My dear friends

St. Luke's Episcopal Church
224 Northwest D Street
Grants Pass, Oregon 97526
(541) 476-2493

My dear friends,
            It is one of those cold gray days where the rain is falling like a gentle mist until everything outside is covered and wet. It’s the kind of day where hot soup and bread in front of a warm wood fire seem to be the perfect remedy to the cold. It is no coincidence that these are also the waning days of harvest, that the frost is well and truly on the pumpkins that are left in the field and that many are beginning to feel the affects of the short daylight hours and the sometimes too dreary days. Just when it seems like all the rays of sunshine have departed, we have the chance to be reminded of what makes our lives special. Normally, we might not reflect on what makes each of us special when we are experiencing a bit a winter, but if we think about it the reason is because we have received the gift of God and we are able to act out of the love that has been bestowed upon us. This is the fire of the Spirit that keeps us warm when everything around us turns cold and misty. It is important for us to remember what God has done for us and from what Christ has redeemed us.
            I recently had the opportunity to minister to the young men of the Oregon Youth Authority. Several people had been asked to bring their motorcycles to the prison in order to put on a bike show. We parked our motorcycles and waited for each individual group to come out and look over the bikes. Before they did, we had the opportunity to share our personal experiences of God’s redemptive power. We believed that we could make a difference for them if they knew how God had been able to redeem us. The point here is that there were several people who had been real outlaw bikers until they had been redeemed. They were able to talk about how far away they had been and how bad their lives had been until they encountered Christ. I began to feel Less-Than because my own story felt so inadequate. That was when God took the opportunity to remind me that no matter who you are or what your story is, that being born anew into the family of God is no small thing.
            I was reminded of this as we were leaving the prison and one of the guest bikers and I began talking. He asked me if I was going on another run to be held on Sunday morning and I explained that I would be unable to attend because I would be saying Mass instead. There was a pause in our conversation and then my new acquaintance said, “I think I would like to come to your church. What time do you have services?” It was at this point that I realized my story had an impact, an impact I had not expected. I was feeling “Wintery” until that moment. It wasn’t how exciting my story was, it was the fact that God had intervened in my life just like he has in yours and that I was trying to do the right thing.
            So when we begin feeling like winter is setting in, we just need to remember that it is Christ in us that makes the sunshine.

REPORT FROM A SILENT RETREAT
            Late in September, I was fortunate to attend a retreat at St. Dorothy’s Rest, a retreat/camp in the hills near Graton, California. The facility consists of several lodges, most of them built 50 to 70 years ago, in a lovely wooded area.
            Once there I was greeted by Sisters Teresa and Alice, of the Community of the Transfiguration, who offered the retreat. I met my roommate, Jan, received a schedule for the retreat, and was shown to my room in the main lodge. After I unpacked, Jan (who has been coming to St. Dorothy’s Rest since she was a child) gave me a “grand tour” of all the lodges and grounds, plus a brief history of the people who first owned it and how it developed and grew.
            Afterwards we went back to the main lodge for the first of many wonderful meals! Breakfast, lunch and dinner featured many choices, including vegetarian ones, with treats such as veal scaloppini, blueberry French toast, multi-grain hot cereals, and bowls of fresh fruit. And the desserts…ahhh. This was no Spartan retreat in terms of food.
            The title of the retreat was “Spirituality and Trauma” – not precisely an upbeat topic. Leading the retreat was Fr. Han van den Blink, Chaplain General of the Community of the Transfiguration. Of Dutch descent, Fr. Han was born and raised in Java, where he was interred in a Japanese concentration camp in World War II. A large, warm, very broadly educated man, with a delightful sense of humor, he is also a deeply spiritual person, and one who is eager to encourage others to examine the many paths open to us to grow closer to God in prayer.
            The agenda for the retreat was fairly simple: after the initial meditation by Fr. Han, the “silent” part of the retreat began. The silence continued all Friday evening, all Saturday, and Sunday until the sharing after Eucharist. There were four more meditations, spaced throughout Saturday and Sunday morning. These meditations were brief and drawn from his personal experiences in life and as a trained psychotherapist in New York, where he lives. The use of contemplative prayer to aid in healing deep personal trauma was a new idea for me, and also new to others, I believe.
We also had Eucharist on Saturday and Sunday, plus evensong on Friday and Saturday nights. There was no required reading or other activity, and indeed there were no requirements as such at all, although most people attended the meditations and the services. The Sisters had brought a collection of books for people to read if they were inclined such as Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris and Thomas Merton’s No Man Is an Island. Some women knitted or stitched, some hiked in the hills, and some slept! Very many women kept diaries or journals.
            One of the nicest parts for me was Fr. Han thoroughly explaining the “Jesus Prayer”, followed by leading us all in it for 5 minutes, vocally at first then silently. It was a gift, as was the whole weekend.

