Church- Palm Sunday

Although I’m not a regular attender, I’ve been going to the Catholic church in Gbedema at least once a month since December. The madam who leads the church services comes from her village Wiaga to lead the service and then the school PTA chairman Michael also acts as church chairman of sorts. A lot of the liturgy and readings are the same as the Anglican church I attended back in America so even though almost everything is in Buli I usually know what is going on. Church takes place in a classroom in the old (no longer used) primary school and everyone sits on benches that are brought from outside. The service usually starts with singing by the young girls or women and sometimes there are drums and a tambourine to accompany them.

Last Sunday we celebrated Palm Sunday complete with palm leaves that were shaped into crosses. I asked one of the ladies sitting near to fashion mine for me.When I first started coming the madam would do the sermon in Buli and then translate the whole thing for me in English during which most people fell asleep besides me which means I had to be super attentive. I felt bad about making the service longer but now since I’ve started coming more she either talks to me after the service or lends me an English book that has notes her sermons are based on.


At the end of the service they take collection where everyone comes up front to but their money in a basket. Then there are prayers and I am usually asked to give one. One day I want to give a short one in Buli but right now I usually just pray in English. One of my favorite parts of the service is when we greet each other by shaking hands and then waving to people who are too far away. One of the small girls named Juliana likes to come to my house to paint or play and is good about coming to fetch me for church so we go together. She carries my bag and chair for me to church and then back to my house after church is over.