Sunday at Kanyaya

There has been no diesel for sale in Zambia for two weeks now. We are down to a quarter of a tank, so we are staying close to Namwianga. Sunday, August 7, Rodgers Namuswa arranged for us to visit the Kanyaya congregation just a few kilometers north of Kalomo. We had a “Rover-ful” of people with Mr. and Mrs. Namuswa, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Mufwafwa, David Kalimanshila, Jean Mushatila, and Mrs. Jope. The trip wasn’t long, but the road was a narrow path through a wooded farming area. Tree branches and thorn bushes scraped against the sides of the Land Rover, threatening to snap off the side mirrors.

The mud and thatch building had split log seats. The women and children sat on the right and the men sat on the left. When all the seats were filled on the right, the children found places to sit on a straw mat at the front. I should know by now to expect the unexpected, but I was still taken by surprise when Rodgers Namuswa stood up and announced that since there were so many children, Mrs. Jope and I would take them outside for Sunday School! I had a few moments of panic—after all, I was unarmed. I had no flip charts, no crafts, no puppets, and no lesson plan! But I did have Mrs. Jope, and she seemed to be unruffled as she led us out the side door, singing as she went.

We settled the group in the shade of a large tree. Mrs. Jope led a few more songs while I formed a battle plan. These children didn’t grow up with TV, so it wasn’t hard to hold their attention. I told the story of Jesus calming the sea and then we acted out the storm with sound effects. Then I told the story of Zaccheus. The shade tree provided a great prop, and we sent one of the little boys up the trunk to be Zaccheus as we acted out the story below him. One more story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 and then the service was over.

After the traditional handshakes and greetings, the men settled under the tree for a Bible class with David and the women came inside for my lesson with them. A few of the women remained outside cooking dinner over an open fire. When Bible class time ended, we women visitors were served our meal on the straw mat inside the building. The visiting men were served in the back part of the room. This is the Zambian tradition for mealtimes—the men eat separately from the women and children.

Besides the usual nshima and chicken, this menu included mpongo (goat) and rice. The rice, the women said, was served because they weren’t sure that David and I could eat the nshima with our fingers like they do. (We can and do.) Nshima is the staple of their diets. Rice is more expensive and is reserved for special occasions.

As we got ready to leave, we went back outside and found the women who had cooked our dinner and thanked them. Apparently the entire congregation was going to have a meal next. I counted ten pots of various sizes arranged in the fire.

We’re already looking forward to next Sunday. We don’t know where we’ll be, but we know that the Zambians will welcome us warmly—and probably cook us some great nshima!