Day's Diary

June 5, 2007 ~ Homecoming

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With most of my trips to churches, I am accompanied by a student or two from the area of that church but this week was a homecoming of sorts for most who went with me, including a partnership member. The trip to Nansambo had been planned for a number of weeks but those accompanying me kept growing. Nansambo is in the Chingale region of Malawi, but after my last trip there, over the mountain and then back around the mountain (April 30 – Linthipi), we had decided that we would take the long way around, through Blantyre and up a different road. Since we were going though Blantyre, we could pick up a partnership person whose home church was Nansambo, even though he has been living in Blantyre for the past 30 years. So Ronald Gumbi joined us. (Some of you may remember his from the 2004 trip to Pittsburgh.) About two weeks ago, one of my first year students, Lenard Makiaka, asked if he might accompany me. He explained that it was his home church and he still had family in the area. I said yes. Then Duncan Kananji, who had led me to and from Linthipi before, asked if he could go since this was his home congregation. I communicated with the pastor that there would be three students and a partnership member traveling with me and he was pleased. Then on Friday, Fletcher Nyirenda, the partnership co-chair, said he was going and on Saturday, third year student Baxton Maulidi stopped to say that his sending pastor (the one who had been at his church when he was called to the ministry, was now the pastor at Nansambo) had asked him to come, so he joined the ever-growing group.

Sunday morning the four students and I set off from the college at 6:00 a.m. to head to Blantyre to pick up our two partnership friends and then go to Nansambo. Taking this route would be akin to going from Greentree to New Kensington, via Monroeville, if you know Pittsburgh, only doubling the distance. We arrived in Blantyre about 7:00 a.m. and adjusted seating (the two youngest members of the group had to ride in the back of the truck – senority counts here!) and headed for the Chingale region. The road was better than either of the two roads I had taken before, but it was not completely smooth. After all, this in Malawi and ruts and potholes are a part of life, especially out in the village. The fellows in the back of the truck had tosses, even when I tried to go carefully.

The welcome at the church was so warm and friendly. The mvano were waiting to sing to us and the pastor and elders were eager to see who had come. There were hoots and hand shakes (Malawians don’t hug one another) when the returning “sons of the congregation” emerged from the truck. We were ushered to the manse for a Malawian breakfast and preparation for worship, then back to the church to begin the service at about 9:15 a.m. The welcome in the worship service was overwhelming. The congregation brought food for all of us – tomatoes, eggplants, oranges, bananas and rice – to let us know that they were pleased that we had joined them for worship.

After the service, the family reunions began. Ronald brought his mother and two aunts to the vestry to meet me. His mother is 83, the oldest of the three sisters, but spry and still strong. They left with Ronald so he could walk them home (about two kilometers). Duncan introduced me to his brother, then the two of them went off to talk while I met with the partnership committee. Lenard asked to be excused. He went to visit his mother (near 90 years old and too frail to come to church), escorted by his sisters and some nephews. On the way to the manse for lunch after the meeting, the pastor and Baxton hung behind the group and talked. This was a spiritual father and son conversation. On the walk, the elders introduced me to Rev. Takuzi Chitsulo’s sisters. His family is from this congregation and, while both he and his father serve churches in the Synod, the rest of the family resides in the family’s village and worship at Nansambo. His sister was the chief cook for lunch. They were eager to send greetings to Takuzi. The lunch group was expanded beyond the regular elders and guests to include family members this time. There was great laughter and sharing of stories of life in this friendly congregation.

The congregation is eager to have their “family” from America, those from their partner church come and be with them in the upcoming visit. Central Church of McKeesport is part of the family and we were able to prepare for the next homecoming, when their three missionaries arrive later in June.

When homecoming is sweet, departure is difficult. Leaving was difficult because those who had family there now had to say goodbye. Lenard said it had been two years since he had had the opportunity to visit his mother and he wasn’t certain how many more times he would see her, but he was thankful for the day. The others echoed the gratitude for time with family. The first part of the ride back over the bumpy road was quiet as everyone reflected on the loved ones they had seen. Then there were reflections on the meetings and stories of the church. It was family at its best. Homecoming was good.