From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace… John 1:16
The Three Graces: Grace Matonya, Pat Grace, and the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
Significant things have taken place since our last newsletter. Lambeth occurred and our Bishop returned and he has just completed a Diocesan Synod with his people here in the Diocese of Central Tanganyika (DCT). Also several people visited from Virginia, North Carolina, and Atlanta. The container from Atlanta destined to DCT left port.
First from Virginia Beth Palmer returned from her parish in West Point with her husband David. They and St. John’s have supported several children from a primary school in the local area. David is a primary school principal, and he wanted to connect with his counterpart in this local school. The result of their collaboration was 300 new books and 22 new desks (benches) for the school. We call them benches as three students use the one desk. These were nice gifts as they benefited the entire school, not just the 24 children for whom they have bought uniforms and supplies. The desks were significant in that the students were sitting and working on the floor before the desks came. On the first Sunday here Beth preached and baptized at Babayu, a remote village she had been to before, the home parish of a young man that one of her parishioners is sending to high school. Her genuine warmth and compassion were appreciated. The following Sunday she preached at another far-away-village, the home parish of a degree student that she and David sponsor at Msalato. On this particular Sunday, the church was bringing their pledges for the building of a new church (see pictures to appreciate gifts-in-kind with the rabbit being my favorite.)
In the in-between week Beth was kept busy teaching Episcopal Church History to the second year students and on four afternoons she gave open forums for the entire student body on World Religions and Women in the Bible. Beth also brought 50 new books for our library donated by classmates of hers and Sandra’s from Virginia Seminary. The effect that a small parish, like St. John’s West Point, can have is frequently inversely proportional to their size.
The first Grace, came on August 5th. Grace Mahewa was born to Ruth and Moses Matonya, the Principal of Msalato Theological College. The arrival of Grace was not only a surprise but also a blessing. Mother and child did well and her family had a Thanksgiving Service for her at the chapel on the 17th of August. This is a Tanzanian Prayer Book Service with beautiful liturgy and blessings for a new child. A special offering is collected during that service, in addition to the regular offering, and given to the church in thanksgiving. Pastor Richard Chamhene, a graduate of Sewanee, led the service and it was marvelous.
Slightly before this Grace was born, Jessie Mackay, an artist, and Tally Bandy, a deacon, arrived from the Diocese of North Carolina. This is to our knowledge the first visit from this Diocese of North Carolina to DCT. Jessie taught at Bishop Stanway, a diocesan primary school close to Msalato, while Tally taught Pastoral Care and Pastoral Theology at Msalato. Jessie, a gifted artist, transformed the lives of some students who had never had their talents recognized. She also transformed the walls in the library at Msalato with three lovely paintings from pictures Sandra had taken of people in the villages. Tally lovingly passed on her enormous experience in pastoral care and preached and worked as a deacon as well. She enjoyed the students very much and they enjoyed her right back. It was wonderful to see these two beautiful women leave transformed from culture-shocked strangers to beloved friends. We wished them to return with Bishop Michael Curry who is noted to be an exceptional preacher.
From Atlanta, we also had the return of Rev. Dr. Paul Elliott from St. Michael’s and All Angels in Stone Mountain. He has been responsible for adding hundreds of theological texts to the container previously and to this one. On this his third visit he taught theology, psychology, and pastoral care to several classes for over two weeks. While here, Paul arranged for the degree students to visit the local psychiatric hospital, a valuable experience which they had not previously had. Sadly, Paul’s last week was cut short due to the death of his sister-in-law in Australia, the sister of his wife, the Reverend Beverley Elliott, associate rector of St. Bartholomew’s Atlanta.
