5/03/09 pt. 1
So, 2 churches this morning; #23 at the school in the village, and IBF at ABC.
Kwatcha’s friend and ex-roomie Kondwani (Kondi) is the pastor of a church in the village -- not the only church, mind you, but the only one that exegetes a passage in the bible. With our 10 guys, we doubled the turnout for that church. Kinda awkward, but
The music at Kondi’s church was all acapella, with Richard leading. Man, that guy had some complex rhythms going -- we couldn’t keep up. Some of the melodies were familiar, but they sang in Chichewa, and at the end, Kondi explained the gist of it. The kids of the village keep coming in to see us -- it’s a big deal. Felix and Richard had to keep the kids quiet, or out of the church. Man, I hate disrupting stuff.
Next, we piled into the car, inside and out, and went to the job site, and saw all the work Rick, Richard, and the workers had done. Wow! A full slab, with a septic hole, and fittings for plumbing built in. Rick designed it to have a tank above for the women of the village to fill their water supply for washing, showering, and flushing. Somehow, I’m thinking of the way Rachel was found in Genesis.
So, we pile back into / onto our ride, and head to IBF; it’s at the Chapel in ABC. We load Kondi on as well, and I got to talk to him a bit as we “hung” together. He pointed out a Christian-looking church inside the village that actually practices something like voodoo or a derivation of fear-based paganism. He explained how much Malawi was still superstitious... people in the village will try to get a curse put on you if you bring too much weath, or weirdness from the outside. A metal roof, or a fistful of dollars could get you hexed. Conversely, you can try to combat illness and poverty by following rituals and paying these shaman / priests. Haha, now I’m hearing Josh Crooch lambasting WOW characters. "C’MON! You’re killin’ me!" :- )
Kondi also told me that while he was going to school in SA, he was blown away that there were poor white people there... he actually gave a guy 5 rand just so he could tell people in Malawi that he gave to a white beggar. As I rub my beard now, and look at my paint-stained shoes, and ill-fitting clothes, I realize that I look like an LA homeless guy, yet here, I’m ... well, I’m rich. Still, kind of a freak.
We drove back to the house, and Greg and I walked down to church. We talked about early man, and the idea of having a perfect mind. Adam was created perfect... entropy and death weren’t part of the equation for him... so he would have had perfect visual, olfactory, tactile, and auditory memory. He could name all the animals and remember them. He could hear an animal sound, and now exactly which one it came from. And Greg postulated (and I agree) that even after the fall, the decay of Man hadn’t reached its current state -- lives were longer, and I bet that their skills were stronger. Imagine being able to see an object built, and be able to do it, just after seeing it once. Being able to judge distances as if you had a tape, binoculars, and a level. Not having to write measurements down, because you wouldn’t forget so quickly. It’s a cool thing to think about... especially from a craftsman’s point of view.
So, we get to IBF, and Kondi’s passing out bulletins -- man, he’s everywhere. Brian’s there too, meetin’ the folks as they arrive. I think of the last time I saw a pastor greeting people at the door... I don’t think I’ve seen it this decade.
There’s a ton of international-looking peeps here -- it’s a small world, after all, inside His Church, and under this octagonal dome. I sit with some of the crew, and look through the hymnals... one is simply printed, and has some Chechewan hymns in it. I wonder if those were some of the songs we sang... or rather clapped along with/?
I wish I recorded the morning better, but the music was great to sing along with -- a drummer, or to the side of the stage kept time, and we sang Crossroads / bible study like songs -- upbeat, and encouraging. Nothing against the more traditional hymns, but this crowd didn’t seem too formal. The Kingdom brothers (of whom we’d heard a few on Thursday night) were up as special music, and they sang a catchy tune they wrote called “Welcome”, that “sampled” The Lion Sleeps Tonight -- Ruben loved it... they had major skills, both with volume, and with timing. They sang a hymn as well, and then Brian preached from the end of Acts 4... Barnabus the servant, helper, encourager, and saint. I think I kept my notes... somewhere.
We hung around for a while after, as Brian mingled, and at least I (like any geek) idled poorly. Have you ever seen me idle bad? Nothing to help out with, no clean-up projects, or things to pass out... you can hear my belts whine, and the pistons churn in an oilless cacophony that drowns out chit-chat and social graces. Grrr... then compare that the NO2 boost when I give stuff to people; just as much of a car(l) problem, but the cloud of me escaping thank yous and eye contact works like a smokescreen... a buffer... OK, enough justifying of my quirks...
