Th day the dogs, goats and a snake came to church...

Church here in Nakaale is a little different than my experiences back home. Okay so a lot different *smiles* We have a shelter with a tin roof, concrete floor and concrete benches for a church "building". It looks something like a picnic shelter.

This past Sunday was a prime example of the differences. There was a pretty good crowd by time the service started, but people just kept on coming. Men, women, children, and even some animals joined us. One of the mission's dogs had managed to evade the cage that morning, and found her way to church. It usually isn't a problem until another village dog comes to church and there is a need to defend the territory. Unfortunately a few village dogs came to church as well, but the dog squabbles were kept to a minimum as well as the distractions. The children come and go as they gather little berries for a snack or get distracted by a friend. There are a couple of adults in the church who are good about maintaining order among the children, but if they are absent the pastor's have been known to stop the sermon and remind the children to quiet their mouths.

We begin worship with prayer and then sing a few songs. The songs are in Karamojong. The singing is accompanied by the beating of our hands (clapping), the beating of the tambourine and the beating of the drum. Most of the songs are arranged in such a way that a leader sings a line and then the congregation repeats the line or a chorus of some sort. After singing, we quiet our hearts and then listen to the pastor's preach. Like I mentioned before there can be distractions, but after a while you tune out the children's chatter or the dog squabbles. However there is an interruption large enough to stop the sermon: a snake. This past Sunday there was a snake that was slithering just under one of the girl's feet! Thankfully she noticed it, got up and moved out of striking distance. The snake was maybe a foot long, but it still posed a threat. The pastor stopped preaching as people moved to see the snake, and Bob stepped up to solve the problem. He stomped the snake, smashed it's head and threw it into the fields with a stick. Crisis averted, people settle back into their seats, and the sermon continued.

Friend's how many pastors do you know back home who could pick up right where they left off and finish of the sermon with gusto? I was impressed.

The goats came to visit for Sunday school. When I say came to visit, I mean coming right up next to Pastor Albert and bleating (or whatever noise it is they make) right in our faces. I don't know how much experience you have had with goats, but they can be load and very disruptive.

So ... there is a glimpse of our Sunday morning worship, and I am grateful we don't have dogs, goats and snakes at church EVERY week :)