Sunday 23 October 2011

23rd Oct 11:30am

This morning I got up early to go to church, it was really good actually. Me Caroline and Tom went together (Caroline walked so fast she left us behind). Crystal didn't come because she was in bed sick.

We walked down the track to Kimundo and then went up a mud track through some trees to the church. It wasn't big but the front had loads of decorations and there were guys playing instruments.

We stood and tried to sing along for a bit and then the vicar started to talk, then the communion started to join in. They were talking along with him and whispering or chanting. It was really good to experience - I could feel the energy in the room building as they talked and expressed their belief. I filled up at this point (didn't cry but my eyes filled up) because you could feel everyones commitment to their faith.

We sung some more and the music was so happy, not gospel music, but everyone was swaying and holding their palms up at shoulder height towards the front of the church.

When the vicar began to talk a Tanzanian man (I didn't get chance to find out his name), came and sat between me and Tom. He told us he would be our translator and handed us a bible, which was in English (bad English not old English) to my surprise. The vicar talked of Jesus being their controller and how he could heal 'damsels' who had plague just by touching them. If I'm honest I preferred to listen to it in Swahili because I don't follow any religion so I'd rather not know all the stories.

It got close the the end of the service (turns out that was not the case as the supervise is 4 to 5 hours long), and Itchi the stray dog who seems to chill at Peace Matunda but knows everyone in the village, had followed us to church and came in. A man there seemed really stressed out by this, so the only way we could get him to leave, was to leave ourselves. It was fine thought we had been there nearly 2 hours!

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