Jamaa Letu Orphanage Reflections:
Voices of Jamaa Letu
By Barbara Dadd Shaffer
Support Jamaa Letu Orphanages!
Barbara Dadd Shaffer shares this memory from last year’s visit to the Congo.
It’s as fresh today as it was a year ago: we were greeted with songs by the boys of the Jamaa Letu Orphanage.
The voices. The harmony. The enthusiasm. The animation. The warmth of their welcome.
As the afternoon edged into evening, the boys gathered near the gate to sing again. They called it choir practice and do it every evening before supper. As visitors, we were enthralled by their music…and the nearby church must love it, too. We could have listened for a long time.
Sunday worship is much longer than the American church – twice as long or more. It is time for multiple choirs to sing. Music is obviously important to the culture of the African church. Worship services which I have experienced all included several choirs: children’s choirs, young people’s choir, women’s choir, men’s choir, mixed voices choir. Traditional drums and sometimes an electric keyboard have accompanied some of these services. The words were in Swahili or tribal languages but we recognized many of the tunes. Choir robes were either locally made or came from American churches.
Sponsorships of children and teens in both of our Jamaa Letu Orphanages (JLO) are needed to sustain their care. Sponsorships of the young adult ‘alumni’ are needed for their university or vocational training.
There are presently 68 residents and 10 students to be funded. Contact the sponsor coordinator at JamaaLetuFaithful13@gmail.com.
