A Lutheran In Senegal

Easter Celebrations

Yesterday was the culmination of our Three Days in Linguere, and we were given several chances to celebration the Resurrection together. First, we had a festive service of Holy Communion with portions led in Pulaar, portions in French, and some translated into both. The liturgy itself was a test-run of the new Pulaar translation of the "official" Lutheran Church of Senegal service, presented with side-by-side versions of the French and Pulaar texts. Once people get used to it,the booklet should make it easier to follow the service in either language, even if one doesn't know both.

The service itself was a clear proclamation of the central theme of our Christian faith: that Christ became a person like us all, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again from the dead, giving us abundant life now and eternal life to come. We sang and shouted our Alleluias, and even the pastor and some of the less shy kids even danced. In addition to the faithful members of the Linguere community--perhaps 20 or 25 of them--there were visitors from Dakar, Rannerou, and even Kolda.

After the service, still other visitors joined us for lunch, as the community's tradition for such holidays as Christmas, Easter and Pentecost includes a festive meal for neighbors, co-workers, and extended families. Those who prepared the meal estimated that over 75 were served.

It was a tasty meal--freshly butchered lamb from the flock of one of the members, plus a savory onion sauce and french fries--but much more than that, it was an occasion for the Christians in Linguere, by all accounts a small minority, to provide hospitality to the larger community. It was Christian-Muslim dialog in every day language, gathered around a common bowl.

After the meal itself, many people lingered for three cups of ataya, the strong tea served here in the heat of the day. According to local tradition, the increasingly sweet cups of tea represent death, life and love, respectively. How appropriate for Easter--God in Jesus Christ passes from death to life in order to manifest great love for us, for all the world and for the entire creation.

Finally, as the afternoon heat gave way to the cool of the evening, the ELCA missionaries--Stadtlanders, Langdjis and us--plus a visiting ELCA member, and SIT student in Dakar  gathered to sing. Like we have traditionally done in Advent and Easter before, we sang as many of the Easter hymns we knew (and a few we really didn't) from the Lutheran Book of Worship and With One Voice. One right after the other. Four-part harmony when possible. Alleluias all over the place. It was a great night! (we decided that we should probably  have a stock of Evangelical Lutheran Worship books, just so we keep up to date with the ELCA worship...).

New life again. Christ is Risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia! Amen!

Grace and Peace,
Peter

still updating, check back for photos later...

Holy Saturday--Prayer and Fasting for Healing

Today is a transatlantic day of prayer and fasting for healing and wholeness for Bruce Mueller. Bruce was an ELCA missionary here in Senegal during most of the 1990s. He served in veterinary work among the Fulani, helping train vet's assistants in a dozen or so villages surrounding Linguere, as well as establish a network of village based veterinary pharmacies. He also helped establish a herders cooperative that began to process and sell milk in and around Linguere--a precursor to today's Fedannde Jolof project.

Bruce was diagnosed with 4th stage non-smoker's lung cancer a month or so ago. Former missionaries who served with Bruce and his wife Kathryn have really reached out to them during this time--not only offering their on-going prayers of support, but other acts of kindness and accompaniment. If I understand it right,  former Linguere missionaries Gus and Betty Ziegler actually moved temporarily from Minnesota to Oregon to help out on the Mueller's small farm while Bruce was beginning treatment. John Spaulding (Dakar, 1989-2003) suggested this day of prayer and fasting, and the community members here jumped on board. Bruce is held in very high regard here in Linguere--by Christians and Muslims alike--and many people have asked about him and promised to keep him in prayer.

Apparently, Bruce has been responding to his treatment. He has been able to return to work at least part-time, and perhaps in the near future will be able to approach full-time. He continues to be hopeful, and to be strengthened by the knowledge that people around the globe are praying for him.

Today at midday, about a dozen or so people gathered at Galle Kawral, the Linguere church's place of prayer and community gathering, to read scripture, offer prayers, and sit in silent reflection as they thought of their brother and friend. Most prayers turned around two axes--not unlike the two thoughts offered in Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsamene: "If it is possible, God, take this cup of suffering away... but we do not ask that you do what we want, but that your will be done."

