Sermon: Msalato

From Wellington Cathedral of St Paul

I bring greetings to you all from the people of the Diocese of Central Tanganyika and especially from students and staff of Msalato Theological College. They asked that I convey to you their thanks for sending me to Tanzania and to tell you that both our parish and community are in their prayers. I wish that the world I live in would sit up and take notice of these people: take notice of the love and companionship they have for each other and the world in which they live. I wish the West could look past the poverty and see the people. These are words that I wrote in my first few weeks in Tanzania and they seem the best place to start as I try to tell you about all that I experienced while there. Tanzania and Msalato Theological College have forced me to re-define many of my on the world and given me an insight into what it really means to put God before everything else. The best way to talk about all that happened is to tell you about the people I met and worked with. One of the best things about working in a theological college was that everyone was openly Christian. The stories that they shared with me show a collection of people from all parts of Tanzanian society drawn together for a single purpose: to gain an education that will better enable them to minister to the people in their parishes. I want to tell you about a student who has just finished his first term of English at Msalato. for many years he has been a wonderful priest - enigmatic, approachable and passionate, with a stable parish and a family. Like so many others, he didn’t finish school - he passed his primary school exams then stopped. This means that he never had classes in English. The bishop decided last year that he is worth educating - he is a natural priest and could be even better with further theological training. To do that, he must first learn English. He has left his home, family and work to study at Msalato and sees them only at the end of each term. At the end of last year it didn’t look like he was going to pass the English exam. There was fierce debate as to what should happen. You see, this student can’t go home until he has achieved what he set out to do. As a priest he is a leader in the community - but to return having failed would undermine his authority and people’s respect. Some people have no aptitude for language learning, and this man is one - but he has to succeed to be able to go home. This is a real person - a man without wealth but rich in Gods gifts. I want to tell you about the young woman who was in my class. She is married to a priest and came to Msalato to learn English so that she can support her husband in his work. The place of the priest in the community means that if there are visitors (usually missionaries) they will be taken to the priest’s house for a meal. The wife is expected to host and this student wants to be able to talk with those visitors. This is a real person - a woman devoted to her husband, his work and to God. I want to tell you about a young man that was discovered at a local church. He comes from a Muslim family but when he converted to Christianity they disowned him. For many years he has had no contact with any of them. He was noticed one Sunday by people from Msalato as he helped in the leadership of a service and it seemed clear to them that he had a gift. When approached to ask if he would like to begin education to become a priest he was eager. The only problem was that he worked full time stirring pots in a small restaurant and could not afford the time or money to study. So passionate did the people from Msalato feel about this man’s potential that they found the money to pay for his education. He has now finished his first term of English and is excited about all that is to come. This is a real person - with nothing material to call his own but an inner happiness that is infectious. I want to tell you about the man who used to sit on the side of the road breaking up rocks to make gravel and has now nearly finished his diploma in Theology. I want to tell you about the rich man who had everything but literally gave it all away to become a priest and study. I want to tell you about the full-time missionaries who have given their lives to try and make a small difference by working closely with the people. They are all real people. People who come to Msalato with little but their faith, relationships and love. Never have I felt to openly and instantly loved and accepted as I did in Tanzania, nor made friends so quickly. Since I left everyone has been asking me two questions: what did I learn and how am I going to apply it to life in New Zealand? The most important thing that I learned is that faith really does transcend all boundaries and that there is always more to be learned. The relationships that I was blessed with while in Tanzania have shown me that we really are all brothers and sisters in Christ and that, with Christ anything really is possible if only you open your heart to God and accept the answer he gives. The people I met and worked with taught me that true wealth is not measured by money or living conditions but by the presence of God and community in your life. How I will apply all this is harder to answer. It is all still so recent and I think that for many years the lessons of Africa will continue to manifest themselves in my life. I hope that the work I did while there was beneficial. I hope that the deeper understanding and sense of God and my faith that I have will benefit this community at Wellington Cathedral. But most of all, I hope that the rest of my life really will have been changed by the people I met, loved and left in Tanzania. I thank you, my community and family for supporting me through all that I undertook last year and making it all possible. I went to Tanzania expecting to be helping and educating. I thought that I was giving the greater blessing and sacrifice. Then I met the people.

I might have left my heart in Tanzania but I took away so much more. I am coming home with the knowledge that my faith is stronger because of these people and that, with God, everything becomes wonder-filled.