Out with the old, in with the new

Rebecca writing today. 

January 20, 2021 was a momentous day for transitions…On the personal level, that morning, our official positional email address was redirected to the new Kenya/Tanzania Representatives for MCC. So, no new official Tanzania email will come to us. In fact, we found out that we also lost access to all old emails, written or received from that address. We had helped set the date for “email migration” and knew it was coming. Nevertheless, it was still somewhat difficult and painful to relinquish that role entirely.

staff and volunteers of TEMBO Trust

This clear moment of
transition took place during the mid-point of a week-long official handover visit for the remaining aspects of the Tanzania program. We knew it would be a very long and full week, so we took half a day to intentionally do some restful activity. After our regular exercise, Paul invited a friend to play 9 holes of golf with him at our club, while I took a long and satisfying walk with the friend’s wife around the edge of the golf course. We really enjoyed having time to sit and catch up with these good friends afterwards, with no interruptions from kids.

Our colleagues from Kenya were scheduled to arrive in the early afternoon but met some delays along the way. Originally, we were hoping that both members of each couple would be able to join us for this visit. But the difficult reality of crossing borders in the time of COVID made us all realize that at least one parent from each couple needed to stay behind and be with the kids. What if both parents somehow couldn’t get clearance to cross back over the border and were stuck here for two weeks? So, we welcomed our Area Director Wawa and our fellow Representative Scott around 4 pm (too late to get the COVID test needed to cross the border at the end of the week) and then Paul showed them the way back to our house.

Lunch with Lucia, Chrispin and Wawa

I was beginning another transition that same evening: I attended my final church council meeting at Arusha Community Church. I have truly enjoyed being part of the leadership team at our lay-led church. I know that I must be weird, but even the monthly Monday evening meetings have been a joy (most of the time!), as I continued to get to know others in the church, and as we wrestled with tough questions about how best to manage the practical and spiritual realities of shepherding a church through the unfamiliar landscapes of a pandemic. We will hold our AGM in February and new elders will be elected, so it’s time that I release that particular role in our community.

First thing on Tuesday, Paul took our colleagues to the regional hospital to get tested (which turned out to be a very difficult, long, bureaucratic process as public health officers work to roll out a new system). Meanwhile, we realized that we had a serious problem with the battery of our car (and were very thankful for guests to offer a jump start so I could still get kids to school on time), so I added “buy new car battery” to my morning task list. The men took long enough that I was able to accomplish this, with guidance from our former colleague and “fleet manager” Chrispin.

One World staff in Arusha office

Our first official meeting of the handover visit was to share lunch and conversation with Chrispin and Lucia. Both Wawa and Scott were eager to meet them in the flesh and to express thanks for their faithful service with MCC for so many years. They have both found new positions with an MCC agriculture partner, and so Paul took the visitors to meet with that partner for the rest of the afternoon. We have found that it is vitally important to have face to face meetings with partners as Scott and his wife Anne Marie get to know their work. I know we have come to rely heavily on Zoom, and it was handy to “zoom in” Anne Marie during the week, but so much clear communication is lost when tone and body language are not as easily visible.

Circle time at SSLC

On Wednesday morning, we woke up bright and early and it was my turn to lead our guests to a partner visit – this time to Step by Step Learning Center. It had been almost a year since I had last joined them for circle time, and in fact, they were just entering their third day of in-person school since March. Over the period of the pandemic, the founder initiated home-based education for the special needs students at the school. In fact, this approach turned out to be incredibly fruitful as teachers made better connections with parents and were able to mentor caregivers about the best ways to guide and educate their special children. But the kids were clearly happy to be back in their loving, safe school environment. Some things about circle time haven’t changed: getting oriented to the date and weather, singing songs with sign language, recognizing each individual child. But now all the kids wear masks, spacing is observed and the teachers cannot offer the morning reflexology practice. In the past, teachers went around the circle, massaging the hands of every student, which was very helpful particularly for the children with cerebral palsy whose muscles can get so knotted up. It was also a special moment to show care and attention to each individual. 

SSLC Class room

Scott and Wawa had lots of questions for the Director about how she runs and supports her school. While we talked, we noted that the young adult students quietly filed into the other half of the room and organized themselves to start their beading work. Creating beautiful jewelry is one of the most calming and focused parts of the jobs skills program for the older students. Later, we took a visit of the site, touring the chicken and goat projects, stepping into each classroom and interacting with some of the students.

In the afternoon, we needed an extended time to talk through some of the aspects of this transition and how our successors will relate to partners, projects and the Mennonite church from across a border. After three intense hours of deep, detailed conversation, we took a break and then reconvened for an inauguration party. The power went out, but we still enjoyed our American burritos in the dark and had enough power in our little projector and speaker to carry us through the whole moving and inspiring ceremony. I won’t lie. I was quite overwhelmed by the inexpressible relief of having a new president who is focused on working for the good of all Americans. As someone said, I finally felt welcome in the United States again, and I think a wide variety of people from various backgrounds saw that welcome demonstrated on Wednesday night. Clearly that was the most joyful transition of a momentous week. 

Dark house, bright inauguration 

I remain somewhat conflicted by the feeling that after the inauguration, I felt like I had just been to church. I know that is not appropriate for a political ceremony to co-opt faith as a tool to gain power. But how about when speakers were calling us dig deep into the best aspects of our faith – humility, truth, service, hope, faithful commitment, sacrifice, brotherly love, repentance, forgiveness – calling us to draw on our faith for the inspiration to be better tomorrow than who we are today? Somehow, I find this to be a much different tone than invoking the Christian nationalist spirit of the god of America.