Kwatcha’s friend and ex-roomie Kondwani (Kondi) is the pastor of a church in the village -- not the only church, mind you, but the only one that exegetes a passage in the bible. With our 10 guys, we doubled the turnout for that church. Kinda awkward, but
The music at Kondi’s church was all acapella, with Richard leading. Man, that guy had some complex rhythms going -- we couldn’t keep up. Some of the melodies were familiar, but they sang in Chichewa, and at the end, Kondi explained the gist of it. The kids of the village keep coming in to see us -- it’s a big deal. Felix and Richard had to keep the kids quiet, or out of the church. Man, I hate disrupting stuff.
Next, we piled into the car, inside and out, and went to the job site, and saw all the work Rick, Richard, and the workers had done. Wow! A full slab, with a septic hole, and fittings for plumbing built in. Rick designed it to have a tank above for the women of the village to fill their water supply for washing, showering, and flushing. Somehow, I’m thinking of the way Rachel was found in Genesis.So, we pile back into / onto our ride, and head to IBF; it’s at the Chapel in ABC. We load Kondi on as well, and I got to talk to him a bit as we “hung” together. He pointed out a Christian-looking church inside the village that actually practices something like voodoo or a derivation of fear-based paganism. He explained how much Malawi was still superstitious... people in the village will try to get a curse put on you if you bring too much weath, or weirdness from the outside. A metal roof, or a fistful of dollars could get you hexed. Conversely, you can try to combat illness and poverty by following rituals and paying these shaman / priests. Haha, now I’m hearing Josh Crooch lambasting WOW characters. "C’MON! You’re killin’ me!" :- )
Kondi also told me that while he was going to school in SA, he was blown away that there were poor white people there... he actually gave a guy 5 rand just so he could tell people in Malawi that he gave to a white beggar. As I rub my beard now, and look at my paint-stained shoes, and ill-fitting clothes, I realize that I look like an LA homeless guy, yet here, I’m ... well, I’m rich. Still, kind of a freak.
We drove back to the house, and Greg and I walked down to church. We talked about early man, and the idea of having a perfect mind. Adam was created perfect... entropy and death weren’t part of the equation for him... so he would have had perfect visual, olfactory, tactile, and auditory memory. He could name all the animals and remember them. He could hear an animal sound, and now exactly which one it came from. And Greg postulated (and I agree) that even after the fall, the decay of Man hadn’t reached its current state -- lives were longer, and I bet that their skills were stronger. Imagine being able to see an object built, and be able to do it, just after seeing it once. Being able to judge distances as if you had a tape, binoculars, and a level. Not having to write measurements down, because you wouldn’t forget so quickly. It’s a cool thing to think about... especially from a craftsman’s point of view.
So, we get to IBF, and Kondi’s passing out bulletins -- man, he’s everywhere. Brian’s there too, meetin’ the folks as they arrive. I think of the last time I saw a pastor greeting people at the door... I don’t think I’ve seen it this decade.There’s a ton of international-looking peeps here -- it’s a small world, after all, inside His Church, and under this octagonal dome. I sit with some of the crew, and look through the hymnals... one is simply printed, and has some Chechewan hymns in it. I wonder if those were some of the songs we sang... or rather clapped along with/?
I wish I recorded the morning better, but the music was great to sing along with -- a drummer, or to the side of the stage kept time, and we sang Crossroads / bible study like songs -- upbeat, and encouraging. Nothing against the more traditional hymns, but this crowd didn’t seem too formal. The Kingdom brothers (of whom we’d heard a few on Thursday night) were up as special music, and they sang a catchy tune they wrote called “Welcome”, that “sampled” The Lion Sleeps Tonight -- Ruben loved it... they had major skills, both with volume, and with timing. They sang a hymn as well, and then Brian preached from the end of Acts 4... Barnabus the servant, helper, encourager, and saint. I think I kept my notes... somewhere.
We hung around for a while after, as Brian mingled, and at least I (like any geek) idled poorly. Have you ever seen me idle bad? Nothing to help out with, no clean-up projects, or things to pass out... you can hear my belts whine, and the pistons churn in an oilless cacophony that drowns out chit-chat and social graces. Grrr... then compare that the NO2 boost when I give stuff to people; just as much of a car(l) problem, but the cloud of me escaping thank yous and eye contact works like a smokescreen... a buffer... OK, enough justifying of my quirks...
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