Summer 2011 Pilgrimage Information

St. PAUL'S PILGRIMAGE TO MWITIKIRA 2011

At this stage, we can be very flexible in designing a pilgrimage or pilgrimages around the preferences of pilgrims. Early in 2011, we will need to decide on details.

Who: Pilgrims from St. Paul's have been as old as 74 and as young as 15; youth or children who have not graduated from high school need to have a parent or other responsible adult accompanying them. If families (or parent and child) wanted to go, we would need to discuss the age, maturity, and interest of the child or children. Pilgrims are not just limited to St. Paul's members. Ideally, we would take no more than 10 people at a time.

What to do: Without exception, the greatest gift is our physical presence, living together in the village. In some cases, I have planned what people should do, other times pilgrims have said, "These are my gifts/talents/skills, what can I do?" Literally everyone has something important to contribute. The tasks for 2011 that I know of at this point are teaching (preschool, English language for grades 4 and 7, secondary school sciences and English language) and repair of school classrooms (patching concrete floors and walls, painting, adding wood shutters). There are always health-related needs. There is work to be done in the library. Everybody has something to contribute, including children and youth.

When: We can be very flexible here for a while. The best dates for teaching are between June 9 and July 9 because most of the primary school students are on holiday and we can work intensively with grades 4 and 7 who face national exams in September. It is also a good time to work with secondary school students. The length of the trip or trips can vary.

Time in July is also available and dates in August are available but somewhat limited. We would need to reserve August times with the Carpenter's Kids office as soon as possible. If a group were interested in a shoulder-season trip (before mid-June or in September), that might also be possible.

It takes 3 days of travel to get to Mwitikira the fastest way possible and three days returning. The longer the stay the better but some have taken a 10 day trip and it has been very rewarding for both villagers and pilgrims.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where would we stay? Most of the time, we would stay in Mwitikira in concrete buildings. Each of us would have a regular bed and one, two, or three people (or a family) could share a bedroom. In Dar es Salaam and in Dodoma, we stay in clean, safe, fairly basic hotels with private baths in the room.

What would we eat? Everybody has found the food in Mwitikira to be wonderful—lots of rice, vegetables, some fruit and occasional meat (chicken or sometimes goat). It is possible to eat as a vegetarian and most allergies can be managed. Food in Dodoma is not as good but manageable—not weird, just not particularly tasty.

What about water, plumbing, and electricity? We drink bottled water. In Mwitikira, we take big drums of water and fill our own water bottles from them. Drinking water is therefore plentiful and utterly safe. The people who care for us in the village heat water for us to bathe in (a hearty sponge bath) in the evening or mornings, depending on our preference. It is perfectly manageable—there is a private, enclosed bathing room adjacent to our house. The bathrooms in our house in the village are stalls with a ceramic lined hole in the ground—talented Americans "squat" as do all Tanzanians. There are four portable potties now in Mwitikira, about the height of toilets here. Some of us use the porta-potties in our room with a bucket which we empty or others put one in the stalls with the holes. It is not the most wonderful experience but everyone so far has found it manageable. We take battery-operated lanterns and flashlights; some take small reading lights. Lack of electricity means the night skies are spectacular!!!

Health and Safety: A member of the church acts as our night watchman sitting outside our house, awake all night. I have never felt such security is necessary. I have always felt utterly safe in Mwitikira. We will be there during the dry season; mosquitoes are not a problem at this time in Mwitikira; they are more prevalent in Dodoma and Dar—I use mosquito repellent faithfully and take a Malaria prevention medicine as prescribed. If you follow reasonable precautions about eating (especially in Dar and Dodoma) and drink bottled water, you should be fine. Sunscreen is important.

Weather: Unless you go in April, other than in Dar or Zanzibar, it will be dry. The temperatures and humidity are much more pleasant than summer in Richmond—I sleep under a blanket at night and sometimes wear a fleece jacket in mornings and evenings. The daytime temps may be between mid-80s and mid-90s but with very low humidity.

Immunizations: Immunizations vary from person to person based on what you have already had. I have found Dennis, the international pharmacist at Martin's in Short Pump, to be the most knowledgeable and cheapest. Make an appointment with him and he will tell you what you need and he will get the Rx as needed from your physician.

Add-on travel options: Several groups have been to Zanzibar, a beautiful island just off the coast near Dar, and part of Tanzania. The beaches there are lovely and Stonetown is a wonderfully exotic, very Arab, old city—great for wandering around in; it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are interesting spice plantations to tour and great snorkeling, swimming with the dolphins, and other interesting excursions within the island. 2-5 days make a wonderful Zanzibar excursion.

If we have a group of 8 or so, a charter flight to the National Park (game preserve) of Ruaha is a feasible excursion. Much less visited and less expensive than the Serengeti far up north, Ruaha has excellent traditional safari amenities and guides and last year the St. Christopher's group saw amazing animals. A 1-2 night excursion (or longer) is feasible.

Some families from other churches have gone to the Serengeti. I would be glad to connect anyone interested with those who have gone before.

What do I need to take: Comfortable clothes and shoes. Girls and women need to wear skirts in the village (except for children, the skirts should be at least mid-calf or longer). Men and youth should wear long pants. (Male children can wear shorts.) I will distribute a more detailed list of other things like lanterns, water bottle, etc. Nothing major.

Cost: Without options, $2500-$3000 per person is a good estimate. (Flights are more expensive by about $400 after June 11th.) If 10 of us go over on the same flight, we can get a good discount. We do not have to return at the same time. This includes everything except your immunizations and shopping.

Why go?

Last year, a St. Paul's parishioner whom I had been encouraging to go, asked me, "What do you want happen as a result of my going?" My answer: "I don't know. My own personal experience is that this is the right thing for me to do. I believe I have seen God's hand working through every single pilgrim. If you decide to go, I believe God will change you and use you for God's purpose. Part of the adventure is discovering what that is. I do know it is well beyond what I could envision."

If you have more questions or are interested, please contact me: Suzanne Johnson, 377-9738 or suzclarkjo@gmail.com