TANZANIAN TEACHING MISSION A SUCCESS

Parishioner, Jean Jolly, holder of a doctorate in education, spent eighteen days in Tanzania instructing future catechists. Dr. Jean, or Mama Jean as she was affectionately named by her students, spent several months preparing lesson plans and materials for her classes before departing for this important trip. Once in-country, she taught every day various aspects of using icons to teach the Orthodox faith. Jean prepared icons for her students to take home with them and to use in their teaching of the faith from creation to Christ.
Jean was one of four Americans who joined three Finnish Orthodox Christians to form this year's OCMC teaching mission to Tanzania. As a major component of the 2010 Tanzanian Orthodox Youth Retreat, the teaching team taught its students how to teach the faith. Classes were held in a small gold-mining town about a ninety minute drive from the southern edge of Lake Victoria. The over seventy students ranged in age from fifteen to thirty and possessed an extremely varying range of knowledge of Holy Orthodoxy. Each student had been selected by his or her home parish to attend this first time retreat so that each could then return home as a catechist.
The students spoke their native language of Kiswahili and thus classes were conducted with the aid of an interpreter. Teachers taught three classes of twenty to twenty five students per day for nearly two weeks. During their non-teaching hours the instructors helped with other projects of the camp.
We are very proud of our sister Jean Elizabeth and rejoice that her service allowed us as a parish to service Jesus by serving his children in Tanzania.
To listen to a short introduction by Fr. Joseph followed by a report by Jean Elizabeth Jolly (Click Here).