"In the early years one of our huts became the men’s gathering hut. When men came to
visit, we would drink tea there, talk about the news of the day, sometimes discuss religion
and even read the New Testament, all with no problem. Sometimes the village would hold
village meetings in the hut because it was neutral territory. After some years, the hut
seemed a bit small and so I decided to make it bigger. I basically had the hut stretched out
into a rectangle with rounded ends. But when the work was completed, none of the men
would go into the hut. They sat outside leaning against its wall, or under our nearby lean-
to. Finally I asked them what was the problem. They said, “Isn’t this a church?” I had to
calm their concerns and finally they agreed to go inside. But they still would tease each
other about who was the pastor and assistant pastor.
It was like they had a kind of allergy to anything that smacked obviously of Christian
religion."
Larry Vanderaa
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