On August 26th, Magi Griffin, the other full-time Atlanta missionary, went to Dar es Salaam to meet the second Grace, the Reverend Pat Grace from St. Luke’s in Atlanta. Pat’s mission is to seek and to identify women’s issues that St. Luke’s could participate in. Magi planned an exhaustive schedule to explore these issues. Pat was up to the challenge and took on the job with vigor. She preached at Canon Mary Kanyamala’s church on the passage from Luke 7:36-8:30, Jesus at the home of Simon the Pharisee. Her emphasis was on the welcome, karibu, in Kiswahili, and who was doing the welcoming--Simon or the woman who washed Jesus’ feet. This was a powerful sermon, well translated to the congregation. Her two weeks included meeting with women priests from DCT and discussing some of the disturbing issues they faced in the villages. In addition, she taught Spirituality at the college and held afternoon forums with the women students. This second Grace is not to be forgotten as she handled herself beautifully with all who she met.
The container of medical goods and equipment left Atlanta on 11th of August and may arrive as early as Sept 29th. Committee Chairs Kimberly and Buz McOmber from the Cathedral attended the send-off. The sending marked the end of several months of hard work, including a pilgrimage to this diocese. Martin hopes to receive and to distribute these items from the grounds of Amani Hospital. This involves clearing storage areas and insuring the security of the grounds.
Sandra plans to leave for the US on October 5th. Just prior to this she and Magi have arranged for the filming of a promotional DVD for Msalato Theological College. This will give a comprehensive view of the mission of the school. Upon arriving in Atlanta, Sandra will immediately begin the challenging work of setting up an endowment fund for the college in collaboration with the Venerable Charles Gearing, the diocesan Archdeacon for Planned Giving.
We have just received news that Bishop Mhogolo’s trip to Atlanta Diocese planned for October 4th has been delayed until the end of October. We hope that his time in Atlanta will by no means be compromised by the delay. His wife, Irene, who was to have been a speaker at the Atlanta Diocesan Council this year, has returned to Australia to care for their son who had post-operative complications following knee surgery.
The third Grace is of course the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ by whose hand all of us were created and do work on this earth. This is the sustaining power we all embrace and exist on. As Evelyn Underhill said, Grace is God himself, his loving energy at work within his church and within our souls.
Martin has just passed on this letter to me. His choice of The Three Graces as the theme reminded me that in the Hebrew language there is no way to express the superlative except by repeating the word thrice, thus HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. So in Hebrew we might call this letter GRACE, GRACE, GRACE.
I have only one other thing I might add to Martin’s words. Several of you responded to our letter about the death of Martin’s godchild and namesake, Martin Nyemo Mazengo. We thank you for your donations in Martin’s honor to buy malaria nets. This meant much to us as we had prayed for a way to help redeem Martin’s life. Although it meant so much to us to receive your notes of sympathy and notice of donations, words cannot convey what it meant to the father and mother. I showed them the story on the website and where it had been picked up by the organization, Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation. I told them that many mosquito nets would be bought in honor of Martin’s life and used to protect other children. Their facial expressions and shy smiles said it all.
Harder for me than the funeral was being asked to preach at a Thanksgiving Service for Martin’s life three weeks after his death. Martin had died in the morning and the funeral was held that same afternoon. At that time everyone was still pretty much in a state of shock and Martin’s body was still among us. However by the end of three weeks reality had set in and many people were not quite ready to give thanks for Martin’s short time here on earth. This type of service is usually held about six months after a death at which time the deceased property is distributed and the period of mourning officially closed. But daddy Ayubu, although deep in grief himself, was so forthright: The Bible says to give thanks in all things! There is no need to wait, as there is no property to distribute.
Several weeks later I learned that Ayubu and Mollen had lost another baby boy to malaria, their first-born! What a testimony the steadfast simple faith of this man has been to us! I use the word simple in terms of uncomplicated—not in the sense of unsophisticated. Last night I saw Ayubu after he returned from fall break. I noticed that his easy old smile is back. He reported that Mollen and the other children are doing well.
The Three Graces does not really cover all the bases, as we have not counted you, our faithful friends and companions on the way. Truly we have received grace upon grace upon grace upon grace…to God be the glory!
With love and joy,
Sandy and Martin
Nearly forgot…September 15th was Martin’s 64th! Doesn’t he look great?
