Comfort Zone: Friday, 5/30 – EVERYBODY Goes to Shunga
A view from the road to Shunga; God’s country.
It has been a packed day. EVERYBODY from the diocese, with the exception of the KBC students who were finishing exams and the few teachers needed to proctor them, loaded into four-wheel drive vehicles and made the 25 KM trek to Shunga. It was a trek. All dirt tracks that would be an off-roaders dream, crossing mountain ridges and plains that in places obviously flood during the rainy season. Fortuately, we were in the Bishop’s car which was driven by his very expert driver, Christopher.
Processing to dedicate the new hospital ward at Shunga.
Shunga is run by the German missionary society, and the Germans were the first to bring the Gospel to the area, followed by the Australians when things got messed up by World Wars. I’m not sure how it happened, but the German Missionary Society (which I am in total AWE of) are now back running Shunga and all of the German missionaries in the area were there.
The festivities started by dedicating a new hospital ward. The facility here is considered to be a clinic, not a hospital by the government, even though it functions as a hospital complete with doing surgery. As part of the later ceremonies, the health commisioner announced that they would give Shunga two new beds and that the clinic will be upgraded to hospital status.
One of the beds in the new ward, during the dedication.
Then we walked over to a monument celebrating 100 years of the Gospel coming to the Bhuha region and dedicated that.
Then the major event started; Confirmation for 160 people from the deanery. There were four choirs (KCC sang twice) plus Bill and I sang. Checkout Bill’s blog htt://tzblog.schrull.us for more about the ceremony and videos of the choirs.
Lots of speeches and presentations after the confirmation (Mama Bishop was given Katanga or course, and they gave the Bishop a sheep, which, thank heavens DID NOT ride home in the car with us.) In total, the service took about 4 and half hours before it was over. Lunch and finally back to the compound over some of the more challenging roads in the area. Moto-crosss/ dirt bikers would love it, I think.
