Day 5: New Year's Eve

Getting suited up for our dance

Monjama is beautiful!

Ella showing us how its done

 New Years Eve in Sierra Leone was an experience. We started the day with VBS and made butterfly necklaces and colored butterfly bags. The kids were supposed to write "Jesus" on the back of the butterfly so that when you wore it Jesus would be close to their hearts. Aminata wrote "I love Jesus and Kathryn" and made me a matching one that said "Jesus and Aminata loves me". I wore it all week. Deb bought a lot of this stuff back in April and May when butterfly crafts were in season and on sale. How awesome is she? Around 4:00, Auntie Betty arranged our dance competition. The kids put us in the traditional dance costumes and Ella and Monjama led us girls in the dances. The kids got a big kick out of it and I could barely dance I was laughing so hard with Regina and Veronica teasing me. The guys played the drums and then had their turn which was pretty funny to watch. Afterwards, we played musical chairs. I got third place and I went to sit next to Ishmael who said "I knew you were going to lose. I could see it in your eyes. You did not want it bad enough." I guess I underestimated how seriously they take musical chairs at the CRC. That night, we went to Leader UMC, which is just up the road to bring in the New Year. The service was great. The pastor's accent was thick and he spoke parts of his sermon in Creole, but I managed to pick out bits and pieces. My favorite part was the singing. Their voices are beautiful and they all sing with such passion- loud, clear and proud. It felt great and so different from the way I sing at home, where I sometimes mouth the words! When it came time to collect the offering, the congregation danced their money up to the baskets, so joyful to be giving what little they had to God. It was beautiful. Stephanie, Les and I sat with Afiju and we held hands the whole time, the four of us bringing it in for a huddle in the seconds before the New Year. The service was a little over two hours, and the kids in my aisle were dropping like flies- sleeping on and underneath the pew. While the service was long, it gave me a lot of perspective about my enthusiasm in worship and was a great way to start off 2012.