The Bibis and The Babies

In October of last year, during my Re-Orientation retreat, I reflected a lot on what happened during my first year here in Tanzania...challenges I faced, accomplishments I celebrated, and relationships I formed. But I still felt like two key elements of my experience were lacking.

Since coming to Tanzania, my faith has not been as strong as it was in college. Mostly, I think because I was no longer surrounded by my like-minded peers twenty-four seven. I also think going to mass in Swahili, when one is not fluent in the language, can make it slightly less fruitful.

The other missing piece was a community outside of our JVC house and Gonzaga. I was giving all of my time and energy to a school I love so dearly, that I was not totally aware of the neighborhood community just on the other side of our big black gate. On the retreat, I was asking myself: How will I find time for spirituality and community outside of school, where I often spend almost 50 hours per week?

Well, with a bit of reflection and a shared desire from my community mate Katie, we decided to join our neighborhood's jumuiya and see if it filled this longing we had to dive deeper into Mabibo. Jumuiya is a small Christian community that is made of neighbors that also go to the same church. Our parish has several jumuiyas, including the one for our neighborhood called Blessed Mary. These jumuiyas meet at 6 am every Saturday, at a different member's house each week.

So, after returning from retreat, I asked our friend and neighbor Dickson if he would take me with him that Saturday. Of course he was more than happy to and we went, bright and early, to Musa's house. Our other neighbor and Dickson's best friend, Isaya, was there. I recognized a lot of the other people, who I had only ever greeted in passing but didn't really know. Despite being half-asleep and having no idea what anyone was saying, I felt comfortable and quickly welcomed into this community of faith.

I decided I wold continue attending and shortly thereafter, Katie joined me. Slowly, we learned the order of the prayers and could even kind of say some of them. Our neighbors learned our names and invited us into their homes each week. They weren't just people to greet anymore, they became our community. I've learned a lot more about the people and the layout of our neighborhood in these past four months than I knew in the first ten.

Well, since we found ourselves becoming "regulars," it was only matter of time before the chairman asked if and when we would be willing to host the jumuiya at our house. I was SO excited. To be able to open our big black gate and welcome the community into our home, the same as they have graciously done for us week after week, gave me so much joy. And a few weeks ago, we did just that.

The Friday evening before, with Isaya's help, we picked up the plastic chairs at the chairman's house and carried them four at a time on our heads, over the bridge made of unsteady logs, through the entire neighborhood, to our house. And the chairman also asked us if we would read the first reading and the Gospel the next morning. We hesitantly said "Yes," and rushed home to practice reading the passages in Swahili.

We woke up early the next morning to set up the chairs and open the gate. Just before six, our neighbors started flowing in and we opened with a song that's slow enough even for me to sing. By the time the song was over, the chairs and mats in our compound were full of people I've always wanted to welcome into our home. There were more bibis (grandmothers) and babies than I could count.

After the Rosary, Katie read Somo la Kwanza, (the first reading) and had to say a word that I think had at least 15 letters in it. But she did great! Then as Mama Amos read Somo la Pili (the second reading), I suddenly became nervous, knowing that I was in charge of the Somo la Injili (Gospel). How daunting! But I did it...not perfectly, I'm sure but our luckily our community is so patient and understanding with our basic knowledge of Swahili. They recognize when we try. And that's what counts...that we genuinely try.

Needless to say, however, I was so relieved when my reading was over! After that, I was able to relax and be more present. I took in the scene around me and realized I had gotten exactly what I was hoping for since that retreat in October.

As I sat on that mat, next to Katie on my right, making jokes with the bibi on my left, and playing with the baby in my lap, I felt at home. I felt like a part of something. We have our babas and our babus, kakas and dadas, mamas, the bibis and the babies. We have a family here, centered in faith and just as supportive as my friends from college. I just couldn't help but smile, sitting among our neighbors and friends, feeling totally at home.