On our first Sunday back in Nalerigu, we were in for a blessing. We had the privilege to attend a service and outdooring on Sunday morning at First Baptist Church Nalerigu for some friends of ours. For those of you unfamiliar with the term outdooring, this is a celebration for a new born baby. When a woman has a baby here, she and her baby mostly stay indoors for about a week or so (traditionally 8 days). They have a celebration when they take the baby outdoors for the first time (although I'm sure many have actually been outdoors already). At this celebration they announce the baby's name and are showered with gifts from friends and family. Many Christians here will have the celebration as part of their church's services, kind of like a baby dedication. We were so blessed to be back in time to be a part of this little one's Tapiaya ('God's blessing') outdooring.
Pastor David with the parents, Nelson and Naomi, and Naomi's sister Rose holding Tapiaya
The celebration of thankfulness to God through music for this little one's life was so contagious. They were singing and dancing with such joy! There was one part that particularly touched Tim and I as we watched. There is a young gentleman who faithfully attends church every Sunday. This man doesn't have good use of either of his legs and uses a hand bicycle to get around town or pulls himself by his arms. At the beginning of one of the songs, this gentleman was the first to jump out of his seat to come and dance before the Lord. It was a beautiful sight to see this man so joyful before the Lord!
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