Singin’ in the Kitchen
After a long and lovely first day ministry at King’s College in Kampala, I meandered over to the Pastor’s kitchen where Gladys (the housemaid) was preparing to wash dishes. I asked if I could help her and was pleased when she answered in the affirmative. I truly enjoy loving and knowing those who are in the service industry, especially if they willingly serve my team and I.
I was blessed to get to know the boys in Kisumu who served us as well as Jen and Winnie in Isabania, so it was only natural that I found myself side-by-side with this beautiful 19-year old. Through broken English, a mutual patience, and sign language that often included soap bubbles in the air, we shared about our families, dreams, and favorite songs. She taught me “Jesus is a Winner Man” (which is infamous in eastern Africa) as well as “Read Your Bible Every Day,” two songs I was familiar with thanks to teaching Sunday school this past month. When it was my turn to share my favorite songs, I drew a blank—I tend to prefer indie and rock bands not to mention jazz, classical, and oldies—but how was I to teach her a line from my favorite Miles Davis song or explain the lyrics from Bon Iver? I decided to tread on safer ground and opted to teach her the following chorus: “We fall down, we lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus. We sing holy, holy, holy is the Lamb.”
Initially, I chose these simple lines due to my limited retention of worship songs, but as I look back on it—this is how I am trying to live my life. I want to live at the feet of Jesus, rather than in the limited confidence that I hold onto as I live this life. I also desire to recognize God as more valuable than ever before. I view Him as a friend, father, and savior, but it is a rare occasion that I reflect on the adjectives affiliated with Him. As we slowly sang “holy, holy, holy is the Lamb” I began to reflect on His holiness. I now plan to reflect more on Who God is because of this, both in song with Gladys as we wash dishes together and wherever I am blessed to be.
