Nigerian Journal #4

Today I went with my companions to Achi Mbieri community, and the villages there. This is where our project is located, and the homestead of the Opara clan. James’ father is in his mid-90s and on December 23 he and his wife will celebrate their 60^th wedding anniversary. The whole Opara tribe treated us royally, with a great meal and bottles and bottles of Malta (non-alcholic).

The highlight was attending the church service at St. Luke’s Anglican Church. We came in at 10:30 while the preacher was waxing eloquently and with fiery enthusiasm. The congregation was just as ALIVE and responding with intense energetic AMENs, Hallelujahs, and Praise the Lords! If you have the idea that Anglicanism is “High Church” and staid and quiet, you have not been to the African and the modern Anglican churches in the Caribbean. Incidentally, the Jamaican church recently included two Reggae songs in their Hymnal – one by Bob Marley, and the other by Peter Tosh. At St. Luke’s today, they sang and danced -- and spent an hour collecting offerings as the whole church sang and danced down the aisle to the collection plate. I hope you can view the few seconds of video of the dance (I did 4 more minutes, but it is too big a file for the web). Opara invited me to say a word, which I did with “spirit.” I told them that I have returned home after being away for 400 years! The Amens and responses were exhilarating! Dean also said a few word. This may have been the first time for him speaking to a church audience. What was definitely a first for him was worshiping in a congregation like that. He has never seen such enthusiasm in worship. He kept saying that this might be the highlight of the trip!

We left church at 1:00pm (they finished 15 minutes after we left)! Then we walked around the village and got introduced to many blood family and extended family members. We got a good feel of the village and the people, and began building the relations that are important in Rotary projects.

We then joined the Rotary Club at their annual family picnic in a park in Owerri. It was a special historic day for this Club which we are partnering with on this project: They inducted their first female member. It was a joyous occasion.