Nkyamko Outstation & Gymnasium

Later in the morning on Sunday, September 25, Br. Michael and I went to another outstation called Nkyamko. I drove the pickup; it was the first time that I had driven in Tanzania since I arrived, but there was no trouble. The roads are very rough, so you are always on the lookout for potholes and bumps, as well as bicycles, motorcycles, people walking, and, of course, goats, sheep and cows!

You can see from the photo that the Nkyamko outstation is quite small. It took about 30 minutes to drive there. There was a good group of people, complete with a small choir.

We usually bring most of what we need to celebrate the Eucharist, including liturgical books, hosts, chalice, vestments, etc. Most everything can fit in my backpack. There are no tabernacles in the outstation buildings, so one different thing is that during the Preparation of the Gifts, the catechist will ask people if they will be taking communion. People raise their hands, and the catechist makes a count and then tells Br. Michael, who counts out the number of hosts needed. It turns out not to be a very good system, as I have ended up with more people than hosts several times already, resulting in breaking small hosts so that people can go to communion. I have started adding a few more each time! Unlike most of the outstations, there is no organ or keyboard in this outstation. However, that does not stop people from great singing!

After Mass, Br. Michael and I were invited to share a lunch prepared by the wife of the catechist.

One day during the week, I went to the new gymnasium to observe Br. Michael lead a physical education class for Standard 4 (grade 4) children.

Br. Michael has training from a physical education instructor. During about 1 ¼ hours, most of the exercises were games in which everyone could participate, despite different sizes, abilities, and interest.

It was very clear that the children enjoyed their time in the gym. They had fun, but they listened and responded to well to what was being asked of them.