| Sunday
- August 21, 2005 (Day 10) Building day 6 |
"I have never handled two eggs so carefully as I carried them away from the church - they represented so much more than any I had ever had before." |
Featured Panorama: Muterere The view of Muterere from the top of the rock formation was breathtaking. I was up there at sunset one day and took this set of pictures. The patching isn't perfect, but is still quite beautiful.. Click here to see a panorama of Muterere |
We
went to church this morning - it's the first time I've been
anything close to dressed up since we left the states. There are
two churches in the village - a Baptist church where Reverend Charles
is the pastor, and a Church of Uganda led by a pastor named George
Issabilia. The group split in two so we could attend both
churches and we went on our way. Jared, Eden, Shannon, Bonnie,
Stephanie and myself walked to the Church of Uganda where we were met
by George and the man who had donated the land on which the church was
build, Beza Naria.
We arrived about twenty minutes before the service was to begin, so George and Beza walked us around the property and told us a bit about the church's history. During this walk, it happened that Beza and I ended up ten or twenty meters ahead of the others. When we noticed this, we stopped and let them catch up to us. It was at this point that I was informed of the tradition whereby one of the guests
gives the sermon that Sunday
- and guess who had been nominated! I explained to the pastor
that I was not a Christian - he said this was fine. When I asked
him how long he wanted me to talk, I assumed the answer would be a few
minutes.
"Oh, twenty or thirty minutes" he replied, "but you can make it
fifteen
if you would rather." If you have ever wondered what a hell-bound
heathen looks like frantically preparing a sermon in the five minutes
before
church - just ask my friends!
We entered the church and took our seats while waiting for everyone to arrive. The church was made of sticks and mud - a larger version of one of the huts in which most of the locals live. The only light was that which streamed in through the windows and the holes in the roof. The dirt floor was so dusty that when I picked my bag up off the floor, it was covered in dirt. The locals began streaming into the church wearing their Sunday best - the least tattered clothing they had. They sat down in the broken pews of the church and waited for the service to begin. Watching this scene was touching - a far cry from the air conditioned palaces of American worship, these people sat in the sweltering heat of a dimly lit hut, sacrificing every comfort for their chance to worship. Watching this scene made me think back to the Irish fellow I met on the plane to Entebbe who was coming to 'teach the Ugandan's about Christianity' - I wonder if he knows how backwards his assumptions are.
The service began - the singing was all a capella for a lack of musical instruments. The pastor had to hold his bible up to a window in order to read the print. Yet for all this hardship, I have never seen a group of people so happy. The service was in Lusoga, so we didn't
understand what was being
said - but the sentiment was clear. After singing and praying as
a group, the pastor nodded to me and I stepped up to the podium.
A gentleman from the front row came up to translate for me and I
gave the brief
comments I had prepared (see a summary of what I said to the right).
After I
was
finished, the audience clapped and I sat down to watch the rest of the
service. The next part of the service was the offering. As
they
handed baskets around the church, I was surprised to see people placing
food
in them - bags of seed and flour, eggs, corn and more. The
baskets were
brought to the front of the church and the contents placed on a mat at
the
foot of the altar. The pastor then took the goods one at a time
and
walked up and down the aisle offering them for sale. The money
collected
was put into a second basket to be used to build a more permanent
structure
which had been started a quarter of a kilometer away. This is how
money
was raised in a society which was largely cashless - it was so
interesting
to see. At this point, the pastor informed us that the auction
might
go on for another hour or more, so we were excused to continue
building
the houses. Just before we left, a gentleman walked up to me and
handed
me two eggs - the man behind me explained that he was offering these
eggs
to us in thanks for what we are doing for the village. I have
never
handled two eggs so carefully as I carried them away from the church -
they
represented so much more than any I had ever had before.
