Pondering things, and an evening of playing Dutch 'shove ha'penny' in the dark

Sunday was different to previous days; late breakfast, and then the Mill Hill chapel for Sunday service.   Sr. Bernadette came, and it was lovely to see her again.  

I've been pondering big thoughts during the afternoons when it is just too hot to move !   Its very obvious that the Catholic church is, and is continuing to be, very successful here in much of Africa; whereas the Anglican/Protestant church in the UK is dying on its feet.   Why the difference ?   From what I see here in Kisumu, (and I understand it to be the same in other parts of Kenya, and Uganda, Congo, Cameroon - where many of the priests I meet have served) .... its seems to me that the church is offering what the people want and need, and they respond to that.   I don't think that the church in the UK does that by any means .... it is far too self-serving, and not people centred like the R.C. church here.  

~   ~   ~   ~   ~

This is interesting, in the paper ...

After yet another afternoon zizz, I went for a short walk, but it was just too hot to go more than half a mile, so another shower and I read until it was time to go to Nyalenda.

Fr. Hans has a young man to drive him around now so we went and picked up Milly (the other poser !) and drove into the shanty area on appalling rutted and rocky tracks until we came to the centre where we did the art, and settled ourselves with several others into a meeting room; Hans brought out the SJOELBAK board, about 2 metres in length, and the round discs which are used to slide along it through 'gates' with different values .... here's a sample from Mr Google ....   http://www.sjoelbakshop.nl/    

Anyway, they explained it to me, everyone had one go, and then the light went out in a terrific storm !   But nothing stops for Sjoelbak, and we continued playing by the light of a couple of mobile phones and Hans head-lamp !   I excelled myself at this strange game, and came last, but it was good fun.   I never did get the hang of the scoring.

We played for a couple of hours, in semi-darkness, and then had some supper of green-grams and chapatti's - eating with our fingers in the dark.   But this is what these residents of the slum do all the time; no-one thought anything was unusual.

Once back at Mill Hill House, we found the lights were on ...... we are just along the road from State House, which perhaps explains it.

 

~     ~     ~     ~     ~

 

And so to bed .............................