The Big Announcement!

What is the big announcement?
Is it that we have come upon our 5 month Tanziversary? Well, that’s true- we have- but that’s not the announcement.
Is it that I cut my hair (literally cut my own hair with the rest of the volunteers stepping in do some serious salvaging of the job I started)? That’s true too, but it’s not the announcement.
Is it that I am scheduled to teach twice a week at the trade school this term, thus doubling the chance that they may actually have class on a day I teach? True again, but still not what we’re looking for.
Is it that I joined the seminarians for “shamba” (farm work) and “mowed the grass” by swinging a long, dull, knife? Yeah, that happened, but that’s still not it.
Then it has to be that I finally finished the spirituality section of the Seminary library?! That did happen, and thanks for noticing, but that’s not it either.
Alright, it must be that I got to help put up (much needed) new basketball hoops at the seminary that were purchased with money that came indirectly from Dirk Nowitzki? (You can’t make this stuff up). Again this is true, and again not the announcement.

I WILL BE RUNNING THE KILIMANJARO MARATHON ON FEBRUARY 27!!!!!!!!
This is a “big announcement” because Mike and I are turning this marathon (he’s running the 5k) into a fundraiser. It all started in _______, when two volunteers- Paul Conroy and (Br.) Lew Grobe decided they wanted to help out the students of Hanga. You see, school fees for one year are typically at least 300USD, and there are many students who work straight through their holidays and still cannot manage that kind of money. Thus, Paul and Lew started a scholarship fund called Phoenix Rising.
Phoenix is the most popular brand of bicycle here, and it is the brand they used when they rode across the country from Dar es Salaam to Hanga (near Songea if you want to see it on a map). That’s nearly ______ kilometers! Through this large fundraising effort, Paul and Lew were able to start the scholarship fund that still continues to help students today.
We were naturally quite inspired by this story, and we wanted also wanted to do something to help promote education. We truly believe that education, especially in a place that has can have so many struggles with money and resources, is integral for the youth of this country (as it is worldwide). After all, that’s why we came here to teach!
In addition to helping maintain the Phoenix Rising scholarship fund, we found another area of education in which we felt compelled to help. If you have been following my blog, you may recall the 3 wonderful Franciscan sisters that I met a few months back (2 from India, 1 from Ethiopia). They help run the de Paul School in Songea, and it is a beautiful operation. As I have mentioned before, it is clear that they have a deep appreciation for the intricacies of education and the importance of loving the students and developing critical thinking and language skills that will help them to live better lives. However, upon visiting their school, we found that they have no library. They have been allotted 1 textbook per class. How are the students supposed to develop reading skills if they do not have books to read?
This really bothers the sisters, as they long so deeply to instill a love of reading and all the lessons that it can teach. They speak of the library they’d eventually love to have, but they don’t really know how they’ll make it happen. The most important books to start with are the Tanzanian textbooks. They are, after all, the one place that someone can find all of the material the students will be required to know on their important national exams. It turns out one Tanzanian textbook would cost the equivalent to about 5USD.
Libraries are not always fully utilized by students and teachers in this country, but we are certain that these sisters would wear these books out! The students and staff would get as much use out of them as possible.
This is where we come in (Mike, myself, and you- our community of family and friends). I remember being in elementary school and walking around the neighborhood asking for pledges for the school marathon. “You’re running a marathon?!” was usually the first response. In reality, it was really just the whole school walking a couple of miles.
This time, however, the marathon is real! In about 1 month we will be travelling to Kilimanjaro (4 full days on a bus, round trip- may be the real marathon). I will be running 26.2 miles (about 42 kilometers for those of you measuring the African way) at the foot of the famous Mt. Kilimanjaro…IN ZUBAZ! That’s right! The Zubaz company (check it out at zubaz.com/aboutus) has graciously offered to match up to $300 of the pledges we receive (that’s about 1 class-worth of textbooks for a subject!). So what can you do? Well, first of all, your prayers would be greatly appreciated! Second, any donation would help a lot (especially with the generous matching system we have). You can make checks payable to
Phoenix Rising/St. John’s Abbey
And you can send them to
Phoenix Rising
Saint John’s Abbey
PO BOX 2015
Collegeville, MN 56321
Since the donations go through the Abbey, they are TAX DEDUCTIBLE! Hizzah!
Also, anything you could do to spread the word (to your churches, family members, schools, and work places) would be greatly appreciated! I know the marathon is coming up quickly, but we will be accepting donations after the run as well.
Lastly, I just want to let you know that we appreciate any support (monetary or otherwise) that you are able to give! You can keep up to date on how the training and fundraising is going on this very blog, and you can always find all of the official information on our website at phoenixrising2@wordpress.com.

Thanks again, God bless, and I’ll do my best to keep you all posted!

*P.S.- If you were getting any funny ideas about trying to send me any sort of package, please know that I appreciate the thought, but you should also know that it likely wouldn’t make it here before I leave anyway. Thus, a nice donation or prayer for us would be a great substitute!