Words from Tanzania

Perhaps you’ve heard that we started a Same soccer league for boys ages 9-17 with 7 teams participating. In late October, after 6 weeks the regular league wrapped up with our own DogoDogo Stars teams making it to both A (13-17 years) and B (9-12 years) final matches. Well, the outcome was pretty good with the DogoDogo Stars teams winning both finals!

While back in the States in October, a very good and generous St. Paul Lutheran Church member struck a conversation with me (Todd) and offered to supply some award medals for our league. Within 3 days they were purchased, engraved and on a plane in my suitcase along with much needed soccer socks (24 pairs).

This league was the first of its kind in Same and our neighborhood team wanted to celebrate their accomplishment in style. That meant finding goats and picking a day to celebrate. So, I went with the coach and the founders of the team (a 14 yr-old and 16 yr-old) to find two goats in a town known for inexpensive goat trading. We purchased two billy goats, tied their feet and hauled them in the back of our car to wait for our celebration one week later.

The celebration day started with the goats. After they were processed in our front yard, the meat was turned over to the cooks. This activity started at 7am and our celebration started around 4:30pm. In Tanzania, you can not have an official celebration without these requisites: loud music, a master of ceremonies and schedule, food, sodas, honored guests and a head table. After working from 7am until around 4pm, the stage was set, the food cooked, and we were ready for the celebration. The DogoDogo Teams A (in blue) and B (in yellow) were there with some coaches of the league and a few parents, our honored guests, the directors of the nearby Compassion International group, plus scads of little soccer player wannabees and their sisters.

Lori made a sheet cake and decorated it with frosting and a large star, signifying our DogoDogo Stars. If you wonder, the team name is a combination of the national Tanzania team called the Taifa Stars and a word meaning small in Kiswahili- dogo. If you say dogo dogo, it means really small.

To say that I’m proud of these kids and their new found community togetherness, that would be stating it somewhat accurately. Our honored guests from Compassion International made speeches and challenged our community to support youth sports and other activities for children. Appropriately spoken, I thought. A real honest-to-goodness coming together gathering, and it ended up with everyone getting a small piece of cake (a rare treat) and then dancing and celebrating as we cleaned up just before dark.

I don’t think we’ll find a way to give more than we’ve received here in Tanzania.