Amazing Africa

As we pull our big Land Rover “Defender” into the church “parking lot”, we have to drive carefully to avoid hitting all the sheep and cows that are grazing in the muddy field where we park. The church building is tiny. It is a wood frame with corrugated tin walls and roof: long and narrow with wooden benches. Since we are the “special visitors” and white, we are expected to sit in front of the congregation in comfortable chairs, and we are each expected to share a bit of exhortation. The church has members from many tribes, but many are Maasai. The Maasai people are often the ones shown on postcards from Africa. They dress very colorfully and adorn themselves with brightly beaded necklaces and bracelets.

Vanessa and I taught Sunday school to a bunch of beautiful African children. There were about 40 of them, all sitting on the floor crammed into a tiny room. They were quite well behaved, but a bit shy. We shared the story of Christ’s death and resurrection, using a number of object illustrations. Put me in a room full of children, and I am happy, especially amazingly beautiful children from another culture.

I think today was probably the most authentic “African” experience that I have had so far. I was buying postcards at the store the other day, and almost all of them have either wild animals or Maasai people. And I said to the clerk as I was checking out that since I have spent all my time in Nairobi, I haven’t really seen any animals or many people in the traditional or tribal clothing. And then the next day, I worship together with many Masaii and others from various tribes: taking pictures with them, trying to communicate with them through hand signals, teaching them how to use my camera, and being invited into their bomas (mud huts). Sadly, I didn’t have time to visit their home.

I feel so blessed that in my short life I have had the opportunity to worship the Lord together with those from so many different tribes, tongues and nations.

We have frequented a lot of places where westerners hang out, so it is nice to experience the other side of Africa. I am a bit relieved to finally have a day that didn’t involve any shopping. Because we are trying to get the compound and lodge ready for the many teams that will be coming this summer, we have been shopping a lot. Nakumatt (which I think of as Nairobi’s version of Wal-Mart) has been a regular hangout. I am generally not a huge lover of shopping in the first place.

On our way to church, we squeezed 13 people into our Land Rover that seats 8. Bishop Abel and his family came with us along with a few other people. Bishop Abel’s children are a lot of fun, and we had fun singing with them and playing hand-clapping games, and learning new Kiswahili words on the long ride home from church. We had to drive out to a distant neighborhood through muddy and potholed roads to deliver a sound system to a church that was having revival meetings that night. There are always many people walking along the roads, and as we drove by, I could see or hear a few of them say “Wazungus”…their term for white people. As soon as we smiled or waved at them their faces light up and they smile and wave shyly.

Well, I have so much more to say, but I won’t bore you. Of course, if you have read this far, perhaps you are not easily bored.