This past week was full of activities, and nice ones on the
whole. On Monday morning early we went
to Morogoro, a 3 hour drive away, to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of priesthood
of a friend of ours from the early 70’s when we lived in Dar es Salaam. It was a great celebration, with the Mass so
filled with joy and celebration. The
church is large and it was packed, with groups of children dancing and singing,
a group of really elderly folks, and lots of people of in between ages. We sang songs most everyone knows so the roof
almost rocked off the church. The Bishop
of Zanzibar gave the homily, talking about how J. was the first Tanzanian to
become a Spiritan (Holy Ghost) priest who had not been a diocesan priest
before. Since that time the Spiritan
Congregation has been blessed with many young Tanzanians and has been a
province of its own for quite a few years.
He talked about how J. can get along with any person, and loves and is
loved by all. All of that is true and
really the celebration showed how many people care for him.
And that came through again in the party that followed. We had entertainment, speeches, food (1800
people were fed!), and gift-giving until nearly 6.00 p.m. We were then invited to the parish house for
further food and drink and conversation so it was a full and happy day. We stayed with the sisters in Morogoro
overnight and came back here early the next morning.
At school we continue to prepare for next Saturday’s graduation. Things are coming together and I guess there’s
no hurry on anything! The invitations
are still not out but hopefully that will happen today.
Saturday I met with a young woman who is just starting her
course at the University of Dodoma. Esta
is from a home very close to the school I was at in Singida, and attended
secondary school there. Her family has
very few resources so I helped her through secondary school, through A-level,
and teacher’s training college with gifts that people had given me. She taught for three years but her desire for
further education remained and so she applied to and was accepted at the university
for a degree in education. She had her
finances all worked out: With the salary
she gets (she is employed by the government so a small part of her teaching salary
continues to be paid) plus a little loan she managed to acquire from a bank,
she paid her tuition and her room in the dormitory. She needed stationery money yet (which I gave
her) and money for food. I thought it
amazing that food was the last item on her priority list! Somehow she’ll manage, and I’ll help as much
as I can. This is just another example
of how important education is to so many young people here.
Esta and I met at the town square in Dodoma, and sat at a
place where they sell soda and lunches.
We each had a soda, and I also ordered sodas for her two roommates, with
whom she came. I noticed that they weren’t
drinking their sodas and later Esta told me that they were probably saving them for
later, when they’d buy a packet of biscuits and drink their sodas and count
that as their supper. These kids know
how to get by!!
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