This morning we went to a local Baptist church that meets at one of the elementary schools in town. We showed up about 1 1/2 hours late (on purpose), because their services can last up to 3 hours! One thing I noticed in church was that there were not a lot of men in attendance. It was baby dedication (which in America would be a family affair) and I could count the number of men there on two hands (probably about 65 people worshiping). I was very disheartened to see that these father's are not actively apart of the children's spiritual upbringing and really commend these women for faithfully bringing them to church.
NOTE: (this is a side observation)I had to take this picture outside of church this morning, because this little girl had a Minnesota Gopher cheer leading outfit. We see a lot of people wearing clothing apparel from America here, because people will go to the U.S. to bring back containers filled with clothing from the Salvation Army stores and then sell them for a profit at the market (at the market you see piles of clothing and shoes that people dig through). I use to think this is a great way to support other countries, but in all reality this actually killed the clothing/textile industry in many African countries. Back about 10 - 15 years ago, the textile industry had been one of the most profitable local industries in these countries, but with the foreign influence most local shops and companies have closed down, because people were buying the clothing from America instead of supporting the local industry.
This afternoon the 6 of us headed North of Serenje about 80 km to a National Park to visit Kundalila Falls. We had a great afternoon hiking and swimming around the falls, which was much bigger than any one had seen in Thailand. The waters were raging, because it is the end of rainy season, but we were able to swim right up under the falls!
NOTE: (this is a side observation)I had to take this picture outside of church this morning, because this little girl had a Minnesota Gopher cheer leading outfit. We see a lot of people wearing clothing apparel from America here, because people will go to the U.S. to bring back containers filled with clothing from the Salvation Army stores and then sell them for a profit at the market (at the market you see piles of clothing and shoes that people dig through). I use to think this is a great way to support other countries, but in all reality this actually killed the clothing/textile industry in many African countries. Back about 10 - 15 years ago, the textile industry had been one of the most profitable local industries in these countries, but with the foreign influence most local shops and companies have closed down, because people were buying the clothing from America instead of supporting the local industry.
This afternoon the 6 of us headed North of Serenje about 80 km to a National Park to visit Kundalila Falls. We had a great afternoon hiking and swimming around the falls, which was much bigger than any one had seen in Thailand. The waters were raging, because it is the end of rainy season, but we were able to swim right up under the falls!
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