Wednesday July 22-23 A guitar and the Bishop

Music is an important part of most worship services. Glen Cary has several wonderful choirs and bands. But nothing prepared me for the magnitude of music in a ELCM worship service. I sometimes wonder if they only invited those who could sing come to worship while we were there, as I didn't hear a single off key voice :-) All this multi-part harmony - sung so joyfully and with such volume.

Joe trying to learn how to play a 4 stringed guitar and Nedson playing Joe's guitar.

There was a band at Chamasowa and the same band traveled to another congregation we visited. Their instruments were all hand made - drums, a single stringed bass type instrument and a guitar with 4 strings. The strings were made from an unwound bicycle brake cable. The young guitar player, who spoke English, asked Joe if he had an extra guitar at home that he could send.

The band traveled in the back of a pickup truck - very common to see 8 or 10 people in the back of a pickup truck.

Nedson - the guitar player.

Joe told him that it would just be too expensive to ship a guitar. Joe then had an idea to purchase a guitar in Blantyre and donate it to the church. So we found a store that sold washing machines, Ipods, and guitars. We purchased a guitar, some extra strings and a case for about the same price as a comparable one in the States.

The next day we stopped at the Deanery to visit with Bishop Bvumbwe and his wife Maria. He is the first Malawian Bishop of the ELCM. He and Maria have been to Glen Cary several times and it was good to see them again. Joe presented the guitar to the Bishop and he was so excited to receive it!