Sight Seeing in Berlin

I've really enjoyed Berlin.  Talk about an efficient, well designed city; it really fits the German stereotype, and I like it.  It doesn't look a lot like what I think of when i think of Germany, and that's because most of the city was destroyed in WWII.  The city of Berlin that exists today is therefore a relatively "new" city because most of the buildings are newly built.

Throughout our week with the Whites, we had time here and there to go around and see some of the sights.  Here are a few of the memorable ones....

The Holocaust memorial is an abstract display made up of concrete rectangular blocks of varying sizes.  As you walk through the exhibit, the blocks get larger, and it becomes more maze-like.  It is meant to give the effect of experiencing other people gradually disappear.

The Bradenburg Gate is one of the most well-known and popular sights in Berlin.  Next to it is the Reichstag (government) Building which we also toured.

Even the playgrounds in Berlin are creatively- and well-designed.  Each one has a unique theme, and they are equipped with zip-lines, rope bridges, and all kinds of abstract climbing structures that go really high.  It's too bad these kinds of playgrounds would never be approved in the United Stated due to liability concerns.  They are fun for children and adults.

One afternoon Ryan and I rode around the city on bikes and stopped at two sights.  The first sight, pictured to the left, was a memorial of mentally and physically handicapped people who were systematically murdered during the Nazi regime....

 .... The second sight, pictured to the left, was a memorial to those who resisted the Nazi regime.  Inside was a large exhibit dedicated to the resisters, which included information about Theologians like Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, among other Christian leaders who spoke out against Nazism.

On one of our last days, we went to see the Berlin Wall.  You can see the wall in the background.  Behind the wall is one of the few (if not the only) remaining building from the Hitler Regime.  Most have been demolished or destroyed, but this one still remains and is now a government finance building.

Right next to the wall is a museum called the Topography of Terror.  It is in this location because this is where the central administration of the 3rd Reicht was located.  Many of the atrocities committed were a direct result of decisions and orders given from this site.

On this particular afternoon that we visited the Topography of Terror, Roslyn was in a very feisty mood.  She was running and dancing and being loud, and wouldn't listen to our instructions to walk, calm down, and be quiet.  At first this really bothered me.  Partly because she wouldn't follow my instructions, but also because I was worried that her behavior was disrespectful to the others who were visiting the memorial.  But then, as I took a minute to think about it a bit more, my perspective changed.  I realized that there is something beautiful about an energetic little girl dressed in a bright green coat and full of energy and joy singing and dancing in a place that was formerly a sight of horrific violence and evil.  When I realized that, I was glad to let her be the exuberant girl she is, and I believe God was smiling in that moment too.

Seder

Preparing the Lamb

Yesterday, 25 March 2015, at 4:00 Berlin time, we commenced our Seder tradition.  We were with the Whites and their friends Ben and Melissa.  Ben and Melissa are Mennonite Brethren church planters here in Berlin.

This is the 9th time that we have celebrated Seder, and it has become a significant event for us during the Easter season.  The first 5 years we celebrated in Pasadena during seminary.  Since then, our friends have scattered but we've continued to observe the tradition whenever possible. We have gathered in Ritzville WA, Sauderton PA, Toledo, OH, and now Berlin Germany.

Preparing the Toum

In addition to being a wonderful feast with good friends, the Seder meal is an important faith experience for me as well.  It recounts the Exodus story, and the liturgy we use connects the story of Israel to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.  It's very rich in tradition, and it makes significant connections between both testaments of the Christian scriptures.  My faith iss always deepened each year through both the liturgy and the conversations that have taken place around our 9 Seder tables.

Preparing the Falafel

Preparing the Salad

At the end of a Jewish Seder liturgy, I understand that it ends with the line, "Next year in Jerusalem."  The liturgy we use ends with the line, "Next year in Peace."  We've often adapted that closing statement to point toward the location of the next time and place where we might celebrate Seder.  The last time we celebrated Seder was two years ago when the Whites were just preparing to move to Berlin.  We ended that Seder with, "Next year in Berlin!"  It took two years, but we are glad that this year, we were able to fulfill that hope.



So this year in Berlin.  Next year, who knows.  But wherever it may be, may it be done in the peace that God offers the world    through the resurrection of Christ.  

Berlin

We flew from Nairobi back to Amsterdam on March 19.  The over-night flight went well, and I'm really impressed at how well our girls do on our travel days.  They both slept almost the entire time.  We arrived in Amsterdam at 5:00 am, made it to the Owl Hotel by 6:30, took a morning nap, and had breakfast around 9:30.

The last few days before leaving Africa, we all came down with some kind of food-bug.  Roslyn and Lizette both threw up at different times, and Emiley and I had episodes of nausea.  We were concerned about the girls, so on our last day in Nairobi we made an appointment with a doctor who comes and visits guests at the Mennonite Guest House.  He gave us a lot of reassurance that it wasn't anything serious (like malaria), and that we should just keep the girls hydrated and it will all clear up in a few days.  Sure enough, it did, and we were glad to get through the flight without incident.  