It was hard, but good, to spend the day together in this way with our sisters and brothers here in Linguere. We continue to hold Bruce, Kathryn and their family in our prayers. May God's will be done.

With Resurrection Hope,
Peter

An Mbalaax Good Friday...

The Dental Issanyankobe Jolof (Pulaar-speaking Chrisitian Community of the Djolof region) met last night for Good Friday prayers. Pastor Dirk Stadtlander had asked me to lead the service, which I did with the help of several Pulaar lay readers and pray-ers. We focused our time on the so-called Seven Words from the Cross, with each reading followed by a time of prayer and--we thought--silence. But we were all reminded of the fact that for the majority community in Senegal it was just another day. Not just another day, actually, but, since Monday is a public holiday, yesterday at about 5:30 was the beginning of a nice, long weekend with little or nothing to do.

So the solmenity of our service was overshadowed by the rather loud music being played by the neighbor. I realize that I sound like a grumpy old man when I say that. But I don't mean to imply that they don't ahve a right to play their music loudly--but rather to observe that it was tough to find the silent, contemplative mood I was looking for. Instead, we read a little more loudly, prayed more individually than communally, and sat in awkward silence while we listened to strains of upbeat, fast-paced, Mbalaax dance music. We said we would leave in silence, as is the tradition of Good Friday, but even that was hard to do.

I shouldn't have been so surprised. If anything, being here in Senegal has reminded me that at its core Christianity is counter-cultural. That is true, or should be true, in Europe and North America, too. But it's inescapable here. There we were on a Friday afternoon, the kick-off of a long holiday weekend, trying to be silent and contemplative, reflecting on the suffering death of God-with-us. That's about as crazy as celebrating a resurrection two days later--proclaiming that death is not the end, that hell holds no sway, that life wins out and God is in charge. Proclaiming at the same time that new life in Christ begins right now, not at some as yet undisclosed eternity, the "next life," rather than this one.

It's counter-intuitive. It's counter-cultural.

Why else would we read about Jesus suffering and dying and call it "good."

So let the music play. We'll make a mental note, a bookmark of sorts. It's Friday, but Sunday's coming. And by then, by the end of the weekend, we'll join in the dancing, too.

grace and peace,
Peter

Three Days in Linguere

Actually, I'm spending more like five days here, but I will in fact spend the Triduum, or Three Days, here in Linguere, out on the edge of the desert. It's not the first time to spend an Easter here in Linguere--in fact our family has spent more Easters in Linguere than anywhere else in Senegal--but it's never been common for me or for us to spend more than one full day (with a driving day on either side) up here.

But this time is different for many reasons. First, I had to come up with Philipe and Aly for a meeting concerning one of the programs of the emerging Senegal Lutheran Development Services (SLDS) for which the three of us serve as the committee of transition. Sarah and the boys, plus at least one of Sarah's students, will join me here tomorrow, so that's the second reason--family time together for the Easter weekend. Kids are on vacation, so we'll make a week of it, moving on from Linguere to Lampoul St. Louis, the national bird park of Djoudj, and Ndioum. Third, it's hard to pass up the hospitality of this place, to spend time with our friends the Langdjis and the Stadtlanders, plus all of the sisters and brothers of the growing Christian community in Linguere. Finally, it is the last time we'll be able to spend Easter with Anne, Willie and Micah in Senegal, as they will be moving to Cameroon in June. It's likely that this is the last time we spend with the Landgjis in Linguere at all....

So I'm here for five days, including The Three Days.

Last night, I must confess, I didn't make it to the Holy Thursday prayer service, since our meeting had not finished in time. I missed not just the prayers, but the foot washing and the holy communion. On the other hand, dinner provided a little of each. No, we didn't wash any feet--although Aly, Vieux and Aissata all would have done so for their evening prayers just before dinner. But we did have communal washing, as five-year-old Eva slowly poured water for everyone to wash their hands. The meal itself was a communion of sorts, sitting around the common bowls, talking and laughing, passing one another more bread. And we prayed, as we often do: Christians and Muslims together, for the food, for each other, and for peace in our community and world.

It was different way to start the Triduum, but this Thursday, as it turns out, was holy enough for me.

More later today--Good Friday prayers tonight will certainly coincide with the early evening call to prayer.

faithfully,
Peter