Andddd We're Walking

Ever wondered what my morning walk to the Carpenter's Kids office looks like?  Then you are in luck my friend for this video has been made especially for you.

In all seriousness though, I hope you enjoy the following short film.  If you have six and a half minutes to spare, I think it gives a small but meaningful taste of life in Dodoma.  The compound where I live is in a quieter residential part of town; it's kind of neat to see the changes in sound and scenery as you get closer to a more bustling part of Dodoma town.  And if you have any questions about what you are seeing during the course of the film, please feel free to leave a comment below and I'll be sure to get back to you.

Karibu!

(To expand the video screen to full screen, just hit the square-ish looking icon on the bottom right of the video)

If the imbedded video does not work here's the link to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU3S9RsaRWc&feature=youtu.be

YouTube description: Join Andy Russell, missionary with the Young Adult Service Corps (YASC) of the Episcopal Church, on his walk to the office where he works with the Diocese of Central Tanganyika’s Carpenter’s Kids program.

If you would like to learn more about Andy’s mission in Tanzania, please visit: asrussell-yasc.blogspot.com.

NOTE: In order to partially hide the camera I filmed the entire walk with the camera held vertically, thus the narrow vertical view of the video.  Though the video is only six and half minutes long, the walk actually takes around 20 minutes.  Depending on how well the video does when it hits theatres in December (watch your back, Star Wars!) we may include the unedited version when the DVD/Blu Ray combo pack is released

Bwana asifiwe! (Bless the Lord!)

Last Sunday I attended the 7:00am (meep) Swahili language service at the Dodoma Cathedral.  I arrived only a couple minutes early and the church was already almost completely full.  It felt nice to be in a full church, side to side with fellow worshippers (the English language service does not draw nearly as many people).

A projector at the front displayed the verses of the first hymn as we all rose for the procession into the church.  The really nice thing about Swahili is that the language is essentially phonetic; if there is a letter in a word, it makes a sound (the same cannot be said for English!).  So even if you scarcely know what you’re saying (yep that’s me) you can still sing along to the hymns.  I really appreciate that.

The Dodoma Cathedral

Right now I am at the point where I can pick out words and some phrases when someone speaks Swahili.  So as I expected, most of what was said during the service went completely over my head.  But I took great refuge in the similarity of the liturgy used at the Swahili service and the liturgy I am used to back home.  With the exception of a couple of extra pieces (one called “Kushukuru Familia” where, if I understood its explanation to me correctly, families give an offering in thanks for something drastic that has happened in their lives, for instance a family member surviving a car accident, the birth of a child, etc.), the liturgy progressed exactly as I had experienced it in other Episcopal churches in the US.

Wow, I thought to myself as the service progressed, so this is at least some of what it means to be a part of the Anglican Communion.  The words were in a different language but the prayers, the motions, the worship, they were quite the same.

At the moment it seems like there are some questions surrounding the future of the Anglican Communion.  Now I certainly do not know enough to comment on the theological and political issues that have become divisive in the Communion.  But I do know that if one aspect of that Communion, the liturgy, can make a person feel more comfortable worshiping God in a church 7,715 miles away from home (thanks Google Earth), then the Anglican Communion is doing a pretty cool thing.  And as I continue to work on my Swahili I will continue to attend the Swahili service knowing that while I do not literally understand all of what is being said, in many ways I do understand.  In this way, the worship of God happens on a level that soars over any sort of language barrier (as is fitting for God).

The only thing is the sermon.  Definitely need to work on following the sermon.