{"id":8481,"date":"2024-04-11T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-11T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cgk.nl\/?p=8481"},"modified":"2024-03-11T09:17:32","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T08:17:32","slug":"two-worlds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cgk.nl\/en\/zending\/twee-werelden\/","title":{"rendered":"Two worlds"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Marjanne Hendriksen<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early in the morning, I leave my cottage to go to church. I pick up my Zambian neighbours and together we leave our mission post. It is about an hour's walk. A narrow sandy path with man-high dry grass on either side takes us through the forest to a dry swamp. We cross that. Then a sandy path continues between barren fields where the maize and peanut harvest has been brought in over the past few weeks. Then we walk past the mud huts with grass roofs of our neighbouring village to the wide dirt road. Now we are almost there. Right on time. The church service should start in about ten minutes ...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the little whitewashed church with corrugated iron roof, an elderly woman is already there. With a hand broom, she sweeps a nice fan pattern in the sand with her back bent. She then walks to the large tree in front of the church. In it hangs a rusty car rim. With a stone, she hits it hard a few times. This invites the villagers to come to the church. No, you don't sit down here well in advance. The service simply starts when there are enough people in the preacher's eyes. Most of them trickle in after that. The men sit on the left on wooden benches with backs. The women sit on the right and can choose: on a mat or on a low wooden bench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For hours, I sit on one of those benches in the women's section. As the service progresses and more women arrive, I become more and more constricted. In front of me sits a woman with a sleeping baby on her back. Otherwise, there are hardly any children. They sit on a mat to the left of the pulpit. Walking in and out. The dancing women's choir in front of them can captivate them. I too enjoy the assiduous singing. When they - and we - have finished dancing and singing, more and more little ones leave to play outside. It is time for the scripture reading (sometimes just one verse, sometimes a bit more) and the sermon. It is not unusual for this to be over by 15 minutes. The theme is often predictable: doing good works, giving the tithe ... The fact that you have to walk to the front under loud chanting to deposit your collection money in a plastic tub perhaps helps to achieve this goal. Everyone understands that you don't give anything if you stay seated. And if nothing rings, it is clear that note money and not coins end up in the tub.<\/p>\n\n\n

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