Magzania

I made it to Arusha around 6am this morning, local time. Long days of traveling since Friday night in Chicago. I met a few people from my program in Istanbul. Once in kiliminjaro, we got our visas, luggage, and met our shuttle to our accommodations.  I am already figuring out what it means to be on African time!! Very laid back. One thing that I am not used to is squatting toilets.... After arriving and checking in, some people went to breakfast but I attended chapel here at tumaini university makumira. The whole service was in Swahili with no translation but I understood some of the orderNwith the Lutheran liturgy. But I had a young boy next to me who helped me along Our final song was the Swahili version of how great thou art. We followed each other out of the Church and sang it gathered in a circle (pictured). Also pictured, two new friends from Zimbabwe and Norway. Then I finally got some lunch and took a three hour nap! (And saw some monkeys on campus). Our program officially...

One week until I embark on this amazing adventure! I am getting so excited! I wanted to provide some more information about the program - specifically, our assignments and composition of small groups. I also reflected a bit on my hopes for this experience. At the end, I have included the link and lyrics to the theme song of the CWME (Conference for World Mission and Evangelism) Letter-Writing As part of the requirement of the GETI program, we are asked to complete eight pre-assignments -  using one of four tracks: letter-writing, creative writing, visual and bodily expression, and academic writing. I have chosen to use the letter-writing track - my letters will be written to American youth and young adults (millennials) who are resisting the North American church.. I think this will be a good platform to share some of the good news happening in the non-western movement of Christianity, to provide hope for the place the protestant church finds itself here in the US (declining in ...

A journey that began five years ago with a sense of call to be a missionary in Africa, that eventually led me to serve in Montana as a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) through the PCUSA, is now culminating in the opportunity of a lifetime! This summer I applied, and was admitted as a student to the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute 2018 from March 5-12 in Arusha, Tanzania! The selection committee was composed of members from the World Council of Churches, Lutheran World Federation, and the Network of Institutions of Higher Ecumenical Theological Education. Additionally, I received a scholarship through the YAV program/Presbyterian Mission Agency to cover the full cost. The students will arrive from different parts of the world and form a group of up to 120 advanced young students of theology. We represent a variety of countries and church traditions with an interest in gaining insights into the ecumenical movement’s current debates on understanding and practicing mission in vario...