I Speak At A Rally & Visit A Maasai Church

October 23^rd-25^th: Friday-Sunday

I went running on Friday and Saturday. My new shoes my dad brought have me have worked great. All the aches and pains I was dealing with have gone. Hopefully they will not reappear and were simply the cause of my old shoes and not something else. Friday I was running down a dirt road in the slums to the west were I live. The entire road was blocked by a large crowd that was grouped around a speaker on a small stage. She was ranting in Kiswahili. All the decorations and t-shirts worn by her co-horts were in Tanznia colors. I had to worm my way through the crowd. A silence fell as everyone watched my cross the open space in the middle. Feeling the need to say something I cried “Yeah, Tanzania”. The crowd broke out in applause and cheers.

It is hard to imagine I will leave for Uganda next week. It will be strange to say goodbye and even stranger to say hello and to return to Karamoja. I have been using my remaining time here doing odd things on the web since it will be a bit more limited once I return to Karamoja. I will leave next Thursday. It should only take me about 3 hours to reach Entebbe, Uganda.

My last Sunday here Unity was preaching in a Maasai church about an hours drive from Moshi. he invited me to come along. Although I was sad to miss my last Sunday in Unity’s church I wanted to spend the time with Unity and he seemed really eager for me to go.

We drove for more than an hour to reach the small stick and mud church. We were part of the way by a church member and he directed us to follow several goat paths in Unity’s truck in order to avoid the long way around by road. Upon arrival some young men in the church came and took our bibles and we were ushered into a small building behind the church where we met several pastors and where given bottled water.

After a brief period of the pastors talking in Kiswahili we prayed, and then church began. Unity and I were given seats in the front of the church. Also another two visiting pastors and the pastor himself sat upfront. The church building was exceedingly small. Perhaps 8-10 feet wide and not even twice as long. However forty or more people managed to seat themselves inside. Only a few of the men were dressed in traditional clothing but many of the older men had their earlobes stretched. We sang and the Africans danced. We prayed and then the choir performed.

Unity stood up to preach and introduced himself and then allowed me to say a few things, why I was there, my name, etc… Unity preached for a while and then he blessed the pastors son, this is why we came since the pastor cannot bless his own son, and also prayed for many of the church members who were suffering form sickness. After a closing song we all trooped outside to shake hands. I got to talk to the youth in the church, most were my age or a but younger. They were all very shy but one in particular was very outgoing and talkative.

We ate lunch there. Rice, beef and some vegetables stew, and sodas. We sat behind the church behind the building we had prayed in that morning under an awning made from kangas patched together. On of the kids asked me if I would be around that summer for a youth conference thing in Moshi were all the youth in the soroundung churchs come to Moshi for several days of singing and prayer. I told him I wouldn’t. he said maybe I could come back another year. It made me realize I may never get the chance to visit Unity and his family again. At least not for several years.