Friday, March 21, 2008

Cross-cultural Worship

So, it's been forever since I wrote anything and the three people (my family) who read this before have finally stopped, so I'm down to merely any random person that happens to stumble across my blog as they, in a bored stupor, continue to push the "next blog" link at the top of the page. I really am trying to better at this blog thing, but I've never kept a journal for more than two weeks, so actually disciplining myself to sit down and write like this is difficult.
Last night I had one very cool experience. The pastor I'm working with, Pastor Harm, home schools his kids through a charter school in the area. The charter school had invited a group of Ugandan Christians to do a program from the kids a couple weeks ago and Pastor's wife, Robin, fell in love with them. She invited them (and half the church) to their house last night for a time of fellowship. It was super cool!
I loved talking with each of the members of the group. They were all Christians and had individual lives back in Uganda (just south of Sudan and west of Lake Victoria in Africa): one getting read to attend Bible college, most of them married, one a pastor. In thanks for supper they sang several songs for us as group. They sang in their language, so we really didn't understand any of it, but they translated a bit of the songs for us. They were worshiping God! It was so great to see them, not just singing because that's what they do, but to see them actually worshiping and praising the God who saved them. It was a real blessing to see them happy and excited about what God had done for them.
The Pastor of the group told us why they were in America. They were hoping to raise $10,000 for an orphanage in Uganda. The pastor was saved through the ministry of American missionaries and lamented the lack of them in Africa today. What a challenge! To here a man who has given his whole life to the Lord, and reaching his people with the gospel, to plead for help from us. What a privilege we have to share in the ministry of the gospel to these people! And what a rebuke to hear from their mouths that we have failed them. It was a great time to spend worshiping and fellowshipping with people from a different culture, but of the same family.

2 comments:

Kathy said...

I still read! Even though I am your family...

It is cool to experience Christianity across cultures, isn't it? I experience it every week here in London with lots of cultures at my church and it's constantly awe inspiring!

Marjorie Vawter said...

And I still check most every day! And I'm your family, too :).

This is one of the things I've always loved about being a missionary's kid . . . how Christianity at its core is the same and crosses all cultural barriers. What a joy it is to worship the Lord with all races, people of every language and culture. And we are one in Him! A little taste of heaven, I believe :).