Mlompe

This past weekend I went to Mlompe to preach. We left Oussouye in the middle of a huge thunder and lightening storm. We caught a ride in the back of a truck jammed with other people. I found out once we arrived that Sunday was to be the first day of six days of a feast for the male circumcision. THey have not had a circumcision ceremony there since 1962 due to money problems. It is very expensive to have these huge ceremonies. For this ceremony there were six cows, one for each day of the festival. Sunday morning by 7 am the craziness had started. Leopolds father arrived at 7:30 am. He is the head priest in the shrine. As he was staring at me and meeting me forthe first time there was a spritual battle going on around us. He father is deep deep deep into the traditional worship. Leopold's brother is the chief of Mlompe apparently because he can speak french ok.

Men had come from europe and dakar, all over senegal for this ceremony and the part was in full swing by noon. Men were running all over town dressed in skirts. Each man carried a weapon because many families had arrived from surrounding villages and there are always family fueds at these ceremonies. So knives and clubs were every where. As were guns and cannons. Part of the festivities is to set off guns and canons. So that was interesting. After church I invited leopold to go on a prayer walk with me which seemed a bit dangerous an interesting. As we walked and prayed we were approached by many strange and drunk men looking for love and also war.

I was able to encourage the church with a timely word and show boldness in the midst of adversity.

Pray for the church in Mlompe as they live in a great fear and have had relatively no growth since the church was started a year ago. Because the pastor lives in fear the church is trying to establish itself as some sort of covert opperation but this doesn't work. I was able tos pend a good deal of time with Leopold encouraging him.