releases/151-kenyan-mennonites-make-history-by-writing-it.