So after a good flight from Nairobi to Amsterdam followed by an over-night in Amsterdam, we took the train to Berlin on April 21st.  We are visiting our good friends Ryan and Alethia White and their daughter Ariella for our time here.  They are in Berlin through an appointment with the Presbyterian Church USA.  They are sharing a position at a church as a pastors to Iranian expats and refugees who are moving to Berlin.

One of our main agenda items for our time here is to celebrate a Seder meal with the Whites.  For all 5 years of our seminary experience together, we celebrated a Seder meal with the Whites.  In fact, it was that very first Seder meal of our first year in seminary which Ryan initiated that really cemented our friendship with the Whites.  We've kept the tradition going even after seminary, and it's such a gift to celebrate with them again, this time in Berlin!

So far, we've been exploring Berlin using the metro and bus system.  And we also took time to enjoy some classic German fair at a beer hall in Potsdam.  It was very yummy.  Glad our stomachs are back to normal so we can enjoy it :)

Goodbye Dodoma

Our time in Dodoma has come to an end.  It wasn't always easy to navigate such a cross-cultural context with two young girls, but it was definitely a growing experience that we will never forget.

We got to see old friends like Pastor Musa and Pastor Manase and their families.  Emiley and I hosted Musa and Manase in our home when they visited Toledo in November of 2012.  It was good to see them in their context and spend time with their families in their homes.

 

In total, I preached five times, had several more formal introductions where I brought greetings from Toledo along with some kind of brief meditation, and dozens of more introductions to many different people.

We visited Shirati Mennonite Church, Tarime Mennonite Church, two Mennonite churches in Dodoma, two hospitals started by Mennonite Missionaries, The University of Dodoma, the Serengeti National Park, and probably some other things I'm forgetting.

On our last night, our hosts threw a big going-away party in their home...

 

It was long, and we were tired, but it was a special and fitting way to say good bye.  

Then on Monday we took the 6-hour (no, make that 9-hour) drive from Dodoma to Arusha.  We stayed in Arusha over-night where we said goodbye to our wonderful driver, Shomari.  Even though he doesn't speak much English, and we don't speak much Swahili, we really got to know him and appreciated his companionship.  

On Tuesday, we took a bus from Arusha to Nairobi and checked into the Amani Garden's Guest House by mid-afternoon.  The bus ride and border-crossing actually went really smoothly, and it was nice to be back on familiar ground.

 


We fly from NBO to AMS on Thursday night, spend a day in Amsterdam, and then take the train to Berlin to see our friends, Ryan and Alethia White.  I'm really getting excited for this next phase of the sabbatical.

School for Roslyn

One unexpected gift we received during our stay in Dodoma was that Roslyn was able to attend school for a week while there.

Peace attends as school called Canon Andrea Mwaka School.  It's a British-run private school that started for missionary families.  The Muhagachi's spoke to the principle there about allowing Roslyn to attend for a week.  They graciously allowed her to do so free of charge.



Her teacher's name was Miss Henry, and she was an excellent teacher who made Roslyn feel right at home.  On Monday and Tuesday Roslyn did great.  But then on Wednesday she cried so much at drop-off time that we brought her back home.  Thursday she cried again, but we got her to stay.  Then on Friday she was excited to go to school again, partly because there was an assembly.  She was even given a special award.

Mennonite Church of Dodoma

Following a 15-hour car trip from Mugumu in NW Tanzania on March 4th, we arrived in Dodoma, Tanzania and have been here ever since.  Our first week in Tanzania we were in the NW region near Lake Victoria, and we were traveling a lot from town to town to places like Tarime, Shirati, and Mugumu.

It's been nice to be more settled in Dodoma for the past 9 days.  On Monday we drive from Dodoma to Arusha, about a 6-hour drive.  We will stay overnight in Arusha, and then the next day take a bus from Arusha back to Nairobi.  It's only about a 4-hour bus ride, but it involves a border crossing so that will add to the total time.  We should be in Nairobi by mid-afternoon, and then stay at the Mennonite Guest House over night before our trip back to Amsterdam.

While we've been in Dodoma, I preached in church on March 8th.  Unfortunately, I forgot our camera at Askofu's house, so we don't have any pictures.

Then on Monday March 9th to Wednesday March 11th, I taught in the mornings at a seminar for pastors from the Central Diocese of the Mennonite Church in Tanzania.

I was given free-range to present on whatever I wanted to.  I decided to simply use something that's been helpful to me in my ministry, so I used a book called Working the Angles by Eugene Peterson to talk about on-going spiritual formation for pastors.  The three sessions focused on prayer, scripture reading, and spiritual direction.  I used Peterson's outline, and supplemented with my own conversation activities, selected bible passages, and group interaction times.  I was worried about having enough material, but that was never a problem.

