Awasa

On the drive back from Shone, we took a bit of a detour to stop in a town called Awasa.  Our first stop was at a lake-side resort where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast buffet.  We sat outside on a patio overlooking the lake and watched as monkeys stole bananas off of people's plates (no lie). 



waiting for breakfast

breakfast is served

needed a lil sugar

After breakfast we hopped on a pontoon and went on a "hippo cruise"!  The driver knew right where to take us to find the hippos swimming in the water.  They were fascinating creatures, even if we mostly saw the tops of their heads and their backs.  My sister's perspective on hippos is that they are a true sign that God has a sense of humor.  We were  completely intrigued by these enormous creatures and seeing them in their natural habitat was definitely a highlight for us. 

Locals by the lake

hippo swimming

2 hippos

wishing Bella a happy birthday

Before leaving Awasa we stopped in a residential area on the edge of town.  This was the sight of a church plant of Covenant Church.  It was a fairly large lot with a small 1-room building on the lot.  As most churches were located in the center of the city, Covenant felt like this was a good location to plant a church because the people in the area could not easily get to the inner city churches for worship.

It didn't take long to "tour" the site, then we went inside and sat and visited with a few of the men in charge of the church there.  We sat and asked a few questions, learning a little about what was happening in this new church.  There wasn't a lot of room in the church for worshipers, so when the church was full, people started filling the lawn.  There weren't big signs or flashing light, it was word of mouth and curiosity that lead people there.  At this time, there were approximately 30 people worshipping on a regular basis. 

The walls in the church were ultimately bare except for 1 window and a drum hanging on the wall.  I of course had to ask, "who played the drum?" and "can we hear it played?"  It didn't take long for them to go out and find the drummer man, who was a little reluctant at first.  I guess we (I) did kind of put him on the spot.  However, this lead to the most amazing, impromptu worship service I will likely ever be a part of.  The men played and sang songs of worship, then asked if we could sing a song.   UUUMMMMM....  We sang "Amazing Grace" which didn't really have the same beat as their song.  We followed with our best attempts at a couple of bible camp songs which were accompanied by the drum. 

Just a drum and our voices.  There we sat, in what is likely the smallest church I have ever been in, singing praises to God with complete strangers, who were also our brothers. 

A.  Ma.  Zing!!!

Inside the church

The drum -
The only instrument (other than voices) used for worship in this place. 

 

1 man band.  Most amazing concert ever! 

The current land and building that Covenant is using for their church is being rented, but available for sale.  Our group felt called to help Covenant with this church plant so money was left for the fund to help purchase this land.  Although it was not nearly enough, we pray that they will soon have enough to be able to purchase this place and further develop their church in Awasa.