praise yehova!

April 4th (part 3)

Students are finally realizing we won’t be staying in Kafule for much longer. I have had many invitations to homes and events. It was three weeks ago now that a student invited me to her church in Kapelekase. I didn’t ask any details but figured it was the Moravian church and agreed to go. Since such a small portion of the population is not Moravian it is pretty safe to assume everyone is Moravian. I was wrong. During the 45 minute walk to Kapelekase I found out that I was indeed walking to a Jehova’s Witness Church or Synagogue or Temple or whatever you call them. My Moravian song book and Bible that I carried were quite useless. For an hour and a half I sat through the most boring church service I have attended in Tanzania. I usually enjoy the singing and dancing so much that it doesn’t bother me that I don’t understand the words being spoken. Unfortunately, the songs (all two of them) that we listened to were recorded, static, and out of tune. There was no dancing, and I didn’t understand what was being said. The only entertainment came in the form of a 4 year old brother of my student, Mboka, who I teased and played with during the service. During the first half of the service a man stood in the front and read from a binder. He read some Bible verses and occasionally had others read them and then (I think) summarized these verses. The second half of the service was a bit (small bit) more exciting. Everyone took out a booklet which has the weekly lesson in it. I believe a booklet is printed out every 3 months and then shipped all over Tanzania. I was more excited that the date was accurate and not from the 90’s than the random photos from the 90’s that appeared inside. We spent an hour reading and then stopping to answer the questions found throughout the reading. Occasionally we would read from the Bible. The Sunday I attended was about artwork and what the art depicts (I think)…it was a blessing because I spent the hour pointing out the photos to the 4 year old Filemon. He was happy to have something to do just as much as I was. At the end of the service, I was coaxed into buying biscuits for Mboka and Filemon before returning home. Home was a long journey. Filemon was tired and the sun was high and mighty. I offered to carry Filemon a few times and he would run and hide behind Mboka. In the end I was tired of walking so slow and I picked him up and carried him back up the mountain to Kafule. He cried for about two minutes and then realized it was fun. He gave a great big smile to everyone who passed us. It was very difficult but I managed to make it back to Mboka’s house and then soon after left to go home. I decided that I need to get my muscles ready for carrying Julius in two months’ time. The rest of the evening I relaxed.

The following Sunday, I decided to go to the Moravian Church in Kafule. I hadn’t been to the church in some time and figured it would be good for me especially since I departed for break the following weekend (this past weekend). It happened to be Women’s Celebration Sunday and there was much dancing and singing to enjoy. I was also pleasantly surprised to find a white woman, Jo, attend the service. I met Jo on the previous day when I went for a walk with Umbege in Isoko. Jo is from England but grew up in Tanzania. Her father flew the planes that brought donations throughout the country in the 80’s. For the past two years, she has lived in Tanzania helping the process of translating the Bible into the vernacular languages in the Mbeya area. Her specific task is to work on recording the already translated material. Since the vernacular languages are more oral than written it is the best way to really get the message across to the locals. She spent two weeks in Isoko working on the recording of the book of Matthew into Chindali. Jo got me out of the church service at a reasonable time so I was very grateful for he (she told them she was hungry so they prepared us food at the pastor’s house and escorted us out the back door). She had a colleague travelling to Isoko on Monday and asked her to bring Lindsay and I some food. After a long day of marking exams on Monday, I didn’t make it to Isoko to pick up this food. On Tuesday, I still was busy marking exams but made sure to leave early. I am so glad I did. Her colleague brought us Nido (powder milk), and 15 or 20 pounds of potatoes, 2 pounds of carrots, and a dozen green peppers. Linday and I ate well last week with that and the thriving garden. While picking up the food, Jo informed me they would have an extra space in her car on Friday when they leave for Mbeya. They planned to leave in the afternoon which was perfect: I could proctor the last exam and have an hour to clean up the house before leaving. The ride to Mbeya was the most enjoyable and safest ride. I wasn’t in the car with a speeding Tanzanian! On Friday night, Jo invited me to stay in her house before departing for Matema beach on Saturday. Her roommate, Suzanna, has lived in Mbeya for the last 30 years so it was interesting to stay at their home. The home wasn’t of someone who took up the building for a year or two but actually lived in Tanzania for an extended amount of time. It was a real home. It was very comforting. Saturday morning, Jo drove me to the bus station and I hopped on a bus for Matema beach. I met my fellow volunteer friend Lisa at the bus station and we’ve stayed together on the gorgeous beach resting from the last two and a half months of teaching.

Tomorrow, I am traveling back to Mbeya for a few days of refueling. I will spend some quality time on a computer and at some restaurants before returning back to Kafule. Not sure if this will be in time for Easter or shortly after it. Depends on how much I can get done in the days ahead.

One more post to go, please keep reading!

Love,

Gretchen