From the church, Joeffrey, one of the local teachers, took us to his school, the Buluri Primary School, for a tour. We walked the kilometer to the school and strolled through the three classrooms and the front office. The conditions at the school were depressing. The school has 800 students and 15 teachers. Each classroom was packed with broken down wooden pews where 150 students sat in a space no larger
than an American classroom
in which twenty students might sit. In the front office, the head
of the school talked to us about education in Uganda and answered the
dozens of questions we had. The four subjects taught in primary
school in Uganda
are math, science, social studies and religious studies (both
Christianity and Islam). This community is about 2/3 Christian
and 1/3 Muslim, and they manage to live in peace - the world should
take notes. Towards the end of our visit, we noticed a plaque
with the Ugandan national anthem hanging on the wall. We asked
the head of the school if he might sing it and he obliged us.
In Uganda, when singing the national anthem, the right hand is
held up in the same way we take an oath. For all of its faults,
we left feeling fortunate for having grown up in the American
educational system.
After returning from the school, we came back to the house and had lunch, then waited for our ride to the work site. However, soon after lunch, it began to rain and we realized there would be no building done today. I sat with Marian, Betsy and Stephanie and read for a bit until a group decided to climb the rock formation - so I went along. It was even more fun than than the first time - plus the children who came along showed us a much easier route to the top - no more jumping of ravines!
We came back from rock
climbing and decided to walk to Buchiri (a town about 3km away).
Fifty-three kids came along with us - I counted! On the way, two
old
men came up to me and asked me if Habitat could fix their houses - it
is so hard
to look into their eyes and say the only thing I can say - 'I don't
know.'
On the way back home, a woman ran up to Eden and placed her baby
in
Eden's arms, then explained how she had no money and asked if Eden could help her buy
medicines for her baby. Eden told her to come to Bululu and talk
to the Habitat representatives. In a situation like that, it is
impossible to say nothing...but I know the chances of her getting help
are slim.
When we were almost back to Bululu, we ran into Mzunga Paul who had come to visit us. It was so fun to see how the children reacted to him - almost as though her were an uncle. He had brought us a local liquor made from fermented bananas called 'Kaseesee' (Kah-say-say). He joined us for dinner before heading back to his village. That night, Betsy and I went on a walk to look at the stars - I will never get tired of looking at a sky so clear and beautiful. Afterwards, I joined Tymberlee, Luke, Dave and Marian to drink some beer we had bought in Buchiri and to try the Kaseesee which Paul had brought us. Turns out that if you aren't eating very much and are exhausted from working very hard, it doesn't take much alcohol to get quite sauced! I finally stumbled back to my bed around 11am and slept quite well!
We arrived about twenty minutes before the service was to begin, so George and Beza walked us around the property and told us a bit about the church's history. During this walk, it happened that Beza and I ended up ten or twenty meters ahead of the others. When we noticed this, we stopped and let them catch up to us. It was at this point that I was informed of the tradition whereby one of the guests
 Since few in Bululu have money, most gave food as a church offering. |
We entered the church and took our seats while waiting for everyone to arrive. The church was made of sticks and mud - a larger version of one of the huts in which most of the locals live. The only light was that which streamed in through the windows and the holes in the roof. The dirt floor was so dusty that when I picked my bag up off the floor, it was covered in dirt. The locals began streaming into the church wearing their Sunday best - the least tattered clothing they had. They sat down in the broken pews of the church and waited for the service to begin. Watching this scene was touching - a far cry from the air conditioned palaces of American worship, these people sat in the sweltering heat of a dimly lit hut, sacrificing every comfort for their chance to worship. Watching this scene made me think back to the Irish fellow I met on the plane to Entebbe who was coming to 'teach the Ugandan's about Christianity' - I wonder if he knows how backwards his assumptions are.
