Nina Sveinson

This will be a longer post as we experienced many things during these five days.

We have all returned safely from our five day visit to Ilambo.  If we were all honest with ourselves, we were all a bit nervous/excited about this part of our journey, but in the end, we would all say God exceeded all of our hopes and expectations.

It began last Thursday by leaving Iringa and heading northeast to Ilambo.  We drove on asphalt for about 45 minutes then turned onto a gravel road that provided an African massage as our guides called it – quite bumpy, rocky and dusty.

We stopped at Image Secondary School where we were greeted by nearly 400 students with song and dance, then a tour of the school and ending our time with lunch.

Once lunch was complete, we began the last part of the journey to Ilambo.  Fifteen minutes into the drive we met our hosts who greeted us prior to heading up the mountain.  They led us on their motorcycles, or piki piki’s as they call them in Swahili.  We soon began the climb.  Not far into it, one of our 4×4 vehicles could not make it up the hill.  So we all got out of our vehicle and walked for a while.  This is not unusual as the road is very steep, slippery with loose gravel, many rocks and sections of washed out road.  Once we were able to catch up with our vehicle, we continued the drive.  At the top of the mountain, we were treated with a spectacular view of mountains in the distance, valleys below, and a refreshing cool breeze.

We soon began our descent into the valley where Ilambo is located.  As we got closer, we could see people lining the road waving and singing to us.  When we got to the public school, we were greeted by the 400 strong student body – all singing and waving.  When we arrived at the church, we were greeted by more singing and dancing and then escorted into the church where many members greeted us.

We then moved into our “home “ for the next five days – a newly built house (just finished the day we arrived).  Believe it or not, we soon learned that Ilambo had been connected to the Tanzania power grid, and we were treated with electricity!  New house .. electricity .. and, running water which the government had installed prior to our 2022 trip.  Whoa!

After dinner, we called it a night.

Friday morning, we got up and headed by vehicle to Magunga, our first preaching point.  As you are probably starting to see a recurring theme, we were greeted by singing and dancing.  Amazing!  Once we were done with our visit, many of us hiked over the mountain, after we saw the Magunga fresh water source coming out of a boulder.

In the afternoon, we shared the Bible stories of Jonah and the Whale, Noah and the Ark and David and Goliath to the student body of the public school.  We shared the messages in dramatic fashion with costumes, puppets, animal face masks for all of the kids.  Each story contained a story of hope, faith and love in God that we all need every day.

Saturday we visited two preaching points – Mavagili in the morning and Lugolofu in the afternoon.  The morning was a beautiful hike over a mountain, sometimes even walking through clouds at about 7,000 feet of elevation.  The afternoon was a long drive over rolling hills/mountains.  Since our last visit in 2022, the Lugolofu congregation had constructed the walls of their new sanctuary – very exciting!  Saturday was a full day of hiking, singing and dancing.  So much joy!

Sunday was the high point of the week – worship.  It was a three hour worship experience that went by in the blink of an eye.  There was liturgy, singing and dancing (just like home, only different) an interpreted sermon, introductions of key congregants and village officials, then we introduced ourselves, two offerings.  Our hearts were filled to the brim when the congregation gave us each a gift of thanks for our visit.

After lunch, we had our 30 minute partnership meeting.  The Ilambo team shared of the value of the scholarships that Prince of Peace provides to their students and families.  They also shared about future building projects.

Following the meeting, we hiked to our 4th and final preaching point, Megue.  This was the second visit by Prince of Peace to the newest preaching point.  The sanctuary was small, but the building rocked as we met each other.  After the long uphill hike back, we enjoyed our dinner of chicken, rice, beans and lamb.  And soon, our last full day was complete.

Today, Monday, we head back to Iringa, but not before we stop and visit the Illula Hospital.

It will be sad to leave our sister community of Ilambo.  We were all touched by God many ways.  God showed up in the smiles, dancing, singing, sharing, beauty of the people, land and community.  There is a lot we can learn from this place.

Tomorrow we head to Ruaha National Park.  We look forward to seeing God show up in nature.  We will not be able to give another update until Thursday.  Be well everyone!

~ Eric Elton

Tuesday began with an orientation at DIRA – which is the equivalent of the St. Paul Area Synod office.  We learned about the partnership between St. Paul and Iringa.  We learned about the reforestation project called Millions of Trees, Dignity for Daughters which teaches young women how to care for their bodies (health education), St. Paul Partners which digs water wells in the area (Prince of Peace has sponsored five wells in our village of Ilambo) and Radio Furaha, which shares the gospel over the airwaves.  It was a lot to learn but it was good to see how the Lutheran Church of Tanzania is making an impact in the area.  Wow!

