umalau

Wednesday, November 4

Back in the swing of things with school. We started back yesterday, but I think next time we come, we will give ourselves two days off. Too many boxes and piles still left!

Felta and I worked in the garden digging lots of umalau this morning. I took three heaps to market to sell since I didn't have any banana cake. They must have really missed their banana cake, because while I was hanging up clothes this morning, three little girls were watching me very closely. When I asked them if they had a question for me, they asked if I was going to bring banana cake to market! The market doesn't meet while we are gone (how's that for God's provision for us?!?), so this was the first one they've had in three months. I was the only one who brought anything to sell, but lots of people came to see if I had any banana cake.  

 

Eventually, my three heaps sold, and through some "encouragement" of one of my friends, somebody brought some manioco (papaya) for me to buy.

The rest of the umalau we set aside to take to the church, just like the Children of Israel did in the Old Testament. You can take a basket or bowl of food, and the catechist will see it and know that you are bringing the first fruits of your harvest. So, at evening prayer, our bowl of umalau was "prayed over" and a prayer of thanksgiving was offered. We wanted to be able to eat the fruits of our labor, so we put money on top of the umalau (the amount we would have spent at market) for the church. If we had wanted to leave the food, it would have been set out and anyone could have bought it with the proceeds going to the church.