A few weeks ago, we worshiped at Bukonde... a village OPCU church halfway up Mt. Wanale. The Friday night before, Eric, Timothy, Katelyn and a few others from our church had attended an "overnight" there. An overnight is when they begin church at 7pm and end at 5:30 am. They have a lot of singing and 3 sermons with a break for tea in the wee hours of the morning. When Eric was talking to the pastor about it, he said, "A church needs to meet more often than just on Sundays." There is wisdom in that! When Eric was preaching at 2 am, he kept the congregation awake by telling them to stand up and say "Amen!" every time he said, "Praise the Lord!" What can I say...an all night service deep in the village can help the "frozen chosen" to thaw out a little. ;-)
On Sunday, they had several baptisms and we celebrated the Lord's Supper.
Towards the end of the service, the pastor asked if there was anyone who had never professed faith in Christ but who wanted to. A few ladies and children came forward. Eric talked to them about the gospel and the need to not just start well, but also finish well. Then he prayed with them. As they were sitting down, the pastor asked for all their names. When he came to this lady, she said, "I need a new name. I was Muslim and have a Muslim name, but now I am a Christian and I need a Christian name." So the pastor turned to the congregation and said, "What shall we name her?" They eventually decided on "Mulokole" or "the saved one." Please pray for her!
After church we enjoyed a meal together.
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