We left around noon, and explored the Kariakoo area a little before we found our host. Justine Nkingwa is an elder in his local church, and before we proceeded to his house he showed us the new Kariakoo church building--almost finished. Then we followed him along winding footpaths until we arrived at his house. We were graciously welcomed inside and served tea, fruit, etc.
I finally got to meet Sofia, the daughter of the family. She is famous in my mind because in this culture you refer to people by their children. Thus I am used to thinking of "Baba Sofia" and "Mama Sofia"... now I know who I'm talking about! Sofia is just now graduating from secondary school. She takes her exams soon, and the results will determine whether she will be able to continue her education. Her sister is already studying at a pre-university college in another town. Meanwhile we met her cousin who's visiting from the nearby city of Mwanza.
Another family lives in a small house on the same compound; the two units treat each other as extended family. The two small grandchildren from "next door" curiously poked their heads in and stayed close for our whole visit. Eventually their grandparents and young mother also came. In the photo our host, Mr. Kgingwa, is seated on the far right, his wife next to him, and Sofia next to her.
The little boy is about five years old and already a prayer warrior. For most of his life he struggled with pain, confined to his bed. He made it his habit to cry to Jesus, and now he has been healed. He thanks God for his health and is ready to pray for any need he hears about. Before we left he prayed specifically for each of us (for me, that I would find a good house of my own). He and his little sister also sang for us.
Here is a better picture of the two families. The Nkingwas' friends are on the right, their daughter (the children's mother) on the far left. The girl in blue is Sofia's cousin.
We chatted with our hosts over tea, and they showed us some of their family photographs. It was really fun getting to know them better. I was gratefully amazed by how easy it was to talk with them--both Mr. and Mrs. Nkingwa are careful to slow down a little and speak clearly to us. (Enunciation is a foreign concept to most people I meet.) They made conversation a pleasure and even took advantage of opportunities to teach us new words and phrases. After our photo session moved us outside, chairs followed us, and we continued our visit in the shade of their garden.
The kids gradually got over their shyness, coming up to touch our light-skinned arms and playing clapping games with us. They also didn't mind helping us with our bowl of sliced sugar cane. I don't remember how sugar cane had come up in our conversation, but our hosts offered to bring us some. They thought it especially funny that I had never had it before. So Sofia and her cousin were sent into the garden, and they came back with fresh samples for us. My assessment: very sweet and very juicy!
The Nkingwas walked us back to the road when it was time to leave. When we passed the new church, we could hear children's voices from inside. It was the Girls' Brigade, a Sunday afternoon girls' club that Mrs. Nkingwa usually teaches. We went inside to greet the girls and were rewarded with fascinated smiles and a couple songs. Walking through the village shops near the road, we stopped a few times to chat briefly with our hosts' friends. Then we were saying our godbyes, repeating our thanks, and easing through the mob of kids surrounding our waiting taxi. Settling back into my seat for the ride home, I could hardly believe what a fun afternoon it had been!
The kids gradually got over their shyness, coming up to touch our light-skinned arms and playing clapping games with us. They also didn't mind helping us with our bowl of sliced sugar cane. I don't remember how sugar cane had come up in our conversation, but our hosts offered to bring us some. They thought it especially funny that I had never had it before. So Sofia and her cousin were sent into the garden, and they came back with fresh samples for us. My assessment: very sweet and very juicy!
The Nkingwas walked us back to the road when it was time to leave. When we passed the new church, we could hear children's voices from inside. It was the Girls' Brigade, a Sunday afternoon girls' club that Mrs. Nkingwa usually teaches. We went inside to greet the girls and were rewarded with fascinated smiles and a couple songs. Walking through the village shops near the road, we stopped a few times to chat briefly with our hosts' friends. Then we were saying our godbyes, repeating our thanks, and easing through the mob of kids surrounding our waiting taxi. Settling back into my seat for the ride home, I could hardly believe what a fun afternoon it had been!
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