Funeral

One of the pastors who work on the islands here has died. I met him once when I went on an island trip for 2 nights, I know some of his kids (my age and older) who live close by. The whole occasion is very communal, when news gets out people start turning up at the house. So Tuesday afternoon I went and sat there for a couple of hours and returned after doing sports at school at 7pm. Later on in the evening a few boats full of guys come over from a couple of the islands where he had been a pastor. I knew a few from my visit. The body and a load of fellow pastors arrived and everyone who was there (between 120 and 200 people) went to greet them as they arrived. At the house the men and women stay separate, the women sleep with the body in the house and the men stay outside, so I stayed out. There was some singing and a devotion and a big open fire. The church choir finished at 2am and at 3 some ladies came and gave us chai (tea). Then all the guys thought it was going to rain so we went to find some shelter, there was almost enough room but not quite. So I and a couple of others returned to the fire and there was no rain.

From 6-7am so I got a little bit of shut eye. But then it was morning and it did rain. I found my house key which I lost during the night. When it stopped raining the men went up to the church and dug the grave (I only watched on). It wasn’t just a couple of guys, everyone pitched in. One guy would use a jembe (hoe) and break up a load of soil then someone else would jump in and use a spade to get the dirt out, but they were swapping these guys all the time. Back to the house where the ladies (who do all the cooking and washing) had made sweet potatoes and chai. Then everyone went up to the church. Every funeral I have been to here has been open casket and so was this one. There was also 17 pastors there. When the service finished I went back over to the house where I helped get some more firewood and start get the fire going (a job for the young men). There was a devotion and a late lunch. At about 8pm I went home where I slept.