From the first note of the a cappella African worship the first Monday we were here I knew that God had me in an incredibly special place this month. We are partnering with a ministry called Beacon of Hope. The vision of the ministry is to bring in teenage boys and raise them up as leaders. Leaders of their homes, their marraiges, and their country. They also get extra schooling, they learn many different skills, and they are learning how to live independently. There are currently 7 boys here and they are an incredible group of young men. These are just a few of the many awesome qualities they posess:
They love God
They are respectful
They are hardworking
They are tender-hearted
and
They have JOY
I am not just talking friendly smiles with a "Hi how are you, nice to meet you." I am talking friendly smiles with a light in their eyes and a pep in their step, JOY. A joy that ONLY comes from God. They will also tell you that this is where their joy comes from.
Last weekend, we loaded up the Chapa, a bus that can hold 25, but you will often see double crammed into one of these in the streets, and we headed for the bush. We were going to help paint a clinic . This was a special trip not only because we were going to give back to this community, but 2 of the boys living at Beacon of Hope are from this community. I have never seen a group of teenage boys work so hard.
Saturday we came back to the base we were staying at, rested a while and headed up to a big, empty church for dinner. One thing I love about the bush is that you are so far away from any city that a blanket of stars is in plain view when you step outside. It also gets dark around 6 p.m., so there is plenty of opportunity for star gazing. The church where we ate our meals has one working lightbulb, so we always had our headlamps around our necks. After dinner we decided to have some worship. We gathered in a big circle and I was instantly surrounded by the a cappella worship that brings a sweet comfort to me.
Next thing I knew we were dancing in a circle singing (in Shangan, their native dialect) at the top of our lungs, "when the youth sing, the demons have to flee." You have to understand that I have never danced during worship at home. I have also never been surrounded by a group of Africans where this is a normal occurance. But I believe that they were dancing because they believed what they were singing. They believed that when the youth sing the demons have to flee! That night we all left with a light in our eyes and a pep in our step. It was pure JOY….because….
The Lord loves when His children sing praises to Him. In any language, at any time, and with any form of expression.
"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." -Pslam 16:11
