Marembo

Karen, Lisa and I began the trek to Marembo at 7:30am. Church begins CASUALLY at 9am. I don't think we actually started until 9:30am. The Marembo village church is a young church that Karen and Lisa are trying to encourage and guide.

Marembo Village Church:


Lisa oversees the Sunday School and Karen helps in “big church.” Their “big church” is really more of an adult Sunday School. Lisa and Karen are going through the Bible chronologically with this little village congregation. Today, Genesis 22 and the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac was discussed.

After singing together with the adults in church, the children went off with Lisa to another house in the village for Sunday School. I helped Lisa with Sunday School, which was awesome. There were about 18-20 kids from age three to fifteen. Lisa first had them recite their Bible memory verse from last week. Once they memorize enough verses and earn enough stickers, they will receive a French Bible of their very own. After checking memory verses, Lisa and I acted out the story in Genesis 12. I played Isaac and carried the wood on my back and was strapped to a pretend altar. After the story, the kids colored a picture that they were given.

Coloring with the little girl (named Coconut) who followed me around and her brother Jamal:


Lisa helping kids color:


With all the Sunday School kids:


Sunday School finished with singing, an offering and prayer. I loved going to church in a small village…wish I could go every Sunday. Everyone was so sweet and welcoming. There was a little girl who followed me around. Haha…The church made us and the main leader/pastor lunch, which was so sweet since I know they don’t have much. I love church in the little villages because it is simple and they focus on what’s most important: God. There is no effort to turn church into some complex, theatrical show or to please a particular group or style. I love and cherish the simplicity of it. I loved being with the kids and getting to know them a little bit.

We got home around 2pm…Did some laundry and ant extermination (naturally) and then it was time for an English lesson with Christine Bataneni. Today was also Christine’s son’s birthday, petit Luc. Petit Luc is HUGE, but he just turned two today!!! I spent a little over an hour doing conversational English with Christine and then I watched petit Luc at my place so that Christine could go down to the hospital and visit Mama Dinah and Baby Samuel. Baby Samuel is doing much better. He is off oxygen and jaundice lights and seems to be turning the corner. Praise the Lord!

The rest of the evening has been pretty low key minus one or the other insect invasion…Just so you all know, extermination has become a regular habit and I also sleep with a flashlight under my pillow. Why do I sleep with a flashlight under my pillow you ask? Well, you NEVER KNOW when you may feel some creepy, crawly critter and need to explore its identity and then carry out its execution.

Ahhh....and let it be known that I was officially COLD for the first time today. Although it was warm, it was overcast for most of the day and I actually shivered. THAT is a record.

That's really the nutshell version of the day and my impressions...Had a wonderful Sunday! Absolutely loved Marembo…I told the pastor that I’d like to fly out to Gabon every weekend for church at Marembo and he indicated that I was more than welcome to…my only concern is that it might get a little expensive ;-)