On Palm Sunday I celebrated a "Sunday Service Without a
Priest" with the Christians of Motuken in Musoma Diocese, Tanzania.  We began
with a procession from the bottom of the hill moving up to the school.  While I
was doing the first reading a bunch of cows, sheep and goats came by with their
herder.  I had to stop reading.  I couldn’t hear myself speaking because of all
the noise of the cows.

     We had to clear a path for them right through the middle
of the congregation.  I thought the whole affair rather funny.  At home we have
to watch out for cars on the road.  Here in Tanzania it’s cows.  We were singing
"Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes…" and shaking our palms as the cows
came by making all that noise.  Maybe they were joining us with their singing
too.  The people were saying: "Watch out for the cows and what they are dropping
behind!"  With a spirit of joy we travelled up the hill singing.  I never
thought I could lead a group in prayer and be so relaxed.  This day certainly
made it into my dairy, oops diary.