Today I looked again at the letters that the women in Serenje had given me for you Kerith women. All set out neatly with a PO Box address. All introducing themselves. All asking for a prayer partner or a penpal.
We hastily wrote descriptions on the back of each letter, so that we could later match up the letters with the photos we took of the women - descriptions like "blue flowery top / baby on back" "smiley tall lady / plaited hair". We took photos of over 40 women who wrote letters!
Sitting in my kitchen at home in Bracknell, I opened the plastic folder containing the bundles of letters sorted into "Womens Training Day" "Friday Conference" and "Mwasakano" (the final village we visited, with the female Chief - and all the gifts).
As I opened the folder, my senses took me straight back to the Church building in Serenje. The smell of the village was still in the letters - the paper was thin and as I read them again I remembered the women and my heart softened. My heart that has already got "back to normal". I thank God for the physical reminder of the women and the place.
This week at the Church prayer meetings we'll see a short film of our trip to Serenje. I'm excited at the thought of the impact that the sights, movements and sounds will have on all of us, as we connect with the Serenje people.See you there!