The Holy Spirit…..something I have been challenged with this whole race……
A baby chick wanders in front of the preacher as he belts out his sermon. The simple church is jammed pack; kids hang through the windowless windows; “amens” and “hallelujahs” echo at various times; the smell of distinct body odor permeates the nostrils. Worship begins and the church walls burst with praises in Swahili; children dance in unison up the aisles and in front of the stage area, while women yell out in a tribal-like chant. It’s almost like it belongs in a movie…..only it really doesn’t, because no Hollywood director could truely capture the atmosphere that is this church. A 
church in a small village in the middle of Kenya. In truth, how do you really re-portray the Holy Spirit it its raw form on camara?
I have attended church off and on since about high school; and yet I had never really understood what exactly the Holy Spirit was. I probably always thought it was another name for God. If it was mentioned, I didn’t get it or I really didn’t desire to know more. The bits and pieces never really gave me enough head knowledge, and I honestly never really gained much experiential knowledge in the various churches I attended. Maybe a little in the church I was going to before leaving. I do confess that I never jumped at the chance to experience the It. I have been in services where it is evident that the Spirit is present. People are speaking in tongues, the prayer is powerful, and I have goosebumps. Unfortunately I stayed silent and did not allow myself to join in, for the sheer feeling of being uncomfortable.
So, it strikes me as a bit crazy that it would take me traveling around the world to really get to know this Holy Spirit, the bible talks so much about. To truely experience it in church services in the middle of jungles; in concrete buildings with no doors or windows; under makeshift bamboo shelters; where squatty potties are out back; where Sunday school is held behind the church; with people who may only eat rice or bananas for the entire day; where people are dirty and flies prevalent; simply among people who don’t speak my language, but who are spiritually bonded to me in our worship experience. Back home, there are huge beautiful churches. Where speakers and sound systems boom; the bathrooms are immaculate with hot water; the people dressed in the latest fashions; Starbucks coffee is served; there are many rooms for whatever use needed; where people speak my language but don’t really spiritually understand me. I say don’t really understand me, in the sense that when we leave on Sunday, our spiritual bond stays in the beautiful building. These places can be very impressive to the eyes…..but that’s about it if they stay so unmoving and cordial.
We weren’t called to be fearful followers or to live a life of comfort zones. We shouldn’t keep our 
churches and our spiritual lives so surface level. So, as I continue to get to know the Holy Spirit, I learn from the people I meet. People who don’t have a lot of head knowledge about how to be a Christian; but who have insane experiential knowledge. They greet you with more then a smile (sometimes it’s a huge hug, a kiss, or a strong and long hand clasp). It’s evident in their eyes just how faithful they really are.
By no means am I condemning churches (that is not for me to do)…..in fact it’s not really about them. It’s not about the building, it’s not about the Preacher, it’s not about the clothes and image, and it’s not even about the bathroom facilities. I believe that it is really about the Holy Spirit. How he moves in us and through us. It’s about the fellowship during church and continuing it after the services. It’s allowing ourselves to fully submit to God and taking Him with us outside of the church, reaching out to kin in Christ. It’s probably more important what we do for six days out of the week then what we do for two hours on one day.
After the Church service, in Kenya, we are taken to a mud hut, where the local women serve us a simple meal. Homemade chapati (bread), rice, a small amount of beef stew, and tea. They don’t have much, but they want to honor the guests who came all the way to their country…to their 
church. That, to me, is the Holy Spirit continuing in the fellowship…..the service of these people. How much do I neglect strangers, friends, even family back home? How much do I allow myself to get in the way of true fellowship? How often do we all neglect God and the Holy Spirit…only calling on them when we are in need? The Holy Spirit was given to us in place of our Savior Jesus Christ……what a gift? I hope that I can continue to learn and experience this Truth, to really recognize what I am really living for. To allow this precious gift to manifest in and around me wherever I am.
