Easter Adventures

Well, I have had quite the Easter experience here!! I have to say that it really crept up on me this year since I didn't have all of the commercials and holiday candy isles to remind me of the approaching season. However, I find that it is a relief to live without those pressures that American society place upon on to send cards and buy gifts for everyone. Plus, there is always the advantage of not spending exorbitant amounts of money that no one can really afford anyways.

Well, the Easter celebrations for our church began on Thursday evening with a service which I did not end up attending because I had other plans (playing my bi-weekly game of volleyball). However, I did attend the service on Good Friday. It began at noon and we sang for about an hour until Pastor Umba got up to preach his sermon. Then we sang for another thirty minutes or so. By this time it was about 2pm and I was very hungry since it was quite past my lunch time and I was starting to feel the affects of low blood sugar in the heat. Well, as it turned out, the service did not end there! Pastor got up again and began a second sermon (or a continuation of the first. Most likely both). I felt terrible that I could not focus or share in the excitement because I was so hungry and tired and I had to sneak out right after he was done speaking. I wish I had been able to make it through the whole service, but, unfortunately, I just couldn't. I laid down until the family arrived home about 15-20 minutes after me and lunch was served. I ate it a bit to quickly and which ended up making my stomach upset and I ended up laying down for the rest of the afternoon watching Pride and Prejudice until I felt better. Thus was my Friday.

Saturday, I awoke early and immediately began on my laundry which had begun to accumulate. I ate breakfast and did a quick yoga routine before I headed off to SUA where I met some other missionaries for Ultimate Frisbee. We played for a bit over and hour and then one of them dropped me off in town because I had some shopping that I needed to do and I wanted to grab lunch before heading to Rick's and Linn's (they had graciously offered to let me spend the night at the house where they are living so I could attend the Easter Sunrise Service). Well, as it turned out the two options I had set for lunch were closed and the main supermarket that I needed to go to was also closed. I was very frustrated by this as I trekked around town with my heavy backpack and accomplished nothing except purchasing shampoo and conditioner at the other supermarket (which is significantly cheaper for shampoo and conditioner, but more expensive concerning food items). Feeling a bit frustrated with all the closures (probably because it's Easter weekend), I went ahead and called Rick and Linn to see if they could pick me up early, which worked out fine. Back at their house, Linn made tuna sandwiches and we got to have good conversation. Rick and Linn are an older couple from Canada and have been going to the Sunday night prayer service, but this was the first time I really got to chat with them. After lunch, Linn and I began prepping dough to make resurrection buns. These are made from a yeast dough that is wrapped around a marshmallow that has been dipped in butter and then sugar and cinnamon. When you bake them, the marshmallow will melt and the empty interior represents the empty tomb. They turned out great!! Chris and Emily came over for dinner and we had a great time talking and laughing over dinner and then a game of Phase Ten (the dice version). We all decided to go to bed early since we would have to wake up so early for the sunrise service.

Easter morning, I woke up at 10 to 6am to dress and prepare for the service which was held at a house just across the street. It was incredibly scenic as the clouds swirled around the peaks of the mountains. The surrounding area was jungle-like and monkeys played in the trees and on the roves of the houses. The children read the Bible verses and a member of the Pioneer Bible Translators staff, Brad, gave the message. He mostly talked about the origins of the word Easter, and the Easter traditions that we practice in our American culture. He also talked about the importance of making the Easter story culturally relevant as we minister to people in the missionary field. I thought it was very interesting and relevant to our situations here. Also, during the service, I got to sing "The Lord's Prayer" a capella (because I failed to bring any personal solo sheet music with me). It went pretty well, through I'm pretty sure I made up a few notes in a couple spots. But, that's fine to do when you don't have accompaniment and no one knows the difference (hehe!). Immediately following the service, we all had a wonderful Easter breakfast: pancakes, banana muffins, boiled and dyed eggs, various breakfast casseroles, and even home made sushi (from a couple this is from Korea). It was AMAZING!! And, who knew that tuna sushi would be so great for breakfast!! There were a lot more people at the service than usually come to the Sunday night services, so I got to meet a lot of new people including a music teacher who will also be teaching English (but, to adults). He and his wife have just arrived and they are currently in language school to learn Kiswahili before they begin their ministry. I'm finding that most people go to language school here before beginning their work; I wish I had known about it!!! I also met a lady, Christina, from Germany, who is running an orphanage not to far down the road from where I am living in Kihonda!! I was super excited to meet her and I plan to visit the orphanage sometime soon and possibly hold a mini-music class with the children!!

