sundays are an event! they have an english service at 8am - very similar to our services at redeemer. we anglicans are a stand up, sit down, recite this, community prayer, sing, kneel, pray kind of bunch. it is so delightful to actually be able to follow along with the service even if it's in another language. this is reason #472 why i like anglicans. the world wide community is alive, and it's very cool.
the kinyarwanda service is LEGIT. 3 hours of legit! they start off with what appears to be spontaneous singing. and by spontaneous, i mean it starts off slow, then quickly catches momentum the more people jump in. then they start dancing up front. it is SO fun to watch! talk about exuberant worship. about an hour into the service, i noted that about 6 choirs had performed and we hadn't even gotten to the sermon. in the US, i would have been so antsy, but here i was fascinated. they way they finished songs cracks me up. there is no final flourish, they repeat choruses about 6 times then suddenly stop and leave. just a quick exit back to their seats.
the bishop (who resides over st peters cathedral and all the parishes in kibungo) is the head honcho of this whole area. he preaches twice a month. he is incredibly intelligent, a wonderful leader, funny, and so enjoyable to be around. he actually picked us up from the airport himself! he sat on this fancy wooden throne-like chair, as if he were residing over the service until it was his time to speak. very regal. he is highly respected in rwanda. what an honor to see him and spend time with him and his wife!
two little shadows watched my every move during the service. one was a little student from the primary school that we taught their names, letters, and how to write. (there was a lot of shouting, singing, and a raucous game of duck, duck, goose) i think he decided that i belonged to him. so, i belong to a 5 yr old little boy named parfit. adorable.
we were able to be part of a baby dedication. at redeemer, it's a very tender moment between the parents, baby, priest, and congregation - all promise to watch over the child. it's so sweet!!! at st peter's, it's a whole big enthusiastic hoopla. i really enjoy both, and it was fun to see how another culture celebrates the birth of a baby. the priest calls up the parents, and they are holding their wee baby in an enormous poof of a baby gown. the priests bless the baby and the parents, and then the parents say a prayer and blessing over the baby. then, another choir! altho THIS choir is made up of only parents of all generations, and they sing, pass the baby from parent to parent in the choir, then the baby moves from priest to priest. during all of this the congregation is singing more and more until the whole place is rockin' and the baby has found its way back to mommy & daddy. such a beautiful celebration!
it was so great to see the bishop speak, and altho i couldn't understand most of it, it was the same scripture as the english service. plus i have begun to catch on to different phrases and words! one sweet lady, foster, came over to sit next to me to translate (their generosity and kindness is astounding here) and listening to her paraphrase what was going on was so sweet. i love listening to how they translate for us! it's never verbatim, and more about whole ideas.
sadly, it's ernest's last sunday before going to the US for his scholarship at trinity in pittsburgh!!!
our friend ernest is one of the priests here, and he has been given a two year scholarship to trinity in pittsburgh, PA. in order for him to accept this scholarship, he has to leave his family and home for TWO years. can you even imagine? he was selected out of a very elite group of scholars, and leaves for the US this week. i gave a quick skype lesson to ernest and his sweet wife. they have both been equipped with proper laptops, cameras, skype accounts, etc. they have three small kids, so i know they will love to see their daddy from afar! we are planning a road trip to pittsburgh to visit him and make sure he has proper winter clothing, and also to invite him to come to nashville for a southern experience. we promised his wife we would look out for him!
ernest has his hands in MANY projects. he is quite brilliant. pastors in rwanda are not paid, so many lose time with their people because they have to work. ernest decided that in order for him to be able to tell people they can start from nothing, he had to do it himself. so from one small loan, ernest now has a small chicken farm, goats, & cows. he is able to sell the eggs & milk at a small store in town. he also has several acres growing corn, cassava, pineapples, mangoes, passion fruit & bananas. so not only can he provide for his family, he can sell his crops! he said it would not be fair to expect others to make the same effort if he had not done so himself. he will be sorely missed in kibungo!
if any of my pittsburgh friends want to lend a helping hand, please ask me for his email address! i want him to know that he will be fully supported in this journey!
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