Sukuma Land

On the way home from Kisii, Brett took us to the Sukuma museum in Mwanza to learn a little more about the culture and worldview of the people here. The Sukuma tribe is the largest in Tanzania and is spread all throughout Tanzania. Many of the small vitongoji in Sukumaland that the missionaries spend their time in are most influenced by African traditional religion, which focuses a lot on appeasing a god through their ancestors and through witch doctors. It was cool to have a little more background and understanding of the worldview people we meet.

God timed our visit to the museum quite perfectly, because this so happened to be the day they were having a huge cultural dance competition between different Sukuma tribes. Thousands of people came to watch this mix of traditional music, dancing, and witchcraft. And we got front row seats. One of Brett's friends pulled us right to the front and in all honesty, I thought they were going to use us as a Mzungu sacrifice. This was one of the most terrifyingly hilarious things I've experienced. Their dancing certainly was, as you COC friends would agree, a “vertical expression of a horizontal desire.”

During one of our bible studies this week, we looked at what Jesus taught about missions when he sent out the 72 as workers into the harvest field in Luke 10. It became so much more of a reality here where the missionaries are actually going to villages looking for people of peace and staying in their homes, eating and drinking whatever they give them even if it's curdled milk (luckily we interns haven't been served it... yet). What is so relieving about this command is that we are merely the workers. The Spirit comes to reap the harvest for God, our role is to prepare ourselves and others for the kingdom. Pairing this with great commission in Matthew 28, we go across to every culture to make disciples through teaching obedience to Christ's commands. Not simply teaching Christ's commands. In addition to teaching, the disciples healed the sick, revealing God's desire to bring physical reconciliation alongside spiritual renewal. Brett teaches conservation agriculture to show reconciliation of the earth and to provide help with a practical need of the people. The Groens' work with Neema House provides care for children with hope to join a new family. It's neat to see them be obedient to God's commands in two completely different ways.

Those of you who are soccer fans, you would be proud to know I've watched more soccer in the past few weeks than in my whole life. And I've only watched four games, and working on the fifth as I type this (we're watching USA play Belgium). One night we went to the one of the nicer hotels in town just to watch a game, and it happened to be the night the Ms. Tanzania pageant contestants were practicing their performance. Right between us and the tv where USA was playing Germany. It was humorously unfortunate.

Last Friday we got to go to another village named Mwakiwasha where they were having a celebration for the harvest. They invited people from Ibondo church where we first visited, so it was fun to see people we had already met. Yohana, Mathayo, and Samueli were the elders of the church in Mwakiwasha. They and their families all made us very welcome as usual. Yohana took us to see his fields where he and Brett worked together to try out new agriculture techniques. Dustin got to help harvest some honey. It was the most delicious honey I've ever tried. The sheep stomach I had to eat later wasn't quite as delicious... My swahili has gotten good enough to be more comfortable with people in villages, and for them to be more comfortable with me. They still laugh at my attempts, but at least now I know why they're laughing. Like when I accidentally say “Are you my sister?” instead of “Is she your sister?” As long as I can get back to asking them to dance with me, we're good.