Church

Last Sunday I went with Rose (our supervisor) and a visiting missionary, Dorothy, to a local church. It was an amazing experience and we were treated as honoured guests. After a half hour drive almost to the Burundian border we cam to the church to find a large Sunday School outside singing and dancing. We were taken into the pastor's house and served chai (very sweet, usually milky tea) and then went into the church. We were given seats up on the platform facing the congregation along with the pastor and evangelists from the church (all of whom were wearing black cassocks and then white robes over the top). The church was a well off one as it had a brick buolding with concrete floors and had an electric piano. The service went for 3.5 hrs in total with a lot of singing from the two church choirs, a long sermon entirely in Swahili which Dorothy translated for me, three offerings for different things and communion. After church we were served lunch in the pastor's house and it is amazing to see how different things are over here than they are in Australia. The hosts may not be able to afford the food they serve but becuase you are honoured guests they will give you food and go hungry themselves rather than break the custom of hospitality. This is a humbling experience.