            Dan grew up in Grants Pass after moving here in 1946 with his parents and sister. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Anne’s Catholic Church, where he served as an Altar Boy and was active n the Catholic Youth Organization.
            After graduating in 1962 from Grants Pass High School he spent his summers working at the Oregon Caves National Monument. He attended Oregon State University for a year before joining the U.S. Navy. While he was stationed in Washington D.C. he met Joan at an Episcopal Church sponsored program for service men called “The Canteen”, which is similar to the USO.
            Dan and Joan were married in January of 1966 at Addison Chapel, an Episcopal mission church, in suburban Maryland. They have 2 grown daughters both of them born in Washington D.C. Julie and Laura are teachers and also live in Oregon. Dan and Joan also have 3 grandsons.
            After serving his country for 4 years, he stayed in the D.C. area and worked as a restaurant manager.   He had the opportunity to move home to Oregon when his Dad started a new business and asked Dan to join him as a partner. So Dan moved his young family to Grants Pass in 1970 and helped run a successful equipment rental business and John Deere Tractor dealership for the next 33 years. After Wade Collins, Dan’s father retired, Dan and Joan continued to run the business until they retired in 2003.
            Dan was a Boy Scout in his youth and was involved in several community and fraternal organizations as an adult. He is Past President of the Southern Oregon Rental Association, The Grants Pass Jaycees, The Early Day Gas engine and Tractor Association, Past Flotilla Commander for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and he was a charter member of the Caveman Kiwanis. Dan has received numerous awards and citations and taught safe boating class from the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Oregon Sates Marine Board.
            Dan is an active member of St. Luke’s Church and he has served as a Eucharistic Minister, a Lay Reader, been a leader of the youth group, taught Bible Study Groups, and served on the Vestry. He and Joan are currently serving as Chaplains at Three Rivers Community Hospital. They are also Stephen Minister Leaders and are now in the process of teaching a Stephen Ministry class at St. Luke’s.
            Dan’s soft spoken personality has endured him to all of us at St. Luke’s and he cares about all the members of the church whether in sickness or health and in need of prayers. We thank him for his genuine love and support.

St. Luke’s All Saints’ Day service will be held at 12:15, Thursday, November 1st. The service will be done by Fr. Tom Murphy from Ashland.
All Saints' Day is a Christian holy day observed by many Western churches on November 1 and by Eastern churches on the first Sunday after Pentecost. The day now honors all saints of the church, even those not known by name.
The first All Saints' Day occurred on May 13, 609 (C.E.) when Pope Boniface IV accepted the Pantheon as a gift from the Emperor Phocas. Boniface dedicated it as the Church of Santa Maria Rotonda in honor of the Blessed Virgin and all martyrs. During Pope Gregory III's reign (731-741), the festival was expanded to include all saints and a chapel in St. Peter's church was dedicated accordingly. Pope Gregory IV officially designated the day in 837.

BABY SHOWER

Michelle Calvert

Saturday, November 17, 2007
at 12:30 pm in the Parish Hall
Please come for a fun and relaxing time of celebration.
R.S.V.P.
Pamela Boston pboston@cdsnet.net or Sheilah McCrackin 541-476-8240

Church Photo Directory
Olan Mills Photographers will be at St. Luke’s to do a new Church Directory. They will be here on Friday, November 30th from 3:00PM – 9:30PM and Saturday, December 1st from 10:00AM – 5:00PM. Sign up sheets are in the Parish Hall, sign up early to get the best times. If you would like to have pictures taken for Christmas gifts, they guarantee that you will have them in time for mailing. David Sloan our coordinator for the directory. If you are unable to be at either photo session and would like to be in the new directory, please call David at 476-2426.

