Mwanza Missionary Visit

In July following Avril’s return from the UK we decided we deserved a holiday together and booked flights to Mwanza, where the missionary family have been inviting us to visit.

If you examine a world map, you’ll see a substantial blue spot in East Africa just to the north-west of Tanzania, and it’s called Lake Victoria. Mwanza is the fairly large town that looks northwards across the lake, which they tell me is about the same size as Belgium. Though in theory you should be able to spot Uganda and Kenya off in the distance, it’s just too far. It might as well be an ocean to an observer in Mwanza. The water, however, is not saline like the ocean, and is very deep and rich with life.

We’ve been insistently invited to Mwanza for some time now, ever since Steve and Karil Thompson were reassigned there. Subsequently George and Liz Quawey have been assigned there as special pioneers and then Scott and July were also sent there. Since January Steve and Karil are actually assigned to our congregation here we felt we had four reasons as least to visit.

One distinguishing factor which sets the region apart geologically speaking is the presence of many huge boulders, many standing precariously or even perched up on others. They range in size from a few tonnes to the size of a large house, and they’re just everywhere. The beautifully-appointed missionary home where all our friends live is on the side of a steep hill, and has a fairly large garden around it, in which several such boulders provide a centre-piece around which everything else has been planned, including even the house itself.

We were able to preach in the field around about along with our friends Scott and July, and we were able to test the fertile territory in which several congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses thrive.

That didn’t mean that we didn’t have time to relax though! The missionary home has a long, wide tiled veranda which looks out over a panoramic view of the lake, 180 degrees around. Down on the lake, a hundred feet below perhaps, ferry boats and other craft criss-cross the lake, and the sun sets over to the left over a distant promontory, bright red. It’s a beautiful place. Especially if you have a cold beer in your hand.