Shall We Gather at the River

On the same day that the Amanda Mudd adventure took place for me, the rest of the team traveled to a traditional African Penacostal service. When I returned to the guest home to share of my fundraising goat acquiring adventure they also had a story to tell. I’m gonna let my good friend SaraBeth tell this one for me. Sara Beth you now have the floor:

Thank you, Amanda for giving me stage-time in your African Adventure Blog…….it is my pleasure to recount one of my most favorite Tumaini memories.

The entire team had gone to Sunday School at the school with the children. After that, some of the team members decided to go to the church where several of the adults from Tumaini worship. Hesbon escorted us. We rode in a matatu with Amanda and the Roses for a few kilometers. There were 23 of us in the matatu – which is supposed to seat 14. A few minutes later, we arrived at church – and the praise and worship was already underway.

When I say praise and worship…..I mean Kenyan style. These women have the joy of the Lord that is just not very common in the US. I believe that it stems from their relationship with Christ truly sustaining them. For many people in Africa, their faith is the only constant in their life….so their worship is filled with a gratitude, joy, and reverence unlike any that I have ever seen. Hesbon asked me to choose someone besides myself to ‘give a word’ of encouragement to the congregation. Little did I know that this was because he had OTHER plans for me later on in the day….but we will get there eventually.

I asked Bellar to share, and she did a great job talking about worry and how sometimes women really struggle with worrying about the future. She shared from Matthew 6: 25-34, and it was very good. We were told that the service would be cut short because they were having a baptism service in the afternoon. The lady who was telling us about the baptism was the mother of one of the children at Tumaini – and she informed us that her daughter, Cynthia, would be baptized at the service. This was a really cool moment for me. My first Kenyan baptism service, and God had worked it out to see one of ‘my’ Tumaini kids be baptized.

The service was short (REALLY short for a Kenyan service). Once we were dismissed we lined up in a procession for a “SHORT” walk to the river. Now, after traveling to Africa off and on for the last 8 years, I have learned that when an African says “SHORT” it really has a different meaning than when an American says “SHORT.” The procession consisted of drums, cymbals, triangles, singing, chanting, and praying. About an hour later, we reached the river. Every village that we walked past, we added a few more people to the procession. We started with around 60 people – and by the time we reached the river, there were at least 200 of us!!

After we arrived, Hesbon informed me that I would be preaching the baptismal service. Looking back, this would have been nice to know at the church, so that I could have at least had an hour to prepare my thoughts as I walked my 'short walk.' So, literally, in about 2 minutes, I gathered my thoughts for the sermon. I am not really sure what I said, but I am quite certain that God was shining through the spontaneity and ‘unpreparedness.’ Afterwards, some of the team members were teasing me that I was a little long-winded – not to mention that I had given a theological explanation of salvation from Genesis all the way to the New Testament.

Next, came the actual baptism. The drums and singing continued as one by one each person walked into the river to be baptized. Once they came up out of the water, they literally danced out of the river. It was one of the most beautiful memories that I have of my time in Kenya. After everyone had been baptized, we began the procession back to the church.

By the end of the day, we had worshipped with new friends, walked 6 miles, and watched 5 people be baptized. It was a great day full of memories that I will never forget.