Magome magic

As I was planning this trip, I knew I needed to find a way to visit the Tanzanian partner congregation of Salem, the congregation where my wife is the pastor and our family belongs. She was able to visit the Magome parish back in 2010, and I had heard wonderful stories about the warmth, energy, and hospitality of the people there. What I did not anticipate was how breathtakingly beautiful it all was. Fom the moment we arrived (Michael our driver, and Pastor Kinyoa, my translator joined me on the trip) until the moment we left, I hardly wanted to close my eyes, for fear that I would miss something.

We arrived on Saturday around 4:30, greeted by a welcoming committee that sang and danced and shouted "Karibu sana!" Welcome!

I shared with them the video greeting that Salem had prepared, and they were delighted to see familiar faces and hear the bells play and the choir sing.

I laughed and played with the kids of the village (making a few animal noises and chasing them around a bit).

On Sunday, I awoke with the sun and found the valleys surrounding the village covered in a beautiful and almost magical fog.

After touring the village and hearing updates on their various projects (see my Facebook page for photos of the office building, pine tree farm and students under scholarship), we worshiped together. I had been asked to preach, and I spoke about the values of accompaniment, using a proverb that I believe originated in Africa, "If you want to go quickly, go alone; if you want to go far, go together." I invited them to pray for us in our challenges, as we pray for them in theirs, and I gave thanks that we can experience in this life a foretaste of the joys of the next, when we will all be united in God's kingdom. I also shared with Pastor Kasuga a clergy shirt and stole from Guatemala, completing the triangle of our global partnerships. He put it on right away and seemed delighted.

I was deeply moved by their singing, as they so easily broke into three and four part harmony, and I couldn't help but join them. After a wonderful lunch and a few research interviews (more on those in another post), I was on my way. Even though I was in the village for less than 24 hours, my heart and my mind were filled to overflowing with images and emotions I will treasure forever. There is indeed something magical about the relationship between our two parishes, or perhaps better said, something mystical. Separated by thousands of miles and so many layers of language and custom, we are still somehow united through the power of the Holy Spirit, and when we sing together, we are connected with a bond that cannot be broken. Bwana Yesu Asifiwe! (Praise the Lord!)