ST. LUKE’S GUILD
There will not be a meeting of the Guild this month. Remember that all the women of St. Luke’s are Guild members see you there.

St. Luke’s Guild Christmas Bazaar will be Saturday, December 8th from 9:00am – 2:00PM. We will have a light luncheon (tea from 11:00am – 1:00pm), baked/canned goods and the craft and collectible tables. There will NO White Elephant Table this year. Set-up will be at 11:00AM on Friday, December 7th. Please call Crista at 659-9208 to let her know if you will be able to help on either day or to donate items.

DEREK SEALS
Please keep Derek in your prayers. Derek’s grandmother, Joanna Gullock, send updates by e-mail, so if you are on the church’s e-mail list, we will be sending out these to you. A web site is available for everyone to check on his progress. You can go to: www.caringbridge.org and click on visit and then type in derekseals and enjoy the site. Amy will be updating the site. If you would like to help the Seals family, an account has been set-up at U S Bank in Derek’s name.

DAUGHTERS OF THE KING
Daughters of the King meet on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 7:00pm. All women of the church are welcome. Please check the calendar in the Log or call the church office at 476-2493.

MEN’S MONDAY MORNING BREAKFAST
The Men’s breakfast meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month and occasionally on a 5th Monday. Breakfast is at the Gold Miner Cafe on the corner of 7th and “M” streets at 8:15. If you have any questions, you can call the office at 476-2493

Please extent a very large “Thank you” to who participated in this year’s “Paint Your Heart Out” for St. Luke’s:
Mike & Judy Anzalone, Fr. Randel & Nancy Livingood, Fr. Jim & Pam Boston, Sam, Amy & Jane Marsh, Terry & Pam Calvert, Bill Menke, Ruth & Andy D’albenas, Kristine Michael, Laura Dunwald, Bob & Frances Osborne, Don & Gloria Edmon, Myrna Rafalovich, Sandi Fowler, Tim, Jennifer & Lucy Roberts, Robin Griffiths, Marlene Manion, Susan Hall, Laurel Samson, Vonnie & Ollie Hardy, Scott Swindells, Jim, Alison & Olivia Huber, Fran Turney, Lynn Hughes, Linda Vickoren, Dennis James, Kevin & Eileen Widdison, Mimi Johnston, Marlies Wilson, Bev Kane, &Dick Kyle

St. Luke’s is very grateful to the Williams Highway Safeway for their donations of baked goods for both weekends.

