7 hour Sunday service at Laweto

Been here almost a month and we now have internet right here in our house! Pole, pole. Ann came out of the internet café on Friday telling us about our president. Yeah Obama! We are so proud of him as are all the people we meet whether they be Tanzanian, South African or European. One of the first things people will ask us when they find out we are Americans is about our president. He is a hero to so many; and the one consistent remark is, now there is more hope in the world.












October 4: Sunday at Laweta Lutheran Church took 7 hours from start to finish. A 40 minute drive to get there, greetings, getting the kids out of the car and into their wheel chairs (some of them), tea with Pastor Kileo and a few others, then the church service started at ~ 10:00. Singing, praying, singing, praying, reading scripture, introductions, announcements, praying, the sermon, dancing, more singing with an interpretor at our side. Mama Matthews or Mamma Annie, or better known as Nell, was presented a kangas by the women of the church. Women are seated on one side of the church while the men are on the opposite side. 5 collections were taken, one for our Faraja dance group , one for their choir, one for their church, one for the harvest and one for…we’re not sure. Then the bookkeeper for the church came up to the front twice to review the “take” whereby one time the pastor was not satisfied so he gave a little lecture and collection began again with people walking up to the front with money in hand. The lady sitting next to me got up THREE times to contribute. You walk up to the front to give your money. Upon exiting the church, the women turned left out of the church and the men lined up on the other side, thus began the harvest auction . We came home with soybeans, pinto beans, kidney beans (much to Stubbys’ delight), papaya, cassava, a stalk of green bananas (you boil them) and 1 live chicken.“ Elfu moja”, we would yell (about one dollar) for 4 or 5 eggs presented by a woman in her church finery. We did not bid on the chicken. It was given to us.
Lunch was served at 2:00 to a bunch of hungry people. The adults ate in the church office while the children, including Ann, ate in another room. A “guest” meal consists of rice, beef or chicken, a vegetable, bread and a soda. Sodas cost .35 and are everywhere! Definitely a wonderful 7 hours of new culture overload. We are still digesting all we saw and heard.