Working lunch with KMT leaders, Wawa and Scott 

On Thursday, we spent most of the day with key leaders from the Tanzania Mennonite Church, getting to know them personally and then discussing the best ways to continue working together with MCC. The conversation felt like a very helpful, mutual exchange of ideas, and a great start for a new set of church relations as we prepared a new partnership agreement together. I was starting to reach a point where I could feel content to be a convener, offering background information when needed, but not needing to oversee the conversation. I was delighted to hear more details from Scott about their past experiences in Tanzania and all the connections that tie them in with the Anabaptist church and theological education in East Africa. They are well-placed in this new Rep role and will likely be gifted in helping the church relationships to thrive.

Both Scott and Wawa wanted to bring back souvenirs from Arusha, and so I helped them locate some nice picture frames, jerseys and beaded items in town, while Paul collected the kids and made sure they had done some homework. (Have I mentioned that it’s hard to make sure kids get their homework done, while you’re having such good and interesting conversations with work colleagues who are staying with you?) A hectic drive through town, pointing out key landmarks and helpful locations, brought us out on the other side to the green peaceful grounds of Arusha Coffee Lodge, where we all met other MCC colleagues Neil and Christy for dinner. They had just returned from 10 months in the US, and I was personally delighted to see them again and catch up. It was also a strategic meeting to learn more of the nitty-gritty on food security and agriculture work in Tanzania.

Meeting with TEMBO staff

On Friday morning, Paul and I realized we needed to divide and conquer. I helped Scott pack the car with books and files to take to the MCC office in Nairobi and then we headed north to the town of Longido, close to the Kenya border. Meanwhile, Paul stayed behind to chase down the COVID negative certificates our visitors would need to leave the country. (Results should have come by Thursday night, but they didn’t, so we had to just trust they would turn up on Friday and we should make our way on the planned schedule). In fact, he ended up spending four hours, staring into the window of the health officer who kept making calls to Dar, trying to get the certificates to load on the system.

Meanwhile, I was having much more fun, frantically trying to go through the remainder of the transition manual with Scott, as Wawa took the wheel. So many small changes in the schedule and lengthy in-person visits had made it difficult to find the leisurely time to talk through all the details of the program I had documented. Well, they know where to find us, as questions come up!

cultural role play

TEMBO Trust in Longido is always a fascinating partner to visit, as they grapple with tricky cultural tensions. The staff of TEMBO are all Maasai themselves and believe deeply in their work. But how does one affirm the good and beautiful aspects of Maasai culture, while at the same time question harmful practices such as FGM and early, forced marriages for young girls? How does one support girls to get a high school or college level education, without tipping the balance in culture and community towards the urban international monoculture? They work hard to demonstrate that rites of passage are possible without cutting, that girls can be well educated and still return home to work as doctors and teachers. In our visit with them, Paulina (director) and Simon (finances) shared about the various projects they carry out. Mary, their community mobilizer, worked with Marykinwe, Kesia and Naiyani (3 women trainers of trainers) to demonstrate the kinds of teaching and testimonies she offers to communities to work on changing harmful behaviors. They were very hospitable, offering us chai and lunch, and plenty of light-hearted jokes along the way.

As we ate and talked, I was checking my messages nervously, hoping that something would come through from Paul on the COVID-19 certificates. When he had given up all hope on Scott’s ever coming, it suddenly appeared at 12:55, just a few minutes before they planned to head to the border. So, we all breathed a sigh of relief and sent them on their way. I got a local taxi guy to drive me back home, to enjoy a very quiet evening with my family.

On Saturday, there was a lot to do to make sure Paul was ready to go (his Friday packing time was spent waiting for COVID certificates, and luckily his own came through while he was waiting there). There were a few nerve-wracking last-minute questions regarding the visa he should get and what documents he should bring. But we sorted most of it out. In the late afternoon, we squeezed in an ultimate frisbee match, to which just two families could come, and one Pakistani family was brand new to the sport. But they learned fast, and even their two-year-old pitched in as a “pani wallah” for her dad (water fetcher). Fortunately, a few of the children on base joined us and then later, a few young adult teachers joined. It turned out to be a very competitive and strenuous game, but one in which we could involve everyone on each team. And I was sore on Sunday morning!

frisbee match

So, right after church, Paul finished packing his bags and headed to the airport. We stayed behind, thinking to host bible study, but it turned out no one could come. Maybe that was a gift. We were all very tired and needed some down time. We did a shopping trip for the week together, and had a gelato treat as time to prepare ourselves for the new regime of mommy needing help to keep the household running.

And so far, the kids have been very cooperative (minus a few spats), pitching in with cooking and washing up. We got to bed on time and got to school on time this morning. But still, Oren woke from a nightmare at 2:45 am, and once he got me up, I found it impossible to fall asleep again. I am a very good sleeper and NEVER have insomnia. So, I guess there must be a fair amount of underlying anxiety about all this transition in our life. Out with the old and in with the new. But a seed dying to raise up a new plant – well, all that breaking and cracking for new life to break out -- it isn’t comfortable. So, I gave up on sleeping at 3:45 am Monday morning to write most of this blog and document the day of one of our most tumultuous transitions, as Paul begins to explore the new life we will take on in Ethiopia, and I remain here in Arusha in a liminal space.

The road back to Arusha

 With gratitude to Scott Stoner-Eby who provided most of the work photos in this blog.