A Busy Sunday

2006 is starting off as a year of change in our churches.  In one way, I’m thrilled about the decision to do so; in another way, it sends a frantic panic through our already hectic morning routine.  The change:  rather than church starting around 9:30 or 10a, several of the churches are going for a 7:30a start time!

Whose idea was that?????

(OK, it was mine)

After years of watching these rural churches start church “whenever everyone showed up” and subsequently watching everyone then start getting hungry, tired and restless about noon (not even half-way done with church at that point)…I made the suggestion at a recent leaders’ meeting when we were talking about 2006 and making some positive changes.  Some other West African missionaries told me recently about their churches starting like around 7a, and that they were done by mid-morning.  I thought about all the times when so many church goers here have complained about getting out of church so late and not having more time the rest of the day for relaxing, homework, or other family activities.  So I threw out the novel idea.  Start earlier.  

Now if you knew my Aja friends, you’d imagine this change being hard to make.  While they are early risers when it comes to school and farm work, on Sundays, they TAKE THEIR TIME!  So it was hard for me to imagine them making the change (kinda like switching from second to first service…except ours is one LONG service).

Those of you with multiple children can imagine such a change is not easy.  Even if we get up at 6am, it’s hard to get everyone cleaned up, fed, cleaned up again, dressed, pottied (is that a word?), and out the door any earlier than 4pm!! (just kidding, but it is several hours it seems like).  So switching the start time from 10a to anytime before 8a is hard!!

Last week, I showed up to one of our congregations late, about 10:30a.  Thinking I’d still be on time for the Lord’s Supper, offering, and my lesson, I was shocked when I pulled up to find no one there.  I quickly found out that they had indeed gone to the earlier service format, starting at 7:45 and they were done a few minutes before I had arrived.  I was asked to “come back next Sunday and actually get here on time to worship with us.”  

A young man and his new bride are a part of the congregation at Dandihoue (donny-way).  I had taken a gift for them last week when Kelly was home with some sick kids.  Upon leaving last week (I guess I was there for the post-service fellowship!), he invited me to come back with Kelly so we could share a meal together.  Aware of their new time change, I got up at 5:45a only to find out that Timothy was ready to get up, too.  I put him back in his room (he shares a room with Tori and Jonathan) then took my shower.  When I got out, I heard him and Jonathan giggling and wrestling inside Jonathan’s crib.  So the clock was ticking and we started the process of getting everyone fed.  A friend was coming over later to watch Jonathan and Lael while we were going to take Tori and Timo to church with us, and then over to Vincent’s house to fellowship with him and his new wife (to try and do that with all 4 kids would be impossible!!)  Concerned about the time, we made a plan that I would take a motorcycle taxi at 7:15a and then Kelly would come a little later with T&T and the truck.  I walked to the dusty road early this morning just in time to find a “zemidjan” (zimmy-john) driving back so I flagged him down.  We winded through these small dirt paths and about 20 minutes later I got dropped off right near the church building (it’s about 7:40a).  NO ONE IS AROUND!  My first reaction, “you mean I got up at a quarter to six for this!!!”  Turns out there was a death in the village the day before so many of the Christians had spent the night with the family and they were all sleeping in a little later!  I guess that’s what we get for working in rural Africa where there’s no church websites to log onto that say, “Due to the all night mourning ceremony, church will begin at 9a rather than 7:30a.”  

Actually my presence there (after last week’s embarrassment) got the troops going a little faster and we started by 8:30a.  It was a great service…a full house and a lot of excited praise time!  (There was the one incident with the drunken older man who wandered into the open air assembly, pungently odorous from the mourning ceremony’s free liquor, yet lifting his hands in the air, dancing joyfully and screaming praises to God.  He was politely escorted outside). I gave a lesson on evangelism and reaching others for Christ.  

Speaking of lessons, last week, we had a funeral and I was asked to give the sermon.  After it was over, Ega (Lael’s birth father and one of our church leaders) called me over and said, “In all the years you’ve been here, that was your very best lesson ever.”  The topic:  death.  I’m still trying out some more upbeat lessons to take over the #1 seed.  Evangelism didn’t do it.

Back to today, after the service, we were invited to Vincent’s house.  We were served a heaping portion of steaming hot beans!  Plus poured over the top was this spicy oil that set our mouths on fire!  Before we even started the meal, we noticed Vincent pull out 2 large orange Fanta drinks and set them on the table behind his wife.  She then served us the beans…but no one served the Fanta!  You’d think they would have noticed the smoke billowing from our ears and poor Timothy and Tori panting away with their tongues hanging out begging for every last sip of clean water we had brought with us.  It was a very generous gesture, but we were convinced that we couldn’t eat any more spicy beans until they popped open those Fantas!  Finally, Vincent said, “oh honey, get those drinks, they may be thirsty.”  Finally!!  We downed them so fast.  (Being around many of my Aja friends at meal times, I notice most of them only drink at the end of the meal anyway…strange to us Americans who expect a 96oz Diet Coke on our table before our meal is ordered and then about 3 free refills during the meal!)  

Kelly read an exhortation from Colossians 3 and then we both prayed for their marriage. Sweet Timo was running around chasing goats and either Mommy or Daddy was trying to chase down Timo.  Needless to say, we were exhausted when we got home about 1:30p!

After a brief rest, I was scheduled to go with one of our church leaders to visit his mother who is not a believer (it was close enough, so I was going to walk there).  Right as I was getting ready to leave, Tori said, “I wanna go with you!”  Not uncharacteristic of her loving heart but uncharacteristic of her desire to leave the Sunday afternoon movie to go with her Daddy to a Bible study meeting, I first said, “No, it’s a long hot walk.”  Then I realized what was fueling her desire.  “But Dad, I’m not going to walk.  I’m going to ride my bike.”  She has been permitted to ride her bike around the immediate area of our house, but we do not yet allow her to ride unsupervised all around the neighborhood and the surrounding villages.  But since I was going, she knew this was her chance to hit the road with that new Christmas bike!!  We got out on the road, and with amazing confidence (too much for her Daddy if you know what I mean), she made me pick up my walking pace to keep up with her!  It was a fun outing, and certainly made a great memory for me.  I know such opportunities will someday soon not be afforded us when we return Stateside (those real-deep-into-the-African-bush home visits).  So I was thankful Tori wanted to spend her Sunday afternoon with her Dad.  After a couple of hours, we returned home where Tori challenged me, “Dad, you know I am a big girl now and I could go all the way there again without you next time.  I’m a lot bigger now that I’m 7!”  Such confidence!

-Randy

My SuperBowl XL prediction includes the Broncos and Seahawks:
Final score:  DENVER 30   SEATTLE 14

OH, I meant to say Steelers and Seahawks:
Final score:  PITTSBURG  24   SEATTLE 10