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~ Pastor Mark baptizes in Kitwe ~ Today I traveled to Kayunga with Pastor Charles Bameka, Pastor Mark, Ron, and my Mom. Just outside of Kayunga Town we picked up my friend Wilberforce Lutaalo, a dedicated lay leader who planted the churches in this area. Wilberforce had planned out the activities for the day, beginning with a visit to Lukonda where I had been just last week with TEE and the Meyer's Managing the Harvest workshop. We met briefly with the chairman and a few representatives from the congregation before continuing on to Kitwe where we would worship with the congregation. Pastor Mark preached while Pastor Charles translated. Pastor Mark also was privileged to perform several baptisms! After a wonderful time of worship comes the times of introductions and speeches. I had warned all the visitors that they would need to say a few words and they all did admirably. Then the chairman of the congregation invited us to his home for a meal. Having been in Uganda for a full year, the experience was normal for me but my Mom captured some of her impressions of the first time eating in the village:
We have lunch at the Church Chairman’s home. Large bowls of rice and matoke (green bananas that are steamed and mashed) are placed on the table and smaller bowls of a beef soup (beef joints boiled in broth) are placed before each person. A basin and pitcher is taken to each person for hand washing prior to the meal, the cool water poured over the hands in small amounts. We have already washed with hand sanitizer, saving the family water and ensuring our hands are clean. Ron, Pastor Mark and I watch closely as we are shown how to eat the meal. ;)
~ Ron, Mark, and Mom hesitate to begin their lunch ~ Rice and matoke are spooned into the bowl of soup and absorb some of the broth, then are scooped up with three fingers of the right hand and into the mouth. We are told with twinkling eyes that they can provide spoons and forks for us, but we determine we will do as they do. My attempts are not so successful. I end up with broth running down my wrists, lots of individual grains of rice submerged in the bottom of my bowl of broth, sliding through my fingers every time I try to scoop them into my mouth. Do you have any idea how slippery rice can be! I look up. Shauen, Pastor Charles, and the Ugandans have all cleaned their bowls, leaving only the joint bones. Ron and Pastor Mark have been more successful than I, but not by much! The pitcher and basin is again brought to each person, along with a bar of soap. I struggle to get all the oil, matoke and rice off my hands and wrists, without using too much water. The family must tote jerry cans to the community borehole (a deep well drilled as much as a thousand feet to the clean water in the aquifers) and carry them back to the home. Hands still sticky, I wave the pitcher on to the next person, and hope the sanitary hand wipes in the truck will complete the job.
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~ Mom introduces herself after worship - longer is better! ~ All the guests did wonderful, of course. After expressing our appreciation for the meal, we continued back towards Kayunga Town, where we turned east to visit a brand new congregation in Busaana. This small congregation is led by a faithful new Lutheran named Gabriel and he is pouring himself into the work with abandon, confident that God's Gospel message will be heard in this community. Since it's a new congregation, we don't have a worship service but instead enjoy a visit and several songs presented by the children who go to the school where the congregation meets. What beautiful fine voices the children have! I enjoy an opportunity to share a few words from Scripture with the people who have gathered and although I can start things off in Luganda I'm soon relying on Pastor Charles to translate for me. Our visit is short but full of smiles and joy and we head back towards Kampala.
For Pastor Charles and me it has been a normal visit - something we do dozens of times a year. But for Pastor Mark, Ron, and my Mom, it is their first exposure and I think in this single day they understand more of the joys and challenges of my work here than a thousand blog posts, newsletters, or pictures could convey. -Shauen