church + BBQ + soccer

We went to church this morning in the community. It was a great experience. A lot more singing and dancing then the Presbyterian services I've attended before (not that I've attended on a regular basis). The community was very warm and welcoming. The children had Sunday school in a tent outside of the church. The preacher gave the sermon in English followed by a word to the congregation that was later translated for us as "you guys are with me day-to-day so I'll just break it down for you and you can ask questions later." Ken said a few words, thanking them for letting us join them. The kids, as always, were adorable. The babies were fast asleep strapped to their moms backs despite all the singing and dancing.

A little later in the afternoon, we paid a visit to the chief of the village. We brought Schnapps as an offering. He offered a glass up to God and then spilled some on the ground to communicate with his ancestors. We then all had to take a sip (Carrie don't read this part... it was from the same glass). His ancient looking advisor, who wore sunglasses inside, finished the glass and then we were off to play soccer.

It was definitely intimidating to arrive and see most of the artisans and community members wearing soccer jerseys. I don't know a thing about soccer and I initially didn't want to play, but I ended up subbing for Kym in the 2nd period. It was so much fun. I even blocked a ball.

I took lots of pictures of the kids on the sidelines before I started playing. One little girl even grabbed on to my leg before she realized it was an obroni (white person) to whom she was hanging on. We then moved on to the BBQ and played some board games with members of the community. I played Ludo (?) with Kym, Douglas (one of the workers) and two girls from the village. It was a lot like the game Sorry, but with pictures of Jesus and a couple of other rules that I didn't quite understand. The BBQ ended in a bit of chaos as darkness descended and the food was "distributed". Despite the chaos, it was one of my favorite days of the trip so far.