Loading...Twelve members of Church of the Good Shepherd in Knoxville recently took a trip to Tanzania, Africa, which proved to be more than a trip. In the words of Father Charles Fels, it was a “pilgrimage”, which differs from a mission trip in that a pilgrimage is a “spiritual journey”. Father Fels said that the 12 “pilgrims” on the trip embarked on it for the spiritual growth of both themselves and the Tanzanians with whom they stayed and worshipped.
The pilgrims journeyed to Kondoa, one of the poorest parts of Tanzania, already one of the poorest parts of the world. Despite the relative poverty in the area, Father Fels said he felt an “overwhelming sense of generosity and hospitality” while abroad. He even described his favorite part of the pilgrimage as witnessing the generosity of people who have, in comparison to many Americans, almost nothing. While in Kondoa, the pilgrims performed baptisms and preached. During the services, Father Fels sometimes preached in Swahili, which he learned in his time in the Peace Corps, and other times the Bishop of Kondoa, Given Gaula, translated for him. One of the travelers to Kondoa, Lani Hubbard, said the group baptized many children and also helped to build a classroom, although this was not the principle aim of the trip.
Hubbard described a typical day on the pilgrimage beginning with breakfast, then moving on to morning prayer. There was frequent travel to other parishes, and travel time often took two to four hours because of the poor quality of the roads. The services typically lasted three to four hours each. In addition to preaching and baptisms, the pilgrims were able to introduce themselves and describe their lives in the states and why they wanted to come on the trip. After the services the pilgrims would have supper and then move on to evening prayer. Bishop Gaula was with them, and some of the visitors stayed with him as his guests.
Because Kondoa is a heavily Muslim area, Gaula is a prominent authority on Christian-Muslim relations. He was invited by the Archbishop of Canterbury to speak at the House of Lords on how Christians can peacefully live with Muslims. Fels calls Gaula a “dynamic speaker,” and hopes he will return to east Tennessee this November to preach and teach.
Fels said he found that the Anglican Church in Tanzania was “vibrant, exuberant, and incredibly alive.” He felt that everyone who attended the trip would like to return, even though the trip was long and relatively expensive. However, he said everyone who went was changed in important and positive ways. Hubbard seemed to agree, saying it was “life-changing kind of journey” and that she was “touched by the people and the whole experience."