Pastor Lawrence, on the far left in the picture above, translated on the spot for the entire time.  What an amazing gift and ability he has.  There were a few times that we were not understanding each other because of cultural differences.  Those proved to be valuable learning experiences for me.  With the help of others in the group who also knew English, we were able to talk through the misunderstandings.

The congregation also threw a big reception for us on the evening of Wednesday the 11th, complete with slaughtering the fated cow.

Here's a picture before,,,

During...

And after....

It was a fun event.  We sang songs, and representatives from the different groups in the church brought words of greetings and thanks.   They presented us with some African-style clothes, a woven cloth, a framed wood carving, and a special cake for the occasion.  

We are now down to our last 3 days here in Tanzania.  On Saturday evening, I am speaking to a Christian student group at the University of Dodoma, and then again at U Dom on Sunday morning at their church service.  

I've had a lot of speaking/preaching engagements while here.  At the beginning of the trip I was feeling reluctant to do all of them when I looked that the schedule they had lined up for me.  This is supposed to be a sabbatical after all, and preparing sermons takes a lot of work for me.  But to reduce the work load I've recycled sermons I've already given, and even on one occasion was inspired to give an impromptu sermon.  (And when I say inspired, I do think that the Holy Spirit directed me in what I said.  But I also mean that I was given only a few hours notice).  

Lots more to say, but that's my update for now.  

Roll Call

It occurred to me the other day that family and friends back home might not know the people who are hosting us while we are in Tanzania.  So here's a roll call of the key people who we are visiting.

This is Bishop Amos Muhagachi.  We call him Askofu, the Swahili word for Bishop.  He is the one who invited us to visit Tanzania during my sabbatical, and has been the key person in arranging our schedule and agenda while here.  Roslyn snapped this picture at one of the church events we attended.

This is Askofu's wife, Esther.  We call her Mama Askofu.  In addition to being an amazing host and inviting us into their home, she is the director of Grace and Healing Ministries at Dodoma Mennonite Church.  Grace and Healing Ministries serves children with HIV/AIDS, or children whose families have been impacted by the disease.

This is Violet, their oldest daughter.  She has also done a lot of work to host us during our time here.  She is currently on break from studies at the University of Dodoma where she is studying public administration and considering further studies to be a lawyer.

This is Grace.  It's a bad picture, but it's the only one I have at the moment.  She's in our equivalent of high school, and is doing some independent studies to get ready for university.  She's very outgoing and active, has a keen sense of style, and is one of the lead praise singers at the church.

This is Peace.  She's 13 and has been a good companion for Roslyn.  She and Roslyn have been sharing a room while we are here.  She loves to read, is very tech savy, and has very long braids that Roslyn enjoys.

The school that Peace attends also has a pre-school, and they have graciously allowed Roslyn to attend for free for the main week we've been here in Dodoma (from March 9-13).  Roslyn enjoys the school, but often gets nervous to go in the morning.  Once there she usually has a good time, and Peace is able to go check on her during break times.  The school is conducted all in English so there's no language barrier for Roslyn.

This is Shomari.  He's the family driver and is always taking us from place to place.  He doesn't speak a lot of English, but he's very friendly and helps us practice Swahili.  Roslyn likes how playful he is, and Lizette has also taken to him.  He has a wife and a young daughter named Sabrina.

And this is their house.  It's very spacious, and it has a nice sitting area out front that we enjoy in the evenings when the weather becomes cool and pleasant.  Askofu and his wife also have a son named Victor (between Violet and Grace) who is studying in Lancaster Mennonite High School in Pennsylvania.

Serengeti

We left Tarime on Monday March 2nd and drove three hours to Mugumu where we were to stay for two nights in the missionary house on the grounds of Kisare Mennonite Hospital.

Bishop Amos serves on the board of directors of the hospital.  There have also been conversations between the hospital leadership and Dr. Dave Weldy, a member of Toledo Mennonite Church, about starting a medical exchange program between Kisare Mennonite Hospital and the University of Toledo.  We toured the hospital and had a nice dinner with some of the hospital leadership on Monday March 2nd.

Then on Tuesday March 3rd, the board of directors of the hospital had a meeting.  Instead of attending, Emiley, the girls, Esther, and I went to visit Serengeti National Park.  One of the employees of the hospital worked in the park for four years and agreed to take us on a safari.

We saw tons of zebra, impala, and wildebeest, a handful of elephants and giraffes, a whole pool of hippos, a family of monkeys, some vulchers, two cheetahs, and three lions.  It was a lot of fun.  And what an amazing landscape.

Here are a sample of pictures.  It was hard to capture the vastness of the landscape and the hugeness of the herds.