The service began - the singing was all a capella for a lack of musical instruments. The pastor had to hold his bible up to a window in order to read the print. Yet for all this hardship, I have never seen a group of people so happy. The service was in Lusoga, so we didn't
| Approximate
transcript of my sermon A reading from the Gospel
according to Matthew (6:28) Consider the lilies of the field,
how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even
Solomon in all
his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Pastor
Issabilia, Sabo Naria, Mzungas, Mukwanowangee - I would
like to talk to you today about community. Having come from
America, Canada and Australia, the first things we noticed when we got
to Uganda were
all the differences between our countries. But the more we stay
here,
the more we notice the similarities. In spending time with a
culture
so "different" from your own, you quickly notice how similar we all are.
Here, you say that you are poor and that we are rich. We have electricity and plumbing and cars and televisions, and you have none of these things. But here, in Bululu - I have seen more of a community than I have ever seen in America. The other day while sitting on a rock with twenty of the local children, a baby began to cry - and every child there responded instantly, comforting and calming the child. I don't know who the child's siblings are, but from the looks of it, every child here is a sibling to every other child - every parent is a parent to every other child. This is a community in the most beautiful sense of the word. That sense of community gives this village more riches than any in the states. Today, we are sitting in a church made from sticks, mud and straw. In America, the churches are build from marble, gold and silk. But as a child, I remember learning that Jesus taught how the church was the people, not the structure in which they worship. Therefore I assure you that this church is as secure and stable as any other in the world. On the plane to Entebbe, I met a gentleman who had come to Uganda in his words "to teach the Ugandans about Christianity." I think back to that conversation and I find myself laughing. I look at this community, and I understand what Christ meant when he spoke of the lilies of the field. I look at a people in tattered clothing in a crumbling church in a town struggling to survive, and I know that he was talking about you. You are the lilies of the field - and Christians the world over have so much to learn from you. You are the lilies we came to help, and instead you have helped us in ways you cannot imagine - and for that, we thank you. |
From the church, Joeffrey, one of the local teachers, took us to his school, the Buluri Primary School, for a tour. We walked the kilometer to the school and strolled through the three classrooms and the front office. The conditions at the school were depressing. The school has 800 students and 15 teachers. Each classroom was packed with broken down wooden pews where 150 students sat in a space no larger
Featured Dish: Groundnut sauce Nuts form one of the
staples of Ugandan cuisine, especially for those with limited access to
meats and therefore protein. One of the common dishes found at
dinner is
a sauce made from ground up nuts and water known simply as 'groundnut
sauce.'
Take care to note, the name of the nuts used are 'groundnuts'
-
this does not refer to the fact that the nuts are ground to make the
sauce!
|
|
Lusoga
lesson
Omukasi
(Oh-moo-cah-sea): woman
Omusada (Oh-moo-sah-dah): man Omuwala (Oh-moo-wah-lah): girl Omulensi (Oh-moo-len-sea): boy |
After returning from the school, we came back to the house and had lunch, then waited for our ride to the work site. However, soon after lunch, it began to rain and we realized there would be no building done today. I sat with Marian, Betsy and Stephanie and read for a bit until a group decided to climb the rock formation - so I went along. It was even more fun than than the first time - plus the children who came along showed us a much easier route to the top - no more jumping of ravines!
Featured Video: Call to worship The pastor of the Church
of
Uganda lets the locals know that the service will be beginning in five
minutes using a drum. He then changes into his robe and returns
to play a second riff to announce that the service is beginning.
|
When we were almost back to Bululu, we ran into Mzunga Paul who had come to visit us. It was so fun to see how the children reacted to him - almost as though her were an uncle. He had brought us a local liquor made from fermented bananas called 'Kaseesee' (Kah-say-say). He joined us for dinner before heading back to his village. That night, Betsy and I went on a walk to look at the stars - I will never get tired of looking at a sky so clear and beautiful. Afterwards, I joined Tymberlee, Luke, Dave and Marian to drink some beer we had bought in Buchiri and to try the Kaseesee which Paul had brought us. Turns out that if you aren't eating very much and are exhausted from working very hard, it doesn't take much alcohol to get quite sauced! I finally stumbled back to my bed around 11am and slept quite well!