Karen and Tony left Mwanza for Dar Es Salaam this morning to meet the young lady they sponsor through Compassion International. Salty and Denny checked out of the Victoria and moved to the Maliaka with Lisa and Floyd. This is a very nice resort. After lunch where some of us had a Tanzanian resorts version of a hamburger we were picked up by Ernest Nyororo (we had dinner at his house in Geita the previous Friday) and his daughter ColethaRead more

The group was still on safari so I had the day to myself. It was raining so the morning was spent in the room. When it stopped I decided to walk to the Cathedral, about 1-1/2 miles. I wan’t to get a book from their bookstore. It was the daily readings with a reflection. When I got to the bookstore they only had it in Swahili. I bought some other gifts and then went to look at the Cathedral. TheRead more

Fr. John and Denny spent the day together in Mwanza while the rest were on safari (See separate blog). After breakfast at the hotel they headed out. First stop was To meet Fr. Gerald to give him money to replace the pump at St. Aloysius school. After that was done, we headed to Mincon to return the Venturi and to thank them for their generosity and assistance. We then headed to Bujora where the Dimesse Sisters run a center calledRead more

We ate breakfast at the Nsangano. The owner had been at the reception the previous night and had invited the priests to also join us. After breakfast we went back to the parish. Reason we had to go to the parish- Fr. Bulala had a flat and needed someone to change it. Roads in Nyarugusu (after rains) We went back to Geita to say goodbye to the Bishop. He gave us a blessing and sent us on our way. HeRead more

SERENGETI SAFARI (Posted by Salty) Lisa, Floyd, Tony, Karen and Salty were picked up from the Malaika Beach Resort Hotel at 8:00 a.m. by Joseph Edward, our driver from Masumin Tours, in our Toyota safari vehicle, which is like an SUV, except that the entire roof can be popped up to allow passengers a 360-degree view of the Serengeti. First, though, we had to go to Masumin’s office to pay for the safari, since we had not done so earlier.Read more

(Posted by Salty) Due to a shortage of available rooms at the Lenny Hotel Sunday night, Shemasi Denny (a/k/a “Masanje,” i.e., one who brings people together) and Salty (a/k/a “Chumvi,” i.e., “Salty”) enjoyed a night as guests at Bishop Flavian’s home at the Geita Diocese, where Fr. John had already been staying. Lisa, Floyd, Karen and Tony remained at the Lenny Hotel. At 8:00 a.m. on Monday we participated again in a Mass in the Bishop’s chapel on the thirdRead more

Today was slow paced. Anthony left early in the morning to begin his journey home. The rest of us left the Lenny Hotel for 8:00 AM Mass which started at 8:30 AM (that was early for Africa). Bishop Flavian gave the homily in Swahili but the Archbishop gave a short talk at the end which Fr. John translated. Then Lisa, Karen, Tony and Floyd went to meet with the choir after Mass. They spent about an hour sharing how theRead more

Who travels across the world to meet their bishop? Members of St. John the Evangelist in Loveland. We woke up early (sleep is not why we came to Tanzania) so we could leave at 7:00 AM to make the 1-1/2 hour drive to Nyantakubwa and be there for the 9:00 AM Mass. The 7 of us piled in and arrived safely. The road from Sengerema to Nyantakubwa is very rough and we even had to cross a creek that hadRead more

We made it across Lake Victoria and headed for the 50 min drive to Isole. Sixtus was driving and he made record time. When we got to Isole they had already brought the drilling rig to the house and so all we had to do was eat (does this sound familiar) and pay the workers for the week. Who goes to Africa and gains weight? Answer: pilgrims from Loveland, CO. The Drilling Team Mathias, Francis and Joseph (the foreman ofRead more

Does this look familiar? If you answered that it looks like they are waiting on the ferry from Mwanza you are correct. We checked out of the Gold Stone this morning at 6:00 AM after Anthony woke the front desk clerk up. We loaded all our luggage into the family truckster and headed to Mwanza for another day of shopping. Our destination was Mincon Drilling Supply to see if they have a coupling and a rock bit. We first stoppedRead more