While in Puerto Galera several of us met a group of friends from Manila who were there on holiday. One of those new friends was Punu, an Indian living in Manila. During our initial conversation we found out that Punu is an Indian folk musician. He, his brother, & sister-in-law live here and play every Friday night at the Bollywood restaurant at Greenbelt 3 mall. The first Friday night in Manila Courtney, Esther, Christy, and myself went to hear them play. We really enjoyed ourselves and the music was fantastic. Throughout the month we met up with Punu several more times and continued to build a friendship with him. Our last Friday night in Manila we went back to Bollywood for some great Indian food; it was the best I have had since living in Cincinnati and going to the Clifton neighborhood for dinner at Ambar. Anyway, as we finished up dinner Punu announced that he had several friends in the audience and that one of them sang. He then asked me to join them on stage and sing a song for everyone. I was SO nervous. It has been 2 years since I have sung in public and even then it has mostly been in church. I finished the song, which I did a cappella and breathed a sigh of relief. I had managed to make it through without messing up any lyrics or bad notes and the audience seemed to enjoy it judging by the clapping. I thought I was all done and then they asked for another! So, I gathered my nerve, thought of another song I could sing that wouldn’t sound too bad without accompaniment and began to sing. I finished the song, thanked everyone for their warm approval and went back to my seat still shaking! A little later, another friend of theirs sat in with them for a song then asked me to join her on a song to close out the night. I was shocked when she opened her mouth and began to sing, More love, More power, More of You in my life.
In spite of my nerves I really enjoyed every minute of performing. It was so nice to sing for fun and with friends. I had forgotten how much I liked performing until that night. I love the fact that every time I open my mouth to sing, no matter what the venue, I get to praise God for His gift to me. Music has been one of my major ministry tools this month and I love it when God makes opportunities to join people where they are! God is SO good!
