West Coast Reconnaissance : Mvimwa

Next on the adventure was our visit to Mvimwa Abbey. The trek was about two hours by truck. It was of course all dirt roads. I would guess that the trip time is almost cut in half in the dry season, but it is definitely more of an adventure at this time of year. It wasn't so bad.

We stayed in Mvimwa just Tuesday night. Wednesday morning we got up early, watched the sunrise over the valley, and then went to Ash Wednesday Mass. It is pretty neat experiencing these celebrations in another language, in another culture. The Mass was much like Ash Wednesday Mass back home, and of course the readings for the day were the same ones that were being read all around the world. Only ours were in Kiswahili :)

Here is a couple pictures from the dining room and sitting room where the monks hang out.

This brother is originally from Hanga Abbey. He was one of the founders of Mvimwa Abbey.
This is the original monastery building. It was pretty neat to see how they just built right around the rocks, basically IN the hill!

And some shots of the new dormitory still under construction. They expect to move in early next month.

After a short tour of the buildings and farm and other facilities that make up the Abbey, I took a hike with Br. Joseph to get a better view of the whole area. We hiked to the top of this rock that you see in the background of this picture. That is the new abbey dormitory in the foreground.

Breathtaking...

Here is the water reservoir that stores the water before routing it to the turbine that generates electricity for the Abbey. We also visited Mariana, who is from Germany, but has moved to Mvimwa in the past year, built this house, and now runs a small orphanage. She is a pretty inspiring woman. Charlie and I first met her when she was visiting Hanga last August for the Jubilee.
Charlie shaking Kastori's hand...cute.
We also met another American in Mvimwa. This is Kathryn in the middle. She is from Oregon and has been living and working for a medical organization in Sumbawanga for the past nine months. It was fun to share experiences with her. The world is a small place.One more post from this trip will be coming soon...from Lake Tanganyika! Beautiful place. "beautiful"... an adjective i seem to be using a lot in these posts. This is really the best way to describe this country. I am so very happy to be experiencing so much of it.