When moving to Africa, we knew that church would be quite different from the States. We also knew we wanted to attend an African led church in order to get the whole "cultural" experience. It did not take long to find our church, Mamlaka Hill Chapel, and we have been blessed. The worship is great as it is a mix of English and Swahili songs, and the preaching is pretty good too (most days at least!).
When we were visiting churches, it was hard for me to know what to do with Micah. Most of the church services lasted around two hours, and they did not have childcare-which made it a challenge with a squirmy little one in the service. Before moving here we were told over and over not to worry about having Micah in the service because the African babies will be there too and they are loud and just run loose. Well, that was completely wrong-at least for the churches we have visited. Some African children are in the service, but they are sooo well behaved-it amazes me!
Mamlaka Hill has been the perfect fit for our family. Micah and I attend the main service until the worship is over, and then head out together and go to "Baby Bible Class".
I hate that I miss the preaching, but there is a TV with a video of the preaching in the baby room-it at least allows me to catch bits and pieces! This has been a great way for us to feel more connected to the church family as it has allowed both of us to make some new friends.
The class usually consists of moms and about 7 children (although this week we had 12) under the age of two. First the kids play for awhile, and then we start the class. The class is made up of a variety of songs that teach the babies all about the Bible, Jesus, and God's creation. It is the same lesson over and over each week-with a little alteration here and there. I have found this repetition to be perfect for this age and have loved watching Micah catch on.
The babies worship the Lord by singing praise songs and playing instruments.
It was so fun to have Lottie come to class!
Each baby takes an animal and then we sing a song about a trait of that particular animal.
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