The Eads to Tanzania

Daniel Howard

I got some mail the other day, but if you were to see the name on it, you may not have thought it was mine. It highlighted a cultural difference between here in Tanzania and where I am from in America.

In America, generally a person is given a first and middle name when they are born, and then they receive their last name (or surname) by virtue of the fact that it is the father’s family name. In my case, I was given the names “Daniel Howard,” and I received the last name “Eads” because it is my father’s family name.

In Tanzania, it is different. Generally, a person will have three names (like I do), but a child is given one name at birth. His second name is the name of his father, and his third name (or last name) is the name of his paternal grandfather (and therefore the name of the clan). This difference in name-giving can cause some confusion at times.

My name is Daniel Howard Eads, but if I were called according to the customs here, my name would be Daniel William Wendell, and my son would be called Silas Daniel William, and so on. Typically, a person is called by his name and the name of his father, and only in more formal situations would someone’s clan name (or the name of their grandfather be used).

So this is the reason that I knew that the mail addressed to “Daniel Howard” was indeed mine.

 

Some Great Old Pics of Dan

This is Jana.

We recently exchanged several photos with our coworkers. It was special to look back at so many memories that we have shared together.

We stumbled across a few of their pictures that were great shots from our first term here in Tanzania.

The first is from one of first months. Dan met with a Tanzanian friend named Abeli regularly to do language practice. Here was a picture taken during one of their many sessions:

This picture below made me laugh. It reminded me of some of the fun preschool/kindergarten worksheets that our kids do that say "Which item does not belong?":

This picture was taken during one of many visits to Nyakaliro that Dan took:

Below, Dan in conversation before or after a service:

This was one of several meetings that were held to teach introductory material to the freshman class in Nov.-Dec. of 2009:

Another Guest

Since Saturday, we have had another guest staying with us whose name is Andrew Cummins. Andrew is from the same church as our missionary intern, Nate Peloquin, and the name of the church is First Baptist Church of Lake Orion (Michigan). This is his third time visiting Tanzania, and he has come to say goodbye to our co-workers and leave for another work. 

We have really enjoyed having him stay with us, and the kids have loved him.

Here is a picture that Grace took (she is our budding little photographer) so that you can see Andrew looking at the camera...

Mkutani wa Kati

Yesterday, I met for the first weekly Bible Interpretation meeting with the students from Sweya and Shadi. These meetings are practical sessions in which we discuss passages and apply interpretation principles that they have been taught during their first and second year of the institute. During our time together, we discussed the relationship between the passage studied and those that surround it. The examples we looked at were Philippians 2:1-4 and 2:5-11, Ephesians 5:15-21 and 5:22-6:9, and 1 Corinthians 13 in light of chapters 12 and 14. We had some very profitable discussion, and I look forward to our meeting next week.

By the way, "mkutani wa kati" means "interim meeting."

 

Bomoa Bomoa

I was really surprised to see the other day what can be seen in the picture below.

This wasn’t the only time that I saw this big red ‘X’. Almost everyone of the signs along the road had the same big red ‘X’ with the words “Ondoa Haraka!” meaning “Remove Quickly.” I would have suspected that it was vandalism, but I knew better. This was the same ‘X’ that I have seen all along the main road through Sengerema since we have returned, only there it has been accompanied by the word “Bomoa,” meaning “Knock down” or “Demolish.” In Sengerema, the demolition has already begun, as tens of houses and places of business have been left half standing. I hear from news outlets that the demolition has been underway along all highways throughout Tanzania.

These red X’s are the government’s enforcement of a law stating that a certain distance be preserved between buildings and billboards, and the main highway, a law that has been on the books for quite some time as I understand. The new Minister of Construction, John Magufuli, has begun to enforce the law, a good one I believe that protects bystanders from passing traffic and car accidents from becoming fatal. But people aren’t happy, and rightfully so.

There has been a number of complaints that I have heard from people, as they have seen the buildings knocked down or marked by that glaring red ‘X’. “It’s like the town has become like a village all over again,” I heard one man comment as he reflected on the demolition done in Sengerema. Unfortunately, the complaints are being directed at Magufuli, who I think is doing the right thing for enforcing the law.

The problem is that people were allowed not only to build foundations for their buildings, but also to complete construction and use those buildings for a length of time, with no one from the government stopping them. Now as they see their buildings knocked down, they are thinking that the problem is with the person enforcing the law, rather than with the ones who have not enforced it for years.

From what I read in the Habari Leo newspaper two weeks ago, the Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda, has told Magufuli to stop the demolition temporarily, saying that while it is right to follow the law, the project should be taken at a slower pace.

Goodbyes

The last two month has been busy with making a transition as my coworker and his family are preparing to move to another ministry. We are sad to see them go, but we are thankful for the great foundation that they have laid for ministry here. Pray for them in their final two weeks in Tanzania as they prepare to leave and minister for God in Central and East Asia.

 

"My Visit to Mwanza, Tanzania"

Here is a post that Dr. Bob McCabe, a recent guest teacher, put up on his blog about his recent visit here. He has some great pictures and explanation of his time in Mwanza. I think that you would enjoy reading it.

Out in the Community

My name is Nathan. I’ve been the missionary intern here in Tanzania for the past seven weeks. God has really blessed me with a great experience.

One of the best parts of this internship has been the time spent with Pastor Eliasi and his family. They live in a small town, Nyakaliro, which is located several hours journey from Mwanza. Eliasi and his wife Lea have four children, Mashauri, Venessa, Meshach, and Shadrach.

While staying with his family, I was able to visit the community with Eliasi. Calling on a number of the members in his church, I was able to gain some experience with Swahili. Eliasi, who speaks a little English, helped me learn some basic conversation questions. Then he helped me use them when we were out in the community. Even the times when I “messed up” with the language were profitable for learning and laughs.

The time spent in Nyakaliro was amazing. I was able to gain a perspective on life away from other Westerners. If you ever have the opportunity to do an internship in a foreign country, don’t be shy and hide in a missionary’s house. Get out there in the community as soon as possible. It will be worth it. 

 

Marriage Sermon #2

Today, I preached in Sengerema the second sermon in a series on marriage. The sermon was about the origin of marriage, and my text was Genesis 2:18-24. The point that I tried to make was that God himself ordained marriage so we follow his plan. I was helped by a message that my pastor, Craig Muri, preached on this text just before we left Minnesota to return back here.

Price Inflation

I read an article a few weeks ago in a Tanzanian weekly newspaper called Rai entitled, “Nchi katika Hali Mbali” or “The Country in a Bad State.” It the article, the author innumerated what the writers saw as the four foundational problems that have more recently hindered the development of the nation. In it, he highlights (1) the rationing of electricity, (2) price inflation, (3) the lack of available employment for youth, (4) and problems in the educational sector.

I thought that I would highlight the issue of price inflation in this post. In the article, They had a chart recording the the prices of common staples of corn, rice, beans, sugar, fish, cooking oil, beef, and corn flour.

I was struck by the fact that, according to the Ministry of Statistics, all of the prices of these basic staples in Tanzania have increased by over 100% from 2005-2010,  and the prices have continued to increase since the beginning of the year.