Back Again and Off to Africa

Habari (Hello) to all.  I am reactiviting my blog as I prepare to go to Tanzania.  I am traveling to Matamba where I will visit our sister parish and school.  Fr. Augustine Mbichi, the associate pastor of the parish, has built St. Monica's School.  It has been a blessing for our parish and school to support his work.  Many of his students are orphans, left without parents by the AIDS epidemic which continues to sweep Africa. 

Fr. Mbichi has done an amazing job of founding a school, building the school facilities, hiring the teachers and staff, provided food, clothing, books and housing for many of the students.  There are students who have parents but many do not but still must wear a uniform and have books.  Fr. Mbichi has also built a dormitory which houses many of the students and he provides food for many of them as well.

I leave on Monday, October 22 from Minneapolis.  We fly to Amsterdam and then on to Dar es Salaam.  It is a 22 hour flight and since Tanzania is 9 hours ahead of us we will arrive around 9:45 p.m.  The next day is when I believe that we will begin to make our way to Matamba which is about 350 miles away.  I expect the roads to be like those in the north of Minnesota.  Some really good ones.  Some adequate ones.  Some that are not all that great.  So we will see.  Fr. Mbichi told us to expect to see animals as we go along so that will be exciting.

I will try to begin posting on Monday and then will update as possible while I am in Africa.  I am not sure that I will always have good access to internet.

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