The First Village Visit

Today we made our way to a Masaai village about two hours away. The ride there was over some of the roughest roads we have seen this trip! Pot holes and large rocks were everywhere on these red dirt roads that led to the village. Once there, the villagers seemed very happy to have us there. They openly welcomed us and made sure each of us had a good chair to sit around the tea table in and were served tea shortly before the church service began. The service itself was very unique and an awesome experience for us. It was more contemporary than traditional and the entire congregation was involved through their hymns, choirs and speaking parts. The choirs they had were really good and upbeat with their music and movements. Although the entire service was in Swahili and we had no idea what was being said, you could definitely tell how the message and fellowship was affecting the members in a positive way. They also really enjoyed our participation in the service and cheered us on during our songs, a reward of sorts for all the work we put in! Perhaps the most unique part of the service was at the end when they began to say good-bye to Pastor Hafermann since he will be leaving soon. They brought him some mementos from the village and celebrated his work with the villagers. It was very evident how much he had touched their lives and they enjoyed having him around. After church, they took us to a smaller room to be served lunch. After the things Bwana Ed had told us about village food, I think everyone was surprised how “normal” it seemed--rice and goat meat. They didn’t have silverware, however, and we had to eat with our fingers. This was cut short due to impending rain and the condition of the long road to get back, so we headed out and got some final pictures with the kids who were so cute! The whole experience was a positive one and I think everyone is looking forward to Saturday when we go to our second village.

　

Happy Mother’s Day to all our moms back home!