I could maybe count on one hand the number of times this year that I went to a church and wasn’t expected to lead worship at as soon as I got there. Don’t get me wrong, I love leading worship. But I’ve almost completely forgotten what its like to be not be in charge and just sit back and soak it in. Our contacts at New Life told us they wanted us to be poured into and refreshed while we were here. We’re not in charge of running the services, we can just take them in. Its quite a change from what its been like the whole race. I’m not complaining, its what I’ve signed up for and I’ve loved it the whole time. But this is definitely a nice change of pace.
We walked into the Wednesday night service and received headsets and radio transmitters so we’d be able to hear the service translated into English. There was a welcome time and then worship began. The TV screens above the stage lit up with words in the swirly Khmer script with the English words below. The band began to play and the congregation began to sing.
The first thing I appreciated was the fact that a full band armed with skilled musicians were on the team. A full band is definitely a rarity on the World Race. They also played some songs that we sing at my church! It felt like a mixture between a young adults event and a normal weekend service at Southland! Which was really neat and a major treat since I’ve been away for the last year. The worship team was so passionate worshiping the Lord with everything they had and that passion was mirrored in the congregation.
Some songs I didn’t know and some were only in Khmer, but during those moments I just soaked it in. I remember thinking what a privilege it was for me to be here with my brothers and sisters in Christ and that even though we sing in different languages, we still praise the same God. Its beautiful.
As the worship went on, the Holy Spirit fell powerfully. It completely saturated the whole room. I felt what was like shivers or goosebumps run along my arms and then over my whole body. It was like electricity. At first I couldn’t tell if it was the Holy Spirit or just the Air Conditioning that I was reacting to.
Cambodia is the hottest country I’ve been to and we’re not staying in an air conditioned place (I was really blessed to have it in Thailand and Vietnam). I’ve been adjusting to the heat but A/C has definitely been missed. Its such a luxury item! I don’t think I’ll take it for granted ever again! So to have it inside the church was such a blessing and a nice reprive from the heat and humidity.
So there I was in the service, wondering what exactly was going on with the shivery electric feeling rushing through me. I tried to not think about it and just kept soaking in God’s presence.
A few days later we attended the Sunday evening service and during an especially powerful song, it happened again! I smiled, glad to welcome it back. Maybe it was the A/C or maybe it was the H/S. Either way it was powerful and provided much needed refreshment. I’ll take it anyday.
