The last two days
I really don’t know where to start. Yesterday was amazing. We spent the day traveling to a small church outside the town of Ibondo. The town is just across Lake Victoria from Mwanza. After taking the ferry across the lake we drove for 3 hours on some of the worst roads I have ever been on in my life. I have been on worse 4x4 roads but never worse main roads. As Jason said in his last mission report the rainy season here has been REALLY rainy so there was lots of mud and washed out places on the road. It was Jason and I, his team mate named Calvin and a local church leader named Sweatburt (that’s his real name!) all in Calvin’s tried and true Landcruiser 100 (it’s good to be in the land of landcruisers).
As soon as we got to the village children and adults from all ages started gathering at the church. Suddenly as if on cue the children started singing songs and hymns in rhythm. The songs were in that very rich African style made popular by Paul Simons singers. During each song Jason translated for me so I could understand the meaning and depth of the songs. The songs they sang where beautiful hymns about redemption and faith. After several minutes of singing Calvin got up and taught for about an hour. Each week Calvin has been doing a overview study of the Bible. His teaching has not been overly complex but has instead been a simple introductory/overview look into biblical themes and books. The villagers really seemed to like the study and several of the men took lots of notes. After the “service” we where rushed to a small hut and served a meal (which really seemed ironic since we where delivering food). The villagers rolled out the red carpet and nothing was spared to entertain us. They gave us the best seats, the best food (rice) and the best tea. It was only us and a few men in the hut eating and we all ate off the same plate with our hands! Jason leaned over right before we started eating and whispered to me “only eat with your right hand, don’t touch anything with your left hand”. I will let you figure out what the left hand is for out in the bush…
The whole experience was very surreal and felt naturally unnatural. Setting in some small village that didn’t even have a road to it, eating with villagers I had just met felt…right. Not “I should be a missionary” right but “these are my brothers in Christ” right. For some reason setting there eating rice out of a common bowl 5 minutes after worshipping with strangers just felt like, well, communion. There where no barriers, no facades, no pretenses. The villagers where so warm and friendly and open to us that it made me fell somewhat ashamed. There kindness was not because we where “wazungu” (white guys) but because we where their brothers in Christ. I had just met these guys and they welcomed me like an old friend. I couldn’t help but think of all the times I have gone to speak at friends churches and been put up in a hotel. I was across the globe with total strangers being offered some of there last rice just because I was the guest. It was wonderfully uncommon…at least in my world.
Today I got to meet the rest of Jason and Emily’s male team mates. To my surprise I already knew two of them from ACU. Kevin Linderman (Jane he says hi) and Aaron Bailey where at ACU when Jane and I where there. For some reason I had never connected the dots on them being on the mission team. All of the males met at Jason’s today for their weekly time of prayer and discussion. Over dinner we discussed the mission here, landcruisers, and what is going on back in the states. Afterwards Kevin, Jason and I spent some time praying. It was a very refreshing few hours.
This afternoon Jason and I went to town to pick up his truck at the mechanics. I was not expecting much but got a huge surprise when we arrived. The shop was a full service auto shop and vehicle outfitter. The back lot was filled with exotic 4x4’s being outfitted for all types of work around east Africa. I was like a kid in a candy store. Landcruisers (almost every model), Nissan patrols, Land Rovers, Hylux trucks, safari trucks, expedition trucks, you name it, it was there. I spent an hour walking around looking inside all of the trucks I have seen pictures of for years but have never gotten to see. It was truly one of the more delightful (and youthful) experiences I have had in awhile. All of the sudden I was 12 again experiencing pure enjoyment. It’s funny how something so small can make you feel so excited. It reminded me of the first time my dad took me to a camping store.
So that’s been my last two days. There have been lots of other things as well but this is getting long enough. Keep us in your prayers.
As soon as we got to the village children and adults from all ages started gathering at the church. Suddenly as if on cue the children started singing songs and hymns in rhythm. The songs were in that very rich African style made popular by Paul Simons singers. During each song Jason translated for me so I could understand the meaning and depth of the songs. The songs they sang where beautiful hymns about redemption and faith. After several minutes of singing Calvin got up and taught for about an hour. Each week Calvin has been doing a overview study of the Bible. His teaching has not been overly complex but has instead been a simple introductory/overview look into biblical themes and books. The villagers really seemed to like the study and several of the men took lots of notes. After the “service” we where rushed to a small hut and served a meal (which really seemed ironic since we where delivering food). The villagers rolled out the red carpet and nothing was spared to entertain us. They gave us the best seats, the best food (rice) and the best tea. It was only us and a few men in the hut eating and we all ate off the same plate with our hands! Jason leaned over right before we started eating and whispered to me “only eat with your right hand, don’t touch anything with your left hand”. I will let you figure out what the left hand is for out in the bush…
The whole experience was very surreal and felt naturally unnatural. Setting in some small village that didn’t even have a road to it, eating with villagers I had just met felt…right. Not “I should be a missionary” right but “these are my brothers in Christ” right. For some reason setting there eating rice out of a common bowl 5 minutes after worshipping with strangers just felt like, well, communion. There where no barriers, no facades, no pretenses. The villagers where so warm and friendly and open to us that it made me fell somewhat ashamed. There kindness was not because we where “wazungu” (white guys) but because we where their brothers in Christ. I had just met these guys and they welcomed me like an old friend. I couldn’t help but think of all the times I have gone to speak at friends churches and been put up in a hotel. I was across the globe with total strangers being offered some of there last rice just because I was the guest. It was wonderfully uncommon…at least in my world.
Today I got to meet the rest of Jason and Emily’s male team mates. To my surprise I already knew two of them from ACU. Kevin Linderman (Jane he says hi) and Aaron Bailey where at ACU when Jane and I where there. For some reason I had never connected the dots on them being on the mission team. All of the males met at Jason’s today for their weekly time of prayer and discussion. Over dinner we discussed the mission here, landcruisers, and what is going on back in the states. Afterwards Kevin, Jason and I spent some time praying. It was a very refreshing few hours.
This afternoon Jason and I went to town to pick up his truck at the mechanics. I was not expecting much but got a huge surprise when we arrived. The shop was a full service auto shop and vehicle outfitter. The back lot was filled with exotic 4x4’s being outfitted for all types of work around east Africa. I was like a kid in a candy store. Landcruisers (almost every model), Nissan patrols, Land Rovers, Hylux trucks, safari trucks, expedition trucks, you name it, it was there. I spent an hour walking around looking inside all of the trucks I have seen pictures of for years but have never gotten to see. It was truly one of the more delightful (and youthful) experiences I have had in awhile. All of the sudden I was 12 again experiencing pure enjoyment. It’s funny how something so small can make you feel so excited. It reminded me of the first time my dad took me to a camping store.
So that’s been my last two days. There have been lots of other things as well but this is getting long enough. Keep us in your prayers.
posted by Paul at Friday, January 12, 2007
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