trips.schrull.us

Dateline:  Kasulu, TZ Oct. 5, 2018….(Still catching up on my Blogging…)

 

Bill was busy again at LTC on Friday.  Bob and I also went down and we had a special assignment:  It was graduation day for a seamstress class run by the Mother’s Union at the Cathedral.  For the past 9 months, these girls have been living in a dormitory at the cathedral and studying sewing.  When they completed their classwork, they went home and designed and made a dress as their final project which they wore for graduation.  As all graduation ceremonies tend to be, this was long.  Bob and I each spoke a few words to the graduates.  There was a very long graduation address.  Many references and thanks to the Bishop and the Bishop’s wife (who is head of the Mother’s Union), who would normally have attended but who were both out of town.

 

The graduates had also formed a choir and did several songs with dances about their experiences and challenges with the class.  The top three students received prizes and all the graduating students received tape measures and certificates from the program.

 

As the ceremony progressed there was a large crack of thunder and the power went out.  Then the rains and the wind came.  The wind blew rain in through the windows on the side where the graduates were sitting so there was a scatter of girls over to the other side of the room.  This is the start of the rainy season and when it rains in Kasulu it UTTERLY rains.  Your shower does not have as much water pressure as a thunderstorm here.  Eventually, the rains softened and the graduates served lunch to the “honored guests” (which included us) and then to their mothers and siblings who had attended the service.  By the time we had finished eating, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out.

 

Our laundry, however, which our house ladies, Markalina and Betha had done earlier in the day and left drying on the line, was twice washed and sopping again.

 

We headed to Murusi for the evening, where we enjoyed several choirs and dinner.  Bill and I shared a couple of songs and they told us all about the changes and upgrades they have been making to the church property, including a security wall surrounding it all and new men’s and women’s washrooms that include showers which are being constructed.  Murusi is the site of the bi-annual choir camp and recently hosted a four-day children’s camp for over 1000 children from age 6 to 12 so these changes will be put to good use.  Murusi has also become the area head quarters for Compassion International, so we were proudly given a tour.

 

We were served dinner with all of the church elders in the church office/vesting room.  As we were finishing up, the power went out once again, but came back on just as we were getting in our car to return to the compound.

 

Saturday, October 6th…..

Saturday was to be a day of rest, as we would be attending two different church services Sunday morning and Bill and I would be speaking and singing at both of them.  Bill went down to LTC for a bit (he had spent much of the previous evening downloading an operating system for a block pc he was rebuilding) and then all three of us headed to St. Paul’s Church mid-day to listen to choirs, hear what is happening in the church and have lunch.  

 

St. Pauls’ was started by the Bible College (now LTC) about 5 years ago and they were originally worshipping in a small building with a tin roof and log stockade walls.  They have started constructing and are now worshipping in a new, much larger building.  They have poured a cement framework and installed a roof.  For now, the walls are blue tarps but they are planning start replacing the tarps with bricks/stones very soon.

 

The choirs were excellent with some of the most interesting chordal structures and rhythmic patterns that we have heard here.  One song was even written in a minor key!  Most importantly, the joy of the Lord and true worship was evident in everything that they were doing.

 

After lunch at the Pastor’s house we headed back to the compound where Marcalina and Betha fixed us dinner.  I had brought a few packages of really good instant mashed potatoes, which I taught them how to make (simple, but they can’t read the English instructions).  The mashed potatoes and the rest of the meal was excellent.  We sat out in the Gazebo until the mosquitoes started to bite and then headed in to bed….Sunday’s first service started at 6:30 am!