Nyantira Church and School visit

Friday the group was treated to a visit to Nyantira Mennonite Church south of the city.  We boarded a rented bus and traveled about an hour to the church. Our group was hosted by Pastor John Wambura, who also serves as our SST country coordinator.  John serves as a pastor at Nyantira, and has been working tirelessly to establish a primary school on the church compound for children in the community who cannot otherwise afford school. (You’ll see some new classrooms still under construction in the pictures below.)

We arrived to a cheerful welcome with the teachers and students lined up at the school singing and reciting various songs and phrases they learned in school. GC students took their  turn to teach them “This Little Light of Mine.”  We enjoyed playing games with the children, which included musical chairs, running races, and soccer.

The Goshen students served the children lunch and we all enjoyed a meal of rice and stew – it was delicious.  The highlight for many was the post-lunch spontaneous dance party at the church!  (If we get enough fan-mail, I may post it on YouTube!) What an amazing day of connecting with this community of children and their teachers – hope is evident at Nyantira.

On Sunday the group attended Upanga Mennonite Church. Ryan was invited to preach and the students sang three songs for the congregation.  It was a time of thanking the church community for the wonderful care we’ve received.  We also celebrated the unique aspects of Tanzanian culture that reflect the image of God.

Monday marks the beginning of our last week in Dar es Salaam. On Monday Feb. 17th, we begin our safari to head to the Mara region next to Lake Victoria for the service portion of the trip.  We have been blessed with so many images, sounds, and stories that we’ll carry with us for years to come.  We intend to spend this last week in Dar pausing to soak up each and every experience!

– Ryan for the entire SST team