In the afternoon, we spent time with the kids of the orphanage called Huruma Center.  We got a tour of the orphanage, then the hi-light … we got to play with the kids.  Many smiles for all as we kicked soccer balls, played memory games, ring around the rosey, and holding and hugging the kids.  So much love!

Following the orphanage visit, we had pizza at Mama Iringa Italian restaurant.

This morning we went to Isimila Archeological dig and natural spires.  It was a beautiful hike – clear blue sky slight breeze.  Some of us got to do some climbing around the spires.  Our time there closed with a box lunch picnic.  

After that, we visited the University of Iringa and visited their business and entrepreneur program, child development department, library and school radio and the Micro finance mission which is located at the University.

We came back to our hotel and packed all of the notebooks and pencils for the 400 students we will meet in our village.

Tomorrow we leave for our village named Ilambo.  We will be out of communication until Monday as our village is quite remote.  We are looking forward to all God has in store for us.

~ Eric Elton

After two very long days of travel, we arrived safely in Iringa – our kind of home base.  We had bus troubles going from Dar es Salaam to Iringa.  Everything worked out fine.  We just arrived about five hours late and ate dinner at 11:00 pm Sunday night.

Today, Monday, was our day to recover from all the travel.  Breakfast, tour of the Iringa marketplace, Neema crafts, shopping for souvenirs, naps.  Then dinner watching the sunset over Iringa.  A good day!

For those that don’t know about Neema crafts, it is a ministry that supports 100+ Tanzania citizens with disabilities by teaching them life skills and paying them a salary for life’s expenses.  In Tanzania, if you have a disability, you are often forgotten.  This ministry is vital in supporting these people.  They produce wood carvings, towels, clothing, and fabrics from weaving – very interesting things.

Tomorrow, we learn about the partnership between the St. Paul Area Synod and the Iringa Diocese.  After that, we will visit the orphanage, ending our day with a pizza dinner.

Be well everyone.  Next update should be Wednesday.

~ Eric Elton

Julie Gorvin

Julie and her husband Greg have been members of Prince of Peace for 36 years. They raised their two sons, Eric and Adam, in this community and were grateful for the excellent Children’s Ministry programs available to them. During their first connections with POP, they had a home visit with Pastor Richard Nelson. He encouraged Julie to join the Flute Ensemble, which has been a huge blessing in her life to this day.

Julie has held multiple leadership positions through the years including Children’s Ministry (VBS Director, Children’s Worship Leader) and Women’s Ministries (President, Retreat Director, Mega Sale team). She considers the women in her small groups, Elizabeth Circle and Flute Ensemble, to be her best friends and the core people she is “blessed to do life with.”

After 45 years in the field of pharmacy, the last 34 years at Fairview Ridges Hospital, she retired in March 2023. She is excited for the opportunity to be of service to the church she calls home. Life is all about change, but the one non-negotiable has been her faith, hope and the love she has for Prince of Peace and others. Julie is looking forward to the future of Prince of Peace and embracing the blessing of working with others on the board and congregation members to be the hands and feet of Christ in our world.

Jim Kennedy

Jim and his wife, Jennifer, have been members of Prince of Peace for over ten years. They have two sons, Matthew (19) and Ryan (16), and a daughter, Kate (13), who all have been active in the youth programs at POP.  Jim currently plays tuba in the POP Brass Choir and has also served at Mission Outpost during his time at POP.  Service to community is important to Jim.  Throughout his children’s school years, he volunteered as a youth baseball coach, PTO Treasurer, and Treasurer on the Burnsville Traveling Basketball Board. He also mentored high school students through a corporate collaboration with BestPrep.

Jim has been employed at several Twin Cities companies in various finance and accounting roles, and currently is a Business Advisor for Creative Planning, where he assists companies with their financial needs. Jim enjoys spending time with his family, running, reading, performing with the Bloomington Medalist Band and POP Brass, and cheering on the Minnesota Twins and Notre Dame football. Jim is grateful for the opportunity to serve POP and all who walk through its doors every week.

Todd Racek

Todd has been a member of Prince of Peace from the day the doors opened on Nicollet Ave. He has enjoyed raising his two boys (Chase and Derek) at Prince of Peace as well. Watching them enjoy all the programs offered as they built their own relationships with Jesus. His wife, Lori, also became an active member upon their marriage, over 30 years ago. Todd has been blessed to be part of Children’s Ministry, Middle School Ministry, and High School Ministry as a participant and volunteer. He also participated in musical and theatrical productions, small groups and mission trips at Prince of Peace. We are fortunate to have a church that can reach out to so many different audiences.

After working in advertising and marketing, with most years in healthcare, Todd now works as a part-time consultant and has been able to mix in volunteering with hospice patients, care facilities in our community and a small group leader for Community Bible Study. He is very excited to become part of the board, while Prince of Peace continues its legacy and prepares to meet the needs, through Jesus, of all who come through the doors along with others in the community and beyond.