LAST LESSONS #107 – TANZANIA

“Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” Psalm 2:8

About Tanzania I could write a book! It’s where Bob and I lived for nine years. It’s where Bob took care of patients. It’s where I gave birth to two of my three children. It’s where Bob envisioned a hospital and raised the money to build it on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It’s where I taught school. It’s where Bob drew all the plans for the 450-bed hospital known as the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC). It’s where I came to know the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania and its bishops. It’s where I came to love Africa and its people.

Yes, I could write a book, but I will write only a blog to tell you how Rafiki was established in the beautiful nation of Tanzania.

When, in the year of 2001, Rafiki began the process of building orphanages in Africa, it seemed wise to place them in the capital city of each country. Therefore, I went to the capital of Tanzania which at that time was Dar es Salaam. (Today it is Dodoma.) I went to meet with the First Lady Anna Mkapa (Her husband, Benjamin Mkapa was president from 1995 to 2005) to ask her help in establishing an orphanage in Tanzania. She was interested and suggested that we locate on the coast close to Zanzibar. The problem was that most of the people there were Muslim and almost none spoke English. I was very discouraged and wondered if we were in the will of God. Our team decided to travel to Moshi to ask advice from Bishop Kweka, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania Northern District (ELCTND), who had helped us to start Rafiki years before.

When we arrived in Moshi, Bishop Kweka smiled and asked why we had gone to Dar es Salaam to build an orphanage. He said, “Don’t you realize that your home is here? We will provide a place for you!” I almost cried. Of course, God wanted us to be in our home area. And for several reasons.

1. Moshi is in the Northern District of Tanzania which is the most productive because of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru. Tanzania is almost on the Equator and therefore would be very hot—except for the altitude in the Northern District. Mt. Kilimanjaro has an elevation of 19,341 ft and Mt. Meru is 14,967 ft high. Between the two (about 60 miles) the land, with an elevation of about 4,000 feet, is well-watered and fertile. What this means for Rafiki is that fresh fruits and vegetables are always available. And so is water. Kilimanjaro is snow-covered year-round and therefore as snow and ice melt, water comes down the mountain. The climate is perfect for a Rafiki Village that has an orphanage and schools.
2. Moshi is in the Northern District where Bishop Kweka presided over the ELCTND. He could provide property on which Rafiki could build a Village. And he was true to his word. Although Rafiki had sent out doctors to work in KCMC, and another missionary couple, George and Donna Faulhaber, to teach BSF classes, the Faulhabers were not able to secure the land that Rafiki would require. But again, God used the church! The Lutheran Church gave Rafiki 50 acres of the most beautiful land imaginable. It is on the slopes of Kilimanjaro with a breath-taking view of the mountain’s snow-covered peak.

That does not mean there were no problems. There were two huge problems: language and poverty. When Tanzania received its independence from Britain in 1961, there were over 100 languages spoken in Tanzania. The national language at the time of independence was English but few people were English-speaking. The new government under the presidency of Julius Nyerere, wanted to unite the people. Because of commerce, especially along the coast of East Africa, the trade language was Swahili, therefore, Nyerere decided that government and higher educational institutions would use English, but that the rest of the Tanzania would be Swahili-speaking. This did not work very well because most of the people were not educated and preferred to use their own local languages. Nyerere made a mistake in not insisting that English be the national language as Kenya and Uganda did. Swahili is a well-developed language, but not spoken outside East Africa, so Tanzania has difficulty communicating with the rest of the world even to this day.

The other problem in Tanzania is their poverty. Julius Nyerere was a soft-spoken, gentle, idealist who loved his people, but he believed that his country should become socialistic. He didn’t know that socialism never works. Under socialism foreign investment slowed down, taxing businesses caused them to move to Kenya or Uganda, and lack of funds for infrastructure made movement of natural resources for export very difficult. The Chinese came in and built some roads, but they used only Chinese workers. Today Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in Africa.

Even though these problems continue to exist, Rafiki is firmly established in Tanzania. A beautiful Village is built facing Kilimanjaro with more than 3,000 bougainvillea planted around the perimeter for added security. Bougainvillea bushes have lots of thorns! The dedication of the Village occurred on November 6, 2007, with Bishop Kweka doing the honors.

I have learned that what God starts, he finishes. Never did I imagine when Bob and I went to Tanzania in 1958 that in 2022 there would be a Rafiki Village there where orphans are housed, children are taught with classical Christian education, teachers are trained, and widows make beautiful products that are marketed in the United States. Only God can do that. He may take a long time to complete what he starts, and Rafiki in Tanzania is not complete even yet. There are still buildings to be built.

But I am grateful that in 2017, I was able to go with my children and grandchildren to participate in the dedication of Rafiki’s Institute of Classical Education building complex. It was my last trip to Africa and a great finale for me—but not for Tanzania. Who knows what God will do there in the days and years ahead.

I am thankful to the Lord for letting me live long enough to tell part of this amazing story.