Things took a slight turn when I returned to the house, and I found out that the mother of one of our church members (and the secretary of the school) had passed away and the funeral was to be held that afternoon. Thus, the church service was a bit short and sweet so that people would be able to go. Also, attendance at the church was quite low in spite of it being Easter. From what I have been told, the culture here is similar to American culture in that many people who don't go to church normally will attend church on Easter and Christmas. So, after the service we had an hour to eat and prepare and then it was time to leave for the funeral. I realized much later that I should have changed my clothes (I was still wearing my bright orange Easter dress), but in the rush of things, I wasn't really thinking about what I was wearing. In order to get to the funeral, Mama Nema picked us up in her car along with some other church members. It took us a while to find where it was being held, but we got their about 10/15 minutes before the service began. When we arrived, everyone was eating lunch and I was also handed a plate of food (rice and beans) which I was to eat with my hands. I think this was my first time eating rice and beans in the "Tanzanian style" (and of course people laughed at me). It was a bit stressful for me to be at the funeral, I have to say. I had no idea what to do, where to go, or what was expected of me. I was in the middle of eating my food when people were asking me "Can you go to the house to see Madam Joyce and tell her hi and that you are sorry?" Well, first of all I was eating, and secondly, we were surrounded by houses and I didn't know which one was hers since the funeral crowd seemed to be coming and going from just about every house nearby. It didn't seem like anyone was going to show me where to go and I just sat there looking silly trying to figure out what they meant. Well, I wasn't even half way done with the food when everyone from the church started singing and gathering under a temporary tent that was set up. I was pulled over to where they were, but it seemed like where I was standing was part of the choir and I tried to move, but was told to stay. Soon the casket was brought under the shelter and a few songs were song, a short message was given, and the list of names of people who had donated money to help the family during that time was read. Then, they opened the head of the casket and we all walked by to look upon the woman's face. Then the women of the family came out, crying and wailing and walked by the casket before it was closed again and we began the funeral procession to the place of burial. Again, songs were sung while the women wept nearby and the men lowered the casket and threw dirt on it. Suddenly (or maybe not so suddenly because we could see the clouds in the distance earlier), it began to pour. The service continued while many moved under and tree that was sorely lacking branches for "shelter". I was completely soaked by the time Mama Nema guided myself and some others to her car for shelter. We drove back to the original meeting place and I got a chance to go and and offer my condolences to the family members by saying "pole" and shaking the hand of each. Then it was time to leave and I was thankful because the cultural stress of the experience was getting to me and I needed to have some to wind down from it all. I'm glad I went, but I have to say, it gave a very different mood to my Easter Sunday.

Well, that is all I have time to write for now, so I will wish you all a wonderful rest of your week. I had today (Monday) off and school re-starts tomorrow. This month, I will have to stay after school until 4:30pm because the after-school tutoring this month includes English. Today, I did all the laundry and I scoured my room and bathroom so that I wouldn't have to worry about it until next weekend (since I won't have time to do much during the week now). I think it should be fine though. I've worked it out in my head, so I'm not as stressed about the idea of staying late after school compared to how I was feeling last month (when I was told about the tutoring).

"He is risen!! He is risen indeed!!" Praise the LORD!! :D

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine