Bwana Asifiwe! (Praise the Lord!)

Hello Zumbro, and praise the Lord!  As you are getting ready for church, we are well into our afternoon here.  Much of our afternoon discussion has revolved around the passionate church service we attended this morning at St. Wanzalea in Nkungi.  There are two services, all in Swahili—one at 7:30 a.m. and another at 11:00 a.m.  Sometimes the early service runs into the late service, and then that service does not start until noon or later.  Today our service lasted two hours.  For those who zone out at one hour, you would have missed some amazing worship.  Rich Tanzanian voices filled the block and concrete building.  The pastor preached energetiallly in front of the altar, which was draped with purple for Lent, green, and even the Zumbro red!  Jason introduced us to the congregation with great enthusiasm, with Gaspar interpreting.  We received many smiles and welcomes.  We gave to the offering, which entailed the entire congregation walking up to three baskets placed on the altar.  You could choose which fund you wanted to contribute to.   We ended the service with a processional out to the courtyard while singing the last hymn.  Once gathered outside, we witnessed the “auction,” a time when the congregation bids on items provided and the money goes back to the church.  Today, one egg was the prize win.  After shaking hands and exchanging welcomes, we headed back to our homes, filled with joy and amazement for the Tanzanian people and the God we all love so much.