"Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is King of all the earth." Psalm 47:6
In Haiti, not only did our team have the opportunity to work in an orphanage with so many precious children, but we also were able to attend church. We were told on Monday that the church we were to be attending that night was only 30 minutes away, so we cleaned up as best we could, loaded the bus and mini van, and started out "30 minute" road trip to church.
2 hours later, after the sun had gone down, we entered a small village. The road was lined with fields of banana trees and few houses. When the bus finally stopped and we unloaded, our ears were filled with the beautiful sound of church members singing praises. Of course, we could no understand what they were saying, but we recognized the tune. These people had been singing while waiting for us to arrive- 2 hours late.
The church was unlike anything I could have ever expected. There were 4 cement walls, half the floor was paved- the other half was still dirt, the roof consisted of a tarp held up with a huge stick in the middle of the room, and the only light was from a small oil lamp in the front. The people didn't care though; they were praising. I've been to many worship worship services, but this one was unlike any other I have ever been to. No instruments, just vocals, hands raised, and amens or hallelujah's were being yelled. I think at first, our team was in so much awe we couldn't do anything but watch and listen. Then, as tunes became familiar, we chimed in singing in english. It was yet another display of how heaven will be. Beautiful.
A member of our team was able to preach that night. A translator repeated everything he said. After a few words or a sentence, we would always hear a loud "Amen" or "Hallelujah!" I loved the loud roar that was heard while reading God's word. It was an amazing worship experience.
After service, the church came up to us and gave us all huge hugs. The children were not one bit shy. They came up to us and hugged us tightly. A few young ladies grabbed me and started singing in creole. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but I knew the tune- This is the Day the the Lord has Made. After realizing this, I began singing with them. Just the three of us singing loudly. We didn't care. They were smiling at the fact that I knew the song and kept going for what seemed like an hour. I could have stayed and sang with them all night. This song will forever have a special meaning in my heart. For no matter where you are, you are still living in a day made by our Lord.
I pulled out my camera to take a picture with them and they were fascinated- truly fascinated- actually fascinated may be an understatement- with the flash and being able to see themselves in a picture. We took a few before we had to rush out to our bus and begin our "30 minute" aka 2 hour journey home.
This experience showed me true worship, members truly loving each other, and the church truly loving every word they heard from The Word of God. So thankful for the opportunity.
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