Happy Reformation Sunday! Church this morning was rather interesting. Not only was it the day of reformation but it was also the harvest celebration. For this reason, many guests were invited and expected. This was very exciting for me as I had the opportunity finally to see how all guests are treated. While there are guests at things like weddings, I am so used to the Wartburgers being the only guests of honor during normal worship. Today gave me a chance to observe hospitality from a further back.
We pulled into a Waswahili village after bouncing up a mountainous road in the KKKT mobile. Many of the faces were quite familiar but the village was a new one. It was built on old training grounds for Zimbabwean freedom fighters. After they had left the area the land went up for grabs and a new village was formed. Unfortunately, the soldiers neglected to remove some of the land mines and a few children died from them years ago. Anyway, we were welcomed with warmth as usual and after the customary humanizing extended greetings we were ushered into the guest space for tea and kasava. In the past couple visits I have been attuned to the significance of space in hospitality. People have a strange sense of space. It is rather important to us. We experience topophilia, the love of space, so that certain places are very very dear to us. Those who are careful in their practice of hospitality are quite sensitive to this human need to love space. For this reason, many communities in Tanzania have very special spaces where guests are welcome to relax and enjoy their stay with very much comfort. I think the desire of the host to induce topophilia may be the reason we get nifty plastic chairs at the Masai villages and why people are so eager to show us around. It also occurred to me that we are always in someone's home in the holy time surrounding formal worship (still a part of worship). I am reminded of the first century house churches every time we sit and enjoy hospitality. The welcoming family and the women (usually) who serve have a very important role in sustaining the body of Christ. In hospitality, the other, the guest, is invited into a space that the welcomer loves in hopes of instilling peace and love into the other. Both parties are made vulnerable to each other as the welcomer has set herself out for the guest to see and the other's comfort and maybe even life depend on the hospitality of the host. Also, during tea I noticed that no one enters unless welcomed in. No one assumes their high and mighty state but waits patiently until welcomed. This is the same in Church as the guest (us and many others today) sit in the humble places until welcomed to the seats of honor in the front. It is almost always this way. Something of a ritual of humbleness.
So we enjoyed tea very much and then moved outside to where the children were sitting very quietly. Steve pulled out the bubble. Normally, the kids perk right up when the bubbles begin but today it took some time. Though, in the end Steve and I got very close to the kids as we tried to speak to them and had them help us speak Swahili. Kids like when they are smarter than you. Peter had a little three year old follow him around. When Peter would sit, the kid would sit in the same way. There are so many children in these villages. So many.
Church was wonderful! We were welcomed in and brought to seats of honor. What was even more amazing this week was that during the usual extended time to introduce and welcome guests, the congregation found out some were seated in the back and they were brought to seats of honor. It is nice to be honored along with other non mzungu guests. As the harvest festival was yesterday, the village invited surrounding faith communities to celebrate with worship. Anglicans, more Lutherans and a group of Catholic chatecists showed up. I found it amazing, absolutely amazing and so unlike the states that on REFORMATION SUNDAY people from the Catholic church not only came to the service but COMMUNED with us. They were told that this meal is one of unity offered by Jesus and it doesn't belong to any one group. Next thing we knew the hand full of Catholics were kneeling right next to us. This sort of unity is so rare but is characteristic of Tanzania. There is a mutual love of neighbor that I have not encountered elsewhere.
After church there was the usual auction at which we bought gifts for people of the village, and junk for ourselves. People give all they can to these communities. I can really see the story of the woman with the small offering at work here. This is really like a New Testament community. Luka always buys chickens at the auction and I have been the one every time to opt to sit in the back of the car on the way back to school and care for the animals. I am definitely not a farm kid but hangin with the chickens has become a nice little past time of mine.
We were enjoying our dafu and sugar cane after the auction when the rains came. The short rainy season has begun. It is both beautiful and, as a westerner, terrifying to see a people so reliant on the seasons and the regularity of their arrival. No water, no life. Rain is such a blessing here and really a reminder of baptism.
On Saturday we went to the cattle market again. I really enjoy these social occasions. I am becoming more and more comfortable with the people. We run into many who ask us if they remember them and I am pretty good at at least guessing who they are and where we met. Also, you will be pleased to know that being a recovering vegetarian is going smoothly. At the markets we always order a goat leg, ribs and liver. The goat is slaughtered at the market which really doesn't bother me. I actually like the idea of knowing my meat before I eat it. But it is cook over very hot coals and tastes delicious. Honestly, the liver is the best part. It is almost like jerky. With Tangawizi, our meal is complete. I think next time we go to the market I will follow in Peter's footsteps and eat the marrow. Overall, I feel very much like less of a tourist now. I mean I am totally aware of the fact of my foreignness and I know that when I come home I won't really be able to answer the question, "what is TZ like?" because i have such an obscure view of it. But I feel like a friend now. Very welcomed and honored to be an mzungu.
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