This will be the last letter from our missionaries, Jean Wahlstrom and Marvin Kananen, ELCA missionaries serving in Tanzania.

January 2010 Newsletter

Dear fellow-travelers of these last twelve years,

Thus begins our last ‘official’ newsletter. As of 31 January 2010 we will have ended our time, our wonderful time, with the right to claim the title ‘Lutheran missionaries in Africa.’ The fiscal year ends for the church on that day; it was a convenient time to close the books on us.

Letter from missionaries Jean Wahlstrom and Marvin Kananen. Continued ......

Be aware that our sweet church continues to pay us for the next six months: ‘readjustment’ they call it (that must be a physical readjustment, I don’t believe our hearts will adjust in that little time). Jean, lacking any appreciation for the ironic, points out that the word is really ‘reintegration’ and not ‘readjustment,’ but truly, you can’t play with the word ‘integration’ as well as you can with ‘adjustment,’ unless we consider the root ‘integral’ but no one would believe that.

However, this is not the ‘last newsletter’ of Jean and Marvin. Completely at your discriminating choice as what you wish to do with them, we’ll continue to write them, sharing our journey through to the end and, hopefully, as in a happy movie ending, to our ‘readjustment.’ (Here Jean asks the usual question, ‘Can one readjust if one has never adjusted, Marvin?’) Our e-mail address of ( jeannmarv@habari.co.tz )  will remain valid until 31 August 2010.

We are not angry or bitter, we do not feel betrayed. (Jean here offers, if we say bitter or angry or betrayed, even though we deny it, some people will choose to believe it. They would think that in vain, truly we are not upset in any way!) In fact, we are excited that this is not a whittling away of missions but a change. As we leave, there is another couple already in Tanzania (but not at the girls school), Josh and Susan Magyar. They are young (relatively) and they are the face of ‘tomorrow’ in Lutheran missions. In the entire world, there are only three ELCA-GM projects being concluded: ours, one in Brazil, and one in Germany. I cannot say we are even sad to be going (albeit, there is some sadness,

especially because of the people and, maybe, the weather). It’s just that we’d rather have retired in June rather than

January possibly for the sake of missing just one more winter.

Retirement, another of those ‘re’ words, means we are hoping for an exciting ministry ahead.  We’ve even had several of you volunteer to mentor us into this next stage of life.  Bless you all!  Once again we’ll be rookies and open for all the advice we can get.  Retirement was never God’s idea.  Remember Abraham?  Sarah?  Elizabeth?  Life was just getting good at 100 years!!

December. Marvin flew home (at ELCA expense, by the way) because the doctors and family agreed it would be a good thing to call the family together. His mother’s pneumonia wasn’t going away, she was hospitalized and things looked bad. She was not fully conscious. Fifteen days later, she asked, “Now, you’re arriving to Seattle on March 11th, when will you come see me again?” So much for dying. She is one tough, 95 year old Finn full of that Finnish quality, “Sisu.”  (For those who don’t know, ‘sisu’ is defined as ‘courage’ but it’s more than that. Marvin’s definitions of ‘sisu’ is to ‘start shoveling snow even when it’s still snowing and the wind is blowing’ or, in a military sense, when you only have two bullets and a column of enemy armor is coming your way, sisu is that quality that dictates you fire a warning shot over their heads before you attack. Sisu.) But the news is this: his mother lives. And though her recovery was made more difficult when the doctors gave her a relaxer called ‘Atavan’ (look it up on the web) which knocked her for a loop, she crawled out again from a state of semi-consciousness. The WWW says ‘Atavan’ is not to be given to anyone over 65, please be aware of that. Also, note that 95 is older than 65, in case the one who gave the prescription reads this letter.

In January there will be the Form VI graduation, in February the same girls take their National Exams. We won’t be here to see their results. We know some will qualify for university. Their futures will now be guided by OBA (Operation Bootstrap Africa) and the competent and caring teachers on the MGLSS Career Committee. There are sixteen girls graduating from out of an original class of 63, a remarkably high percentage for Tanzania.  Fifty-seven went through Form

Four and 22 qualified to begin Form 5 (some followed a science curriculum we couldn’t offer so they are at another school).  Think of these words, ‘Post-MGLSS Scholarship Fund’ and then read on and start praying about sending a check to invest in these young women.

For this graduation, OBA will be bringing a group of 13, including several OBA Board members to meet with the MGLSS administration, MGLSS Career Committee, and Diocese officials.  They will be visiting many OBA projects.  PRAY for God’s guidance and wisdom in all these encounters that solutions can be found for the challenges facing the school in 2010, especially that a new bursar and librarian can be in place soon.  The needs continue.

In our twelve years here (we came when the first class was Form III) there have been about 750 students, of whom 397 graduated from Form IV, 130 graduated from Form VI, 39 graduated from university, 137 graduated from other post-MGLSS programs (think nurses, teachers, etc.), and 64 who are currently in advanced education somewhere in Tanzania. Remember, in 1995 when this school opened, there were only 24 Maasai girls in secondary education throughout the whole country. 

Thank you for sharing your prayers and resources to help make all this happen.  Now, share in the joy and rejoice with us, true partners in mission! Mungu asafiwe!! AMEN! (God be praised!)

When we arrived in Tanzania there were no AA groups in the country. I have no numbers to give you on this, but know that there are meetings from Lake Victoria to Tanga on the coast and south to Mozambique. In America, when one person gets sober (or clean, as in free of drugs) it positively affects nine people; in Tanzania that number is forty-five. It is probable that AA will have an effect on Tanzania equal to the impact of the education of the Maasai women but without the headlines.

And so we begin this year of 2010 with praise and thanksgiving in our hearts for all God has done!  We also begin by asking for the Spirit’s help in:

• Helping us show grace-filled closure of all sorts

• Wisdom in the sorting and packing process

• Energy and clarity in the training and position transitions

• God’s manifestation in all of us during this Epiphany Season.

In God there is no darkness at all!

Within our darkest night, You kindle the fire that never dies away!

Ah, keep us glowing with the Spirit fire!

Thank you for all your support over these many years,

Love,

Jean Wahlstrom and Marvin Kananen

ELCA-GM missionaries serving in Tanzania

GUIDED BY THE GOSPEL: GATHERING • GROWING • GIVING