“A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP”
            Sometimes, the things we take for granted are the things which are most problematic. Scientists and Medical Doctors have long pondered the issue of sleep. We all know intuitively that sleep is essential for our well being. However, we don’t know what happens or why it is so essential. Anyone who has ever laid awake half the night thinking about “things” or has awakened in the middle of the night feeling like they are suffocating understands the problem all too well.
            Sleep disturbances fall into 2 categories; those that come from a physiological base and those that come from psychological or emotional issues. Lately there has been a lot of discussion about “sleep apnea”. Sleep apnea is the cessation of normal breathing when sleeping. Breathing is something we do automatically and rarely give much thought to, unless we either fail to breathe aromatically or we exert ourselves sufficiently to force us to breathe rapidly or deeply. There are many causes of sleep apnea and if the cause can be corrected, the condition will resolve itself. A sleep specialist is usually able to determine the cause and provide some relief. One of the main causes id overweight. The extra weight on a person’s chest makes it hard to breathe deeply. Other causes can be some obstruction within the repertory system, a compromised circulatory system or a neurological problem that causes the respiratory system to fail. Your physician or a sleep specialist can help you identify the cause and recommend an appropriate course of treatment.
            Sleep maintenance insomnia is a different matter. It usually raises its ugly head during times of stress or if you are depressed. Just when you are under stress or depresses and need all your wits about you, you can’t sleep. That, unfortunately, compounds the problem and makes sleep more elusive than ever. There are some things you can do. Common strategies, that seem to help are a warm bath, gentle stretching exercises or gentle yoga, a glass of warm milk ay even help. Avoid watching a lot of TV, frequently people will fall asleep in front of the TV and then can’t sleep. Try reading or music to help you relax before you go to bed. If you can’t sleep after 20 minutes get up. Try writing in a journal or making a list of what is bothering you along with possible solutions, then set it aside and tell yourself that you will work on it in the morning when you are awake. Avoid food or stimulants and alcohol. Make sure that you are not in pain. If you have pain from arthritis or an injury or illness, take some medication to relieve the pain or correct the problem as best you can. Maybe all tat is needed is a better pillow or another blanket. After you have been up for 20 to 30 minutes, go back to bed and try again. The trick is to break the cycle of worrying that can take on a life of its own. Be a little pragmatic. Tell yourself, “I didn’t sleep last night, I will sleep tonight". Most of us do sleep the next night. If sleeps eludes you frequently or night after night, consult your doctor. Sleeping pills are, at best, a short term fix and can actually make the problems worse in the long run. Chemically induced sleep is frequently not restful and though a person sleeps, they may wake up feeling groggy and not rested.
            Pleasant dreams!!!!!

We are once again inviting all members and friends of St. Luke’s to prayerfully consider their support for our parish in 2008. Laurel Samson is heading this year’s program, assisted by Alison Huber. The centerpiece will be a series of cottage meetings in member’s homes in late October and early November. Don’t forget the Celebration Dinner Sunday, November 11th. We are asking that all pledges be turned in by November 11. Sign ups for the cottage meetings will be available from October 13. If you would like to host a cottage meeting, or help facilitate one, please call Laurel (479-1642) or Alison (479-6548).

Stewardship is, of course, much more than our financial support for the parish. It involves our management of all that we are able to manage: our time, energy, influence, possessions, and finances. Perhaps Jesus mentions the money aspect more than the others in his teaching because it is the most tangible, most easily understood. No wonder he said that, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Managing even one aspect of our lives well is likely to lead to better management in all the other aspects as well.

The purpose of cottage meeting is to enable us to share own feelings and experiences about God, the parish, and money management. There is no pressuring. One aspect of the conversation concerns the church’s needs and program, and someone who is familiar with those should be at each cottage meeting. But more important than the church’s budget is one’s own need to be faithful and responsible before God. It helps to talk about why we feel called to give, and our own experiences in responding to that call. That’s why most stewardship teaching encourages tithing, or working toward (or beyond) the tithe by percentage giving. Although the church’s needs are important, our need to be faithful and responsive is much more important. We are called to give, and give generously, more for our own sake than for the sake of the good works that will be accomplished with our gifts, as important and necessary as those are.

STEPHEN MINISTRY
            Last month we had eight people commit themselves to 50 hours of training to learn the skills of this caring ministry. In October we considered the five fundamental characteristics of a caregiver and we talked about the importance of recognizing and accepting all the feelings that people have.
            In our class this month we will hone our listening skills and discover that listening well is extremely helpful and caring but also hard work. We will also discover the difference between our role as caregivers and God's role as Cure giver.
            Please keep Carmella Menke, Caroline Pitts, Myrna Rafalovich, Pam Boston, Bev Kane, Lynn Hughes, Don Kane, Joe Hungate, and Dan and Joan Collins in your prayers as we continue on our journey.

