Runner up.

I apologize for ignoring this for the last few days. It seems I've come down with a touch of the malaria and really have not been feeling myself.  I will get you all updated beginning with Church on Sunday.   The language school students led the Swahili service on Sunday morning. Of course, it was the graduating long course students who did all the talking, we short course students just sang in a choir.  We felt somewhat out of place at first because choirs here at churches rarely move their way to the front of the Church.  Normally, they sing from their spots but we moved right up front. Ha. Yet, it turned out just fine as the song we were singing (and attempting to dance to) is a favorite among the people here so the congregation was way happy for that.  Of course, our choir was destroyed by the secondary school choir.  Music is everywhere here. It is ingrained in people and places in a way that is absolutely indescribable.  I found it quite interesting that the songs sung by the secondary school choir did not really have a religious theme but were about AIDS.  There were also guest artists there selling their CDs and singing for us.  I am not sure how I feel about selling things in the middle of worship but the music was quite good.  The last song, there was even a little music video for us where Jesus made this guy put down his gun and then they danced around together.  Also, we didn't have communion. At home, I would not really notice if there was a weekend where I didn't receive communion but here it has become so important to me.  I think it is because of the idea that we have the presence in such a tangible way.  It is a reminder that God is so present and is in and throughout everything and everyone.  It is also very unifying.  We all kneel here, there is no fast food communion line.  It is amazing to see men and women, Africans and wazungu, rich and poor, everyone kneel together as one family joining each other around the table where we all experience hospitality.  This meal centers us around the hospitality of God so that all other meals can be a reflection of that hospitality.  This is the ritual hospitality that I came to study.  Expressed most fully in the eucharist.  It extends very far here to the meals and community time which surrounds worship, even into everyday life.  Generally, people here are treated with very much respect. As humans and not as commodities.  Yet, people here are like people everywhere in many ways.  And this sin does happen from time to time here. It is periodically visible in the way in which workers are treated.  Though, there is still a joy in most workers here that I simply don't see at home, there is a respect for the worker here. A pride in work.

Monday was a normal day of classes.  Kadeghe is our teacher this week which is really good.  Since classes have become less, I am beginning to see a lack of retention of the language.  It is a little more difficult than I expected but it is still ok.  We are all able to understand what we hear.  The problem rests in speaking. oops. Monday night, when we had laid down to go to bed, Pastor Hafermann stopped by to let us know that we needed to decide between the four of us who wanted to go with him to the youth prison for devotions and who wanted to go with Luka and do some building.  Steve and I chose building with Luka.

This is where the trouble started. I felt a little odd on Tuesday morning but thought little of it and headed out to build.  Mistake.  We began by buying supplies.  Luka pre-ordered everything, but very little of it was actually available.  We had to wait a long time for the cement to arrive and then go to a couple different places for the tin roofing.  This took a good chunk of the day, but apparently, it can take days sometimes to get all of the supplies so we ended up just fine.  We headed out on our way, picked up a bunch of other builders (one of whom was Samson, the man that we saw get baptized on that first weekend) and stopped first for lunch.  There are these amazing chips cooked into eggs, almost like potato omelets.  With chili sauce, these are incredible.  Unfortunately, I kind of had to choke it down because I was quite ill by this time.  So we arrived, took the materials off the truck and measured the foundation.  I was more trouble as I was worth, though, as I couldn't really do much.  But it all turned out well.  Obama came up so I spent most of the time talking to the Masai from Melela where we were building.  There are always two topics that come up. Obama and my lip ring.  Good talking points.  So, we worked less than I expected but it was still very good.  It is amazing to see how excited people are when we come to build a church for them.  They inspect everything and are there to help a lot.  

But as soon as I got home I got out of my clothes and into bed where I currently am.  It has been about 24 hours in this bed and I am going a little nuts.  Hopefully I will be out of it tomorrow.  Welp, see you later.