These things we see

9:00pm Lodwar 4.9.09 Thursday

We got back from the Bush today feeling much more uplifted and yet still saddened by the day.

It began with the Leadership Summit meeting at the Bishop's church in Nakwamikwi. The musical instruments we all loath were used today by the congregation. Microphones and keyboards drowning out the beautiful sounds of their naturally talented singing voices. I feel collectively we find it all to be a travesty of the church founder to bring that in to this culture... how could they place in the minds of these naturally gifted musicians that they need to amplify and synthesize worship just because the white people suck at it. Sorry, that wasn't nice, but somehow its still true. Our group wishes we had just an ounce of the rhythm and harmony the congregations here possess and we are seeing it morphed into something horrible by the Western way of thinking.

Once I was able to relax about the music the keyboard stopped, the singer slowed down and began to pray and then the most wonderful thing happened. It felt like the wind rose up and began to swirl around me at the exact time that the parishioners began to individually pray out loud. They were praying in Swahili, in Turkana and in English, with a multitude of voices all working together to create a sensation that shuttered through me. I closed my eyes and my body soaked in the sounds of all the worshiping voices, crying out for God to come down and save them.

After the ceremony was finished some of the women came up and grabbed Rachel and I and began to teach us to dance along with the music of the keyboard. Pastor Michael then came around and brought us all individual bracelets, with our names scrawled on them in beads... it brought me to tears.

We went back to the cottage after eating a great meal with the pastors and conversing with the bishop about his family. I was able to get an hours nap in before heading out into the bush. I am always tired, it feels like we go-go-go and don't get much down time to let the body feel the effect of the day. Today was my first day with a little stomach sickness, but by late afternoon I was fine. I pray the morning brings complete relief. We traveled to the bush with an extra truck to carry the food we were going to deliver. We came upon a setting only National Geographic could have prepared me for. As we drove through was used to be a lush forest 50 years ago we see the sparseness mixed with areas of green vegetation. Although it looks ideal we find out it is not suitable for living because of the rainy season that washes the houses away when the area is transformed into a river. We pass large termite hills and stray camels which we must stop for to take pictures. We reach the Lolupe village and are taken aback as the congregation is huddled under the tree, dancing and singing. Posts stand on a broken square, the foundations of a soon to be church building. The people are dressed in traditional wear of a sheet, necklace and jewelry. The men sit on their stools on the outside of the circle... it's clear in this setting that women take up the majority. My mind can't comprehend that something so beautiful can hurt so much. How can this beautiful culture live daily with a level of hunger we can never now. The food we brought will last three days, 1 week if the family combines. The government is only feeding them once a month and usually only corn. The kids are sick, with protruding bellies and hernias. The women are hard workers who bear the child raising, the house work and the business to sustain a family and a husband who doesn't contribute anything. Although this wasn't always the case, since they used to have more success at migrant living as they traveled with their sheep. Although providing all that is needed to survive the women still have no say over their lives or their families well being... it remains in the hands of the fathers and husbands.