Getaway

Time has come to get away from Kiabakari to focus on work which needs silence and seclusion. Living alone as a parish priest in Kiabakari makes for a life of never-ending saga of 'hodi hodi' (verbal announcement of someone who comes to the house in need of seeing someone, most probably me) disrupting my mental flow and rendering my work impossible.

That is why I used opportunity to escort my visitor and volunteer, Anna (flying back to Poland via Dubai today) to the airport, to use the next six days for solitary paperwork as I await the representative of Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to fly in next Friday to Mwanza to begin her monitoring of our projects and participation in seminars in our health center. I look forward to her arrival as I never had any bad experiences with those people, to the contrary, so far I found that very smart, bright, creative, easy going, friendly and compassionate people are employed in our Foreign Ministry who come to visit us in Kiabakari.

I remember all such occasions and feel proud and grateful to our government that they keep in touch with us, Poles, living in working abroad, in particular in Africa. Thus making me believe that I leave permanent hallmarks of what we as individuals and as a nation have the best to offer to Africa and Tanzania in particular.

Moreover, it is totally different to hear or read about Kiabakari than to visit it personally and see with one's own eyes what Kiabakari is all about. The pictures of this year's development projects I was posting on Foundation Kiabakari or mine timelines do not do justice to the immense effort we put in its completion and the level of professionalism we were able to achieve with our primitive tools and using only local task force.

The Bishop Msonganzila of Musoma was speechless, District Commissioner as well. And I hope the lady from our Foreign Ministry will be glad and satisfied that their money were spent well in such a professional and spectacular and aesthetic manner.

I have never felt more burnt out and exhausted like now. And I have never felt more proud, happy and satisfied like now as well.

Faith and Good Deeds. This was and is our motto in Kiabakari inspired by the motto of our diocesan synod underway in Musoma Diocese.

As I say 'see you soon!' to Anna, I look forward to the next wave of visitors. Our Foundation Kiabakari logo displays an open inviting door. This is also a statement of the reality in Kiabakari. Open to everybody with no-nonsense approach to life, responsibilities, people and tasks in hand.

Turning The Page Over

Low life symptoms today. Tiredness creeping again caused by sleepless nights and overwhelming sense of responsibility for my friends from Austria, visiting since last week's Tuesday till yesterday. They moved on in their safari, flying to Zanzibar, and me coming back home with two other visitors from Dar es Salaam, who came to visit Kiabakari and do some media work. Today is a reset day for me though, turning the page over and setting my mind for new works and challenges. Not able to do and accomplish much today, still I am grateful to God for what I was able to do under physical and psychological circumstances. Tomorrow will be better! Praying for all of you during this Lent and wishing you abundance of Lord's blessings and lights for this holy season.

About Us

Just an alert to bring your attention to a short 30 minutes or so photo presentation and music (below) depicting the latest (November 2011)  pastoral visit of the mission team of Archdiocese of Krakow, Poland, in our missions in Tanzania. You may see my mission in Kiabakari (from 6th minute of the program up to almost 11th minute). Plus Musoma cathedral later on in the program where I spent more than four years (2002-2006).

24 Days In Tanzania

I have just came across this link shared by a friend of mine on Facebook. To me, living in Tanzania for the past twenty years, it is always interesting to learn the perspective of visitors who come here for their very first time. It has always been refreshing, unexpected, different, allowing me to reset or refocus myself or discover anew things that have become routine and invisible. Check for yourself. It is a great read with stunning photos.