We’ve finished the wire fence around our property for the House of Prayer. The reaction from people who pass by is varied: some say the fence was put up by a corrupt politician (there is a major political scandal in which millions of dollars were stolen of public money), others don’t know who it is, others are wondering what is going to be built there, others are pleased to see the development of the land. Hopefully, as our development progresses there will be greater understanding on what we’re doing.

At times I feel the pressure from people to complete the project tomorrow. The people, when they have money, usually, if they are smart, use the money fast to build something because if they wait there are always pressing needs that will finish the money in a flash. I refuse to get drawn into this trap of trying to speed up development in an environment that many times slows development down.

The next step is to start planting some trees and landscaping the site. We also need to get water and electricity so we need to deal with the government bureaucracy which can take some time. Finally, we need to build at least the foundation of my future home (I don’t have enough money to build the entire house for now). But first the trees then the….then the…One step at a time.

Tanzania is truly a land of great and varied beauty that a Missioner can missed out on because of work, work, and more work. In the midst of the struggles and pressures of living in Tanzania it is wise to take a little time to enjoy its natural wonders. I’ve just returned from a 3-day trip to Rubondo Island with a Maryknoll Brother. Rubondo Island is a wonderland of nature with a thick jungle full of elephants and myriad forms of wildlife.

One day we went with a park ranger in a motorboat to explore how Lake Victoria, the second largest lake in the world, impacts on the island. We passed by a floating fish which we thought was dead but Br. Loren called out it was alive so we circled back. The ranger started pulling on a fish line which the fish was hooked on and pulled the fish in. We discovered the line was heavy with Nile perch fish. We pulled in 11 of them. These fish was illegally caught because they were caught within the park confines. The local fisherman come at night to set their lines in the park area since it is a protected area that has a lot of build up fish stock.

After hauling in the fish we continued on our journey of the island when suddenly we came upon what from a distance looked like a rock but as we came near we saw that it was a floating dead body. Lake Victoria is a beautiful lake, but it can be a killer. Many of the local fisherman use small canoes craved out of trees. When a storm suddenly comes in the afternoon the gentle waves become killers. Many a poor fisherman has sunk to the bottom of Lake Victoria where they stay for three days. On the third day, they surface hopefully to be claimed by their loved ones whom they were fishing for.

Last week the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers met in Mwanza for our bi-annual meeting in which all 12 of us Missioners come in from different parts of Tanzania. It is a small but unique gathering of people. Half of the group is over 80 yrs old. One of this group celebrated his 85th birthday on Thanksgiving.

It is amazing to be with these men who are still very, very active in their life and work. One is an assistant pastor, another is building a church and collecting proverbs, another is a pastor of a large parish with a district hospital, another wants to build a primary school along with his many other ministries, and one is working with a forgotten semi-nomadic people in the middle of nowhere.

What amazes me about these men? First, their joy. They’ve seen it all (all of them have been in Africa for over 50yrs) and they still radiate a deep joy that comes with going through a lot of suffering. Secondly, their perseverance. 50 plus years of living in one of the most poverty stricken places on the planet and they’re still here, wanting to help. I don’t know how much longer they will be around. I suppose all of them would prefer to be buried here. But wherever they will end up, I will start paying more attention. It’s not often one witnesses nitty gritty holiness.

An important part of the vision for the Lake House of Prayer is Silence. To be alone (all-one) with the Divine. I see it as part of my responsibility to create, foster and guard the Silence. In a world totally enslaved by noise and frenetic activity we desperately need areas of reflection, solitude and silence.

I’ve started a meditation group of missioners in the area. We are a mixed group of 11 lay, priests, brothers, men and women who are seeking the silence in the midst of a fairly chaotic city of Mwanza. It’s almost like we’re doing this in self-defense, to keep our sanity but it is also a desire for God which the Christian mystics have experienced through the ages as one who only can be ‘found’ in the Stillness and Silence.

We meet once a week for one hour in the middle of Mwanza. We sit in silence and faith of the Risen One Jesus Christ. We sit to let go of our fears and anger. We sit for healing and transformation. Without making one cement block we’ve already started the House of Prayer, for after all the House of Prayer is people, people sitting in silence and faith in the middle of chaos.

We are in the final stages of finishing our fence. Now the property is secure. In a developing country like Tanzania in which land is invaded on a regular basis this is an important step. The next step is to build something that I can live in.

I’ve thought of building a simple mud-brick house since the funds for this year are running out. When I ask people what they think of this prospect they are unanimous in their rejection of such a possibility. One reason is, why would a rich foreigner dare build something only a poor person would? Another reason is the permission to build on the type of land we have says one cannot build with mud-blocks. Others are concerned about security, it is easy to break into a mud-block wall that a cement one. So we will build the modern way, with cement.