SUPPORT FOR SEPARATED, DIVORCED & WIDOWED
Most of us know people who are going through periods of personal trauma due to relationship problems; indeed some of us may have experienced the pain ourselves. We are fortunate to have a powerful resource available to help, whether the pain is new or continuing and deepening. “Divorced, Separated, Widowed” is a non-denominational, spiritually-based support group that meets weekly at St. Anne’s Church in Grants Pass. Anonymity is an essential component of the program. For over 25 years, people who didn’t know how they were going to move on with their lives have learned to take appropriate control and change them for the better. The have altered their attitudes and been taught how (in the case of separation and divorce) to avoid mistakes they have made in the past. In all cases, they have found a supportive environment in which to learn about grief, boundaries, and rebuilding. The program, comprised of 4 segments, is approximately nine month long.
You are invited to come any Monday evening, including holidays. The meetings are held Monday nights from 7:00p.m. to 9:00p.m at St. Anne’s Parish Center, 1131 NE 10th Street. For information, please call Linda at 261-5213, David at 474-7574, or Susan or Les Hall at 955-1710.

HEALING MINISTRY
Our healing prayer team offers prayers for individuals and families each Sunday in the baptistery at the conclusion of both the 8:30 and 10:30 church services. Many have already found this prayer resource a blessing. Just approach them and ask.
If you are interested in joining the Prayer team, contact Lynn Hughes at 476-4671 or the Church office.

WHAT’S ON THE CALENDAR FOR NOVEMBER
November 3                 : End of Daylight Savings Time – Set clocks back 1 hour
November 6                 : Election Day – Be sure to VOTE
November 8-10                       : Diocesan Convention & Ministry fair @ Salem Conference Center
November 11                 : Celebration Dinner in Parish Hall – concluding Stewardship Drive
November 22               : Thanksgiving Day Holy Eucharist @ 10:00AM
November 30               : Photo Directory
December 1                 : Photo Directory

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!

If during the past year we have missed any child’s birthday, we apologize. However, we do need to update our birthday list. So, please call the office with the child’s name and birth date. Thank you.

COMMUNITY RECYCLING CENTER
The Gospel Rescue Mission has been able to reopen their recycling center at 1010 SW Foundry Street. Their hours are Monday – Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm, Saturday 9:00am to 3:00pm. They accept the following materials:
Aluminum: such as beverage cans, pet food containers, pot & pans, pie plates, window and door frames. NO aluminum foil.
Clothing, linens, hats & shoes: in resalable condition. NO rags or items with paint or grease.
Copper, brass & bronze
Corrugated cardboard: moving boxes. NO waxed or greasy cardboard or paperboard items such as cereal boxes.
Paper products: computer paper, newspaper, junk mail or magazines.
Plastics: #1, 2, 4 containers such as milk jugs that are rinsed, pallet wrap, shopping bags. NO Styrofoam.

FROM THE ALTAR GUILD
Thank you to all of you who have signed up for flowers and Sanctuary candles. If either of these are for a special occasion or in honor of or memory of someone, please call the office at 476-2493 so that it may be noted in the Sunday Bulletin. If you have any questions about flowers or the candles, please call Flo Graham at 479-1493.

The Bible
Deacon Joani’s Wednesday morning Bible study is meeting at 10:00am in the Guild Room. Joani and the group are working their way through the Bible. They are studying the Book of Job and then on to the wisdom literature. All are welcome.

Genesis
The group meets at 7:00pm at the home of Dan & Joan Collins at 531 Crestview Loop. New comers are welcome. Call Dan and Joan Collins at 476-6169 if you have any questions or need directions to their home.

Choir
Choir rehearsals are on Wednesdays at 5:30pm. We hope to be able to do some a cappella pieces, as well as things incorporating other instruments, such as handbells, drums, strings, the praise band, flutes, guitars, etc. Please come and join us.

Bell Choir
The Handbell Choir rehearses at 4:30pm on Wednesdays. New members are welcome. We hope to get bigger and better. Children are encouraged to join us. If you would like to learn more as well as have a lot of fun, call Edla at 761-6490

Praise and Worship Musicians
If you are interested in participating, please contact Ulf Bjorklund at 476-5012 for practice times.

Children Choir
Our Children’s Choir has been learning together after the 10:30 service, and will continue to do so on most summer Sundays. New singers are welcome.
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CHURCH KEYS
If you have a door key to St. Luke’s or a key to the Sacristy and are not using it, please turn it into the office.

