Blog

Join Us at the 2023 Guatemala Gala

Join Us at the 2023 Guatemala Gala

Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written:...

Summer Reading Part 1: Countercultural

Summer Reading Part 1: Countercultural

One of the gifts of summer is the luxury of time for unhurried reading. I want to introduce you to one of the books I’ve read, but first I want to share the context that made it such a powerful read for me. I am part of the Baby Boomer generation. My automatic image...

Asante Sana, Ryan and Astine!

Asante Sana, Ryan and Astine!

Ryan and Astine Bose have been our Bega Kwa Bega program coordinators in Iringa for the past two and a half years and will be completing their service this month. They interviewed and were selected for the position in early 2020, just as the pandemic disrupted travel...

Lifting Up Native Voices

Lifting Up Native Voices

In 2022, the Racial Justice Ministry Team at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater applied for and was awarded a Gleaning From the Harvest Ministry Grant from the Saint Paul Area Synod. Our proposal focused on increasing awareness of past and present Native culture...

Easy Come, Easy Go?

Easy Come, Easy Go?

International travel patterns are changing, so here are options to consider for your next journey to Iringa: International Flights BKB travelers have a well-worn path from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Amsterdam, to Dar es Salaam with a short stop at Kilimanjaro. This has...

Hunger: A Local Issue Needing Local Action

Hunger: A Local Issue Needing Local Action

A recent article from ELCA World Hunger reminds us that to make the biggest impact on hunger in the United States, the church needs to act on the local level. We are also reminded our congregations need to pioneer new approaches to ending hunger. One of the ways ELCA...

The Day of Grace

The Day of Grace

As southern district workers, we have enjoyed a lot this day since it was a golden chance for us. The Day of Grace has given us the new energy and therefore we will go back in our working place with a new power and energy. As we have received from you, we will keep on...

Remembering Mary Blomquist

Remembering Mary Blomquist

Dr. Mary Blomquist, one of the founders of the University of Iringa, has died. The Bega Kwa Bega community has been blessed by her life and legacy. You can read her full obituary here. Friends on both sides of the companionship have shared words about the impact of...

Renewing Relationships

Renewing Relationships

Congregations are still discovering a new path forward following the loss and upheaval experienced around the world by COVID-19. During the pandemic, Guatemala Friends gatherings over Zoom, letters and videos sent by e-mail to the ILAG for distribution to village...