Welcome!

WELCOME! So often we say these words without really thinking about them. And our attitude might not be so "welcoming," even if we say the words. Well, in much of Africa, welcoming visitors is truly amazing! Take this past Wednesday, for instance! Here in South Sudan,the UMC vehicle got stuck on a really bad road on Tuesday evening, and the vehicle was very noisy on the trip back to Yei after finally getting out of the mud! So our scheduled leaving time of 8 am was delayed on Wednesday morning as the mechanics checked the vehicle over. Thankfully it was just a jammed bolt on the bearing (or at least that is how I understood it). So, we were on the road in just 3 hours (pretty amazing on a public holiday), headed to a small village called Gwiria, where there is one of the United Methodist Churches. We were speaking at a Regional Training for TBAs (traditional birth attendants). We wondered if anyone would be there as the trip takes nearly 2 hours to complete during the rains! Yet - as we drove onto the church grounds, there were 50+ children and adults singing and dancing to welcome us to their church! Many handshakes and smiles met us as we climbed out of the vehicle. Children clamored to grab our hands as they danced and sang praises to God. They had stayed 3 extra hours just to welcome us - they should have left for home hours before. The training went well, with great discussion about ways to teach community women what they needed to do to have safer pregnancies and deliveries, as well as ways to avoid problems with their newborn babies. UMCOR birth kits were handed out to many of the trained TBAs and all were satisfied after taking tea, rice, cassava posho, and beans with cabbage. We all left for home full with food, fellowship, and more education. Although I have enjoyed this kind of welcome before - I thank God for teaching me over and over again how important it is to make visitors feel TRULY WELCOME, just as our new friends in Gwiria made us feel this week!