TRACTS IN OUR NATHEX
Stop in the Narthex as you enter or leave the Church and look at the multitude of short publications available on the Tract Rack. You’ll see leaflets about church history, personal spirituality, and practical aspects of living the Christian faith. Some will answer questions about the Episcopal Church, some will address Christian marriage and parenting, and others are suitable for giving to someone in the hospital or may be going through difficult times. Also the November/December 2007/January 2008 edition of Forward Day By Day is available. Help yourself. Suggested prices are marked on each and you may leave your contribution in the labeled basket.

STEWARDSHIP: A RESPONSE TO LOVE
This brief tract seems especially appropriate this time of year, when both stewardship and Thanksgiving are in our thoughts. While there are 3 different tracts on stewardship in the Narthex, this is the shortest, and in some ways the most “to the point”. After a quick introduction, it simply asks 5 questions, and urges that the answers to those questions form the basis for our giving.
FISH Food Drive
Well, not “fish food” but food for FISH, the community pantry! Feel free to bring your own bags full of contributions at any time. Any nonperishable food items are welcome, but especially:
Canned stews, soups, meats, tuna, vegetables, and canned milk, Pasta, beans, or rice, Peanut butter, jams, crackers, Personal items: shampoo, soap, deodorant, toilet paper, diapers
If you prefer to make a financial contribution, please make your check payable to St. Luke’s and note “FISH” in the memo line. If you have any questions, please contact Nancy Livingood at 218-1619 and she is looking for someone who would be willing to be her replacement and represent St. Luke’s with FISH.

Diocese of Oregon 119th Convention
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
&
3rd Annual Mission and Ministry Fair
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Salem Conference Center, Salem Oregon

Dear Friends in Christ,
Diocesan Convention will be here before we know it! This year’s dates are November 8-10 at the Salem Conference Center. Once again we are inviting you and the people of your congregation to participate in a diocesan-wide outreach project, but this year you have a choice. People who enjoy doing hands-on projects are invited to collect supplies and assemble hygiene kits for Church World Service. Please make certain to include $2.00 cash with each kit which is the amount needed for Church World Service to process and ship it. [Flyers at Church.]
As important as disaster relief is, there also is a desire among people of the Diocese of Oregon to focus on development issues, particularly the need for clean water around the world. People who would like to support this critical need are invited to find a used water bottle and fill it with spare change between now and convention. For only $750.00, Episcopal Relief and Development can dig a well and teach the people of a community how to use and maintain it. Our goal is for the 2007 convention is to raise $2,250.00 – enough to build a well in India, Africa, and Latin America.

In selecting these projects, we tried to choose something that people of all ages can participate in. We hope you see possibilities for families, children, youth, and various adult groups within your church to participate. Congregations are welcome to participate in either project or a combination of the two. Whatever you decide to do, we encourage you to have an ingathering on Sunday, November 4th as part of your All Saints celebration. Then pack up your hygiene kits and your water bottles filled with change and send them to convention with your clergy, deputies, and high school youth who will be attending the unconventional Youth event.           Kits and bottles will be gathered and blessed as part of the opening Eucharist on Thursday evening at the convention and at the Friday night U2charist at St. Paul’s. Youth and adult volunteers will pack and ship the hygiene kits for Church World Service and count the money and recycle the water bottles for Episcopal Relief and Development.
            We invite all persons to participate in this life changing work – to rejoice and sing as we the people of God, out of our abundance and in joyful obedience, do the work God has given us to do.
            In Peace,
Alice Speers, Environmental Commission
Leslie Sackett, Peace & Justice Commission
Ellen Nesbit, Episcopal Relief & Development
Barbara Ross, Missioner for Christian Education & Life-long Formation
Catharine Healey, Missioner with Youth, Young Adults and Higher Education

(You can pick up a flyer with a list of the items which are included in the Church World Service hygiene kits from the office, or in the narthex.)

