Feb 19 Dienglieng, Pingwait

Lunch on Feb. 19 with Rev. Darihun and Khlan who is our guide today, husband of Thwissila. Rev. Darihun is the minister of eight churches, but lives in Dienglieng to care for her grandmother. Her maternity leave does not stop her from walking down the street with us to the church for a short service and Q&A with Lindy and Gail. On the way this church member shows us the Self Help Group chicken coops – this lovely bamboo structure is in progress. I suddenly realized as Rev. Darihun is translating for Gail that she is a powerful and dynamic speaker. I'm sure that juggling the needs and strengths of eight churches means she's a good administrator as well.
We move on to Pingwait where we meet with two self help groups who start the meeting by arranging the benches in a circle – how UU is that! One group is working on several commercial ventures (soap, chickens), and the other is a work co-op whose ultimate goal is to build a much needed store in the village. As we discuss the various goals and frustrations, the depth of our relationship increases – one of the members invite us to their home for tea. As is usual, we are sitting alone with Khlan and our host when I remarked that I hoped the next time we met we would be close enough that we would not be offered tea. Gradually the room filled with every member of the household and other church members, and we knew a barrier of formality had fallen. The young men, one in pink and the other in the plaid wrap, had been making the case for an electric piano to enrich the music during services. The generation gap rose up, which gave us another deeper way to explore our mutual church experiences. We learned that Shillong, the capitol of Meghalaya and nearest city, is known as 'Music City'