Shorty McGinnis

I made my first mission trip in April 2005 to Guatemala.  I knew I was going to see poverty on that trip, and suspect the poverty I will see in Tanzania will surpass anything Guatemala had to offer.  Before leaving I was reading Tony Hillerman's book, Skeleton  Man.

In the book Shorty McGinnis was the operator of a general store in a remote corner of a Navaho reservation.  He ran his store a little differently.  He wasn't always around so you could help yourself and pay what you could.  He was also open to a trade if you had no money.  Here is wisdom according to Shorty McGinnis:

• "... when a fella had more stuff than he needed and was stacking more of it up with the people all around him hungry, that was a pretty good clue he had some of that greed sickness, and they collect these things to prove they're better at being greedy than their friends."

I hope I remember Shorty when I am on my trip.

Ramadan

We are leaving for Tanzania on Monday, September 6, Labor Day.  We arrive in Dar Es Salaam on September 7 and in Iringa on September 8.  The end of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, is September 9.  This is the beginning of 3 days of celebration.  Tanzania is 30% Christian, 35% Muslim and 35% indigenous beliefs.  It should be interesting to be in the middle of 3 days of celebration.

I think I'm ready!

This initial posting starts my adventure to Tanzania.  For background, our friends Don and Karen Fehr have been in Tanzania several times in recent years.  They traveled, at first, as part of a delegation from the St. Paul Area Synod of the ELCA to visit a sister congregation in the Iringa region.  We saw their pictures and heard the excitement in their voices as they described their adventures.  More recently, Don and Karen have been involved with the Agriculture Institute of Tumaini University.  They have been part of a several year project to demonstrate how improved farming methods can increase yields in corn production.  The initial results of this project have been encouraging.

I'm going to tag along with Don on this trip.  We don't have a specific agenda other than visiting remote villages that are involved with the farming project.  Since I can just barely tell the difference between corn and soy beans, I won't be offering much advice on farming practices.

Don and I will also meet with the staff of Cheetah Development (http://www.cheetahdevelopment.org/).  Cheetah is involved with business development in Tanzania.  Their goal is to develop businesses which are capable of employing 10-100 people.  One of the keys to Cheetah's approach is their use of engagement with the village people.  Through a series of meetings, where listening is the key, Cheetah learns of business opportunities which can help build the local economy.  These are ideas generated by the local people, not ones dictated by Cheetah.

That's enough for now.