Lord, strengthen me sufficient for this day.
Choose Thou my path and, reassuring, say
“Be not afraid, thy foot treads not alone.
Thou are my child. Thy Father’s will be done.”
And I shall, reaching, find a friendly hand
Whose impulse is Thy will, and understand
That Thou dost give each child of Thine to do
Some Godly task, and givest me one, too.
Joseph Percy Ellis, 1974 (Fran’s uncle)

Habari! From the Massae Girls Lutheran Secondary School (MGLSS) in Monduli, Tanzania.

            I am writing this on Sunday, October 21st and you will probably read this in Luke’s Log November edition if I can get it emailed in time. “Habari” means “How are you?” In Swahili, and is a standard greeting. Our response is, “Nzuri sana!” or “Very fine!”

            Each day Pam and I walk about 3 kilometers from our guest house to the school. It is a rough unpaved road, except for a paved section as we pass near the center of town. Our main job here is restoring the library, which had been without a librarian for over a year. It needs a lot of work, more than can be done in three weeks, but we will leave it in much better shape than we found it. We hope to train some older students in library procedures. (I worked in libraries, public and school, for four years of high school.)

            Our daily routine starts with breakfast at the guest house (eggs, fruit, toast and tea). Lunch is with the school faculty and is ugali thick corn porridge) and beans with a few greens in the sauce. Dinner is usually with Jean and Marvin Kannanen, who have been teaching here for nine years. Jean was one of Pam’s teachers in college. Pam gets to cook and wash up, with some help from me. Sometimes we fix a simple supper for ourselves in the quest house. Once or twice a week we go to the city of Arusha on errands, and have a meal out there.

            Our quest room has a bathroom, though the shower does not always work, and when it does it produces only one to five trickles. The school has worse water problems. It took a week to repair the pipes from the reservoir up the mountain from the school. Thirsty elephants that live on the plateau above had broken the pipes so that they could drink for themselves.

            On Monday I teach a geography class to “pre-form” students who are preparing for the start of their Form One classes in January. They come with very uneven preparation in their primary schools. Three retired teachers from the US are here for 6 to 12 weeks working with pre-form students. I am to review latitude and longitude, introduce the concept of time zones, and go over their “hand” traced maps of Africa.

            Sometimes we join the 280 students in their daily worship, which is an awesome musical and spiritual experience. For the last two weeks the Form Four students have been taking national examinations. The outcomes will determine their futures. Those who pass can continue their secondary education, and have the hope of higher education. Those who don’t pass must leave MGLSS, and may marry, or go to a lower level trade school, or teach primary school, as many as half of the girls will not pass their exams.

            Next Sunday 13 girls will be baptized and about 20 will be confirmed. This will be the first such service led by Pastor Neema Ndooki, the newly ordained school chaplain who was a member of the first Form Six graduating class five years ago. She is an awesome and beautiful young woman. I am looking forward to assisting in some way in the service.

            Seven MGLSS students are sponsored by members of St. Luke’s. We will be meeting with them soon to take photos, share greetings, and present them with notebooks and pens on behalf of the parish and their sponsors. We will also carry letters from the whole student body to be forwarded to their various sponsors by the Operation Bootstrap office in Minneapolis.

            Last week we met with three senior faculty members to review their updated plan for faculty continuing education in the English language. In Tanzania, secondary education is conducted in English, which is, for most students and teachers their third language after their tribal language and Swahili. Neither students nor their teachers come from the better equipped parts of Tanzanian society. So, exam results have often been disappointing, though I am glad to report that this year, for the first time, two students did well enough on their Form Six exams (about grade 13) to be eligible for government university scholarships. Better English skills in the faculty can lift the performance of both teachers and students.

            In the coming week the continuing education plan will be finalized. It will include about 28 events, running throughout 2008. The funds already raised by our Southern Convocation are almost enough to cover the full cost of trainers, teacher per diem, meals, and administration. We can easily raise the balance.

            Today Pam and I worshipped at the Arusha Community Church, an English worshiping congregation which is about half American and European. We have been inspired by the many Christians from the US and Europe who are investing part of their lives here in Africa. They do so with humility, realism and joy. Doctors, teachers and administrators work with limited resources in a challenging environment to overcome poverty and all the ills that accompany it. They are making a difference which makes for a better world for all of us.