Bethany and I attend a small church called Okari Sub-Parish Church. It is mud building with a grass roof and mahogany 2x4's as benches. There are strips of African cloth hanging from strings running up and down the church in bright beautiful colors. There are A LOT of kids at church every week. About 80 adults attend most Sundays. Okari is now our church, and we are not considered visitors.
Last Sunday Bethany and I were running a bit behind schedule. Usually we aim to leave on our bikes at around 10:30 realistically leaving at 10:45 to get to church at around 11. We arrived at church last week around 11:15. After we were seated, the pastor paused to tell us the verses for the old testament and new testament readings that we missed. Church was well underway. At Okari church the preaching is usually in Arabic and translated into Moru. I sometimes get a few key words, but usually I don't understand much. I am so thankful for the pastors at Okari, who usually call my name and give a one or two sentence summary of the key point of the sermon in English just for my benefit.
Today Bethany and I were surprised when we arrived at church. Good thing Bethany had learned the Moru word for surprise last week! We actually got to church at 10:55, and there were only two or three people sitting in the church building. Shortly after we sat down in the near empty church, a van filled with young adutls from Mundri showed up. It was the drama team who had come to Okari to perform dramas about HIV/AIDS and about the referendum. Then we saw the Sunday school kids processing towards the main road, and after asking around, we found out the commissioner of Mundri was coming to church today (pictured above). When his car got close, the commissioner got out and walked the rest of the way to church surrounded by all the children singing welcoming songs. We sang several Christmas carols in Moru this week including "I Saw Three Ships", evidence of the long history of British missionaries in Mundri. I didn't understand much of the speeches given by the commissioner and other community leaders, but I did catch that they were encouraging everyone to get radios and listen to the new radio station called Miraya FM which broadcasts in English and Juba Arabic. It has been big news around town for the last several weeks. Church ended like it does every week with everyone lining up outside the church to greet all the other church members by shaking hands, kind of like a receiving line. Bethany and I left before the dramas because we had a team Advent celebration planned for that afternoon.
During the church service, Bethany were surrounded by a group of children who are now pretty comfortable with us. Sometimes children are afraid of us at first. The activity for this weeks church service for several of the young girls was to compare their hands to my hands. They found all my birth marks and freckles and traced patterns between them with their fingers. They were also fascinated by the Japanese fans Bethany and I always bring to church to help us cool down after the bike ride.
That was just a small glimpse of the past two Sundays at Okari Church.
If you see me at a church service in the US, you might convince me to demonstrate the hand shake dance or the hand warming three clap applause which are both typical at church in Mundri.
I am so thankful for Okari church, and I am looking forward to celebrating Christmas with my church family!
I am leaving Mundri one week from today. I have started to say goodbye to friends like Jomima and Silivia (pictured below), and I am sad. It is a going to be a busy week as I visit friends, attend celebrations for the new year, wrap up things at the water projects, and pack up our houses. I am also really excited that I will be seeing my parents in two and half weeks!
