That my heart may sing to You..............

Psalm 30:11
You turned my wailing into dancing:
You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with JOY,
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks forever.

On Sunday morning, we woke up and headed off to church. There was going to be a special service today in Oditel. The mzungus (white people) were here and also several other villages were coming in to worship together that morning. Following the service, a meal would be provided for the community. We were ushered in and seated in chairs that went behind and around where the pastor would speak. Little girls and boys were on some of our laps before we could even sit down. I held the lovely Mahsa. Several others sat by our feet. The hut had several windows. I wish I could show you a pix of all of the little heads we saw peeking in the windows :) The place filled up quickly, with lots of overflow outside. Then the music started.........................Now, I had attended Christian Life Center for 13 years and so I have been a part of some lively praise and worship sessions. And The River can get pretty hip sometimes too. But, there was a different atmosphere there that I can only describe as FREEDOM in worship!  It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. My back was feeling like a pretzel so I could only tap my feet and clap my hands, but if not..................:) So I tapped and clapped and took in what was happening around me--Todd K.'s low voice, Heather, Caitlin and Alyssa dancing with the praise team--they were all in. Kara and Sara trying to find their groove on the sidelines. Jaynie was holding 2 sleeping babies. Even saw that Matt & Chris couldn't contain themselves--they were movin' :) The people from the villages were PRAISING GOD! Their joy was contagious, their crying out to the Lord was inspiring, their faith in God was so moving! You could see it and you could feel it and you could hear it. I wish you could hear it --Dustin our video master?  The children danced along with the praise team. Even the little ones knew the songs and the dances. They had so much fun! The humbling part of the experience was comparing my/our praise to theirs. To be with people who do not have much of their own and to see how generous and how thankful they are for what they have is humbling. Convicting and inspiring at the same time. Does my praise reflect my thankfulness for what God has done for me? For what I have? For my relationships? For ways in which I have been healed emotionally? Why do they seem to have more joy? Why can't I dance like that? If only I could sing....... :)

Mahsa would not leave when they called the children out. I tried to prompt her, but she refused to get off my lap. Fine with me. I was in awe of her too. She would write in my journal, play with my fingernails, wear my glasses and look up at me.

We (all 20 of us) had to introduce ourselves (through an interpreter) and say a little something. I shared that I knew they had so much to teach us and that our group was so ready to learn from them. Others shared how much we have appreciated their hospitality.

One of our leaders, Wil, gave a great message (through an interpreter) re: the purpose of our hands. Our hands should be used:
1)To pick up a brother/sister, if he/she falls down. Todd Heeter provided an example of that. If your neighbor has a need (repair/sickness), our hands should be used to help meet that need.
2) To unify us. To hold our brothers/sisters hands.
3) For work. Each of us have a purpose--to use our hands to better our community and God's kingdom.
4)For worship. May our hands often be seen lifted in worship.

Powerful message Wil!

And it turns out, many of the songs that had been sung before Wil's message (in Ateso) were about our hands. Just didn't know that until we were told afterward. It's as if God had something to do with all of that--not that we should be surprised.

After service, there were cooks coming in on their day off (Sunday) to cook the meal for the community. They would use these big vats and cook over the fire. Our team from Kalamazoo would be helping to serve the meals. Some of us would assist with hand washing, some would be passing out the bowls of food, and others would be handing out a bottle of pop for all. While we were waiting, we had the people gather into groups. Our team spread out and were in charge of "entertaining" our group until the meal was done. Sydney, Deb and I and Charles (who interpreted for us) had no idea how to entertain our group. We started by having Charles ask them if they had any questions for us. About 50 kids started out asking general questions about America. Then they got a little deeper. "If I were to go to America, would my skin turn white?" "Do white girls fist fight?" "Would you want to marry an Ateso man?" My reply was that I am married and I would not want to marry any other man :) "Would a single white woman want to marry an Ateso man?" "If they did, what color would their babies skin be?" "What would happen if a husband got another woman pregnant?" It was amazing to hear their questions and know what they were thinking. Charles saved us by keeping order and telling us what they wanted to know. When their questions ran out, Charles asked if we had any questions for them. Then he said these words that I keep hearing over and over, pointing at the group and then back at us, he said, "It's interactive". The truth of that keeps coming back to me. Relationships are supposed to be back and forth, interactive. They are ideally supposed to work for me and for you, a give and take. This has been one of my most important lessons that I have taken home with me. Something I knew before, but it seems that it has been taken to a deeper level. So we started to ask them lots of questions, my favorite was "why do girls fist fight here?" Of course it is over a man. When asked "who gets the man--the winner or the loser of the fight?" They laughed and responded "the man gets to decide". Hmmmmm. They could not give me a suitable answer for "what is the purpose of fighting then?".

When the food was finally ready (a little time in Uganda goes a loooooong way). The teams worked like clockwork, rinsing hands, scooping food in bowls, lining kids up and using an assembly line to put a bowl in each person's hands. Then he/she received a pop and ate their food. I have heard that we served approximately 1000 people that day. It was an honor.

Jumping ahead a few days to my flight home. I watched the movie Invictus for the 2nd time. At the end of the movie, Nelson Mandela says to Francois, the captain of the Rugby team, "I want to thank you for what you have done for our country." Francois responds, "No, Mr. President, I want to thank you for what you have done for our country."                            

Once again, reminding me, IT IS INTERACTIVE.