Because the funds are not enough for now we will have to build just part of the house (a room and bathroom). We’ll dig the entire foundation of the house then start filling in the spaces to meet basic needs and as other funding arises. This is the way many build here, one room, wait for a few months, get some money, build another room. It can take years to finish a house. Hopefully, that won’t happen with us.

Tanzania, at least traditionally, is not a confrontational culture like many Western countries. To confront someone in front of a group of people gives the person “shame” and the confronter will probably gain nothing except an enemy. I learned as a Pastor that if I need to confront someone on a particular issue it is best to find some privacy(which is not that easy) and speak to the person one on one.

Confronting one needs solitude with the person and respect. The confrontation ought be grounded in respect. If one does not show respect one’s message will not get through. Many Tanzanians have an inferiority complex when it comes to foreigners, they are intimidated by the West’s development. Some are amazed at the West’s accomplishments and wonder if God made ‘White people’ with a different kind of brain.

Two days ago I had to confront the architects who are drawing up the House of Prayer plans. Their ideas of how to enflesh the vision were very much different that ours. I had to remind myself the conversation on this sensitive subject is like a dance where one moves with grace, honesty and respect. The conversation turned out very well to my delight. They understood the challenges of the vision and I understood where they were coming from. This understanding came from an attitude of mutual respect.

Yesterday, I received the initial drawings for the House of Prayer from our architects. They are disappointing. They missed the point almost entirely that the site is for the Spiritual needs of our guests, not for their leisure or pleasure needs.

They included a swimming pool, three dining rooms, large rooms that included a sitting rooms for our guests. All the buildings were in the round, which uses a lot of space. The place looks like something foreign tourists would come to. My contractor described it as a ‘campground’.

Much of the fault lies with me–I did not explain clearly enough the vision. It’s the vision, Dummy! Everything from that flows. In the past when the church built something it had its own people plan and execute. These days one has to use secular resources that have little knowledge of building for the Spirit. So, I meet with the architects this week to explain very clearly what the challenges we have working together. I hope to slow down the process so we can check their work to make sure it enfleshes the vision. There is a popular saying, “Haraka Haraka, Haina Baraka”, Fast, Fast, there is no Blessing. Indeed.

“Shaghalabhaghala” is a Kiswahili word for Chaos, a negative kind of chaos that breeds confusion. Living in a city like Mwanza is living with the reality of Shaghalabhaghala. One meets a great example of what happens when traditional culture collides with modernity.

Mwanza is a unique place because of its diversity. We have many different tribes from all over Tanzania. We have tribes from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. There is a large Arab population here, along with many Indians. There are many NGOs, churches, mosques and temples servicing Christians, Moslems, and Hindus. This social fabric is starting to tear as long standing human relationships are put aside in favor of profit, pleasure and religious fanaticism.

There is a tremendous rapid development going on with large hotels and office buildings reaching to the sky like so many Towers of Babel. Along with this rapid, pretty much unplanned development comes a loss of civility and the famous African hospitality. One struggles with the stress of living in such a frenetic atmosphere. The poor struggle the most as they are marginated daily by the mad rush for profit without social responsibility. Which is why many of us missioners are here. To live in solidarity with the world’s forgotten. Why? Because we are followers of Jesus.

Since we started at the Lake House of Prayer site we have built a storeroom, an outdoor toilet, a small pond to put water and are continuing to build a chain link fence. We have no water at the site so usually 10 women haul water for us, for a price. It is a good way to give people some work.

The women go down to a natural spring about a 5 minute walk downhill towards the lake. They come back with a full heavy bucket of water on their heads. The journey back up hill for the spring takes twice as long. It is amazing to see the strength of these women, many of whom are elderly. Actually, the poor of Africa do not retire to a life of leisure. Everyday they struggle with their families to get enough or any food on the table. Hauling water up a steep hill even if you are a grandma is one survival technique.

Today at the building site I was told that a young man who is our neighbor died suddenly. I saw him regularly when I was at the site and he seemed ok. But that is deceptive for just as many young women like to hide that they are pregnant, so too, many people are close to death but try not to show this reality to themselves or others.

What happens is a person starts getting sick at a minor level and ignores it perhaps because there is no enough money to go to the doctor. The minor disturbance becomes major so money is collect from family and friends to go to the hospital. At the hospital one is met by lack of service, not enough doctors or medicines, poor testing, and outright corruption. So the sick one can get sicker.

One returns home to his/her normal life but it is not normal, the person is on his/her way to death. Others notice, I usually don’t until someone tells me. People are so used to sickness and death they make it look normal. Then they die. I am really surprised. Others look like they are surprised. But they know, death had been close for a long time.