Last month was a struggle.
Ministry was very hard to find being that we did not have an english speaker here in the house. We did prayer walks almost every morning, but then Binh, our host, didn’t have any other assignments for us to do.
On the second to last Sunday, we lead the children’s service and then were dismissed to the adult service. When I walked in I saw a piano keyboard and couldn’t take my eyes off it.
You know in the movie Remember the Titans when the coach walks out onto the football field and says “Yea this is my sanctuary!” … well thats how I feel behind the keys of a piano.
I can’t lie I was kind of excited for service to be over so that I might have a chance to play it. Sure enough when Service was over Binh said that I could do my thing.
I guess they liked it because they asked us to teach some of the church members how to play.
We kept on going throughout the week and Binh told us to prepare a song or two to sing in church. He also told us that Saturday we would be teaching some of the members how to play.
When Saturday arrived I had 3 students and Kendal had 6. Praise GOD they had 3 keyboards and 6 guitars. In these dusty old mountains they had all these instruments.
Who woulda thought.
When we first started out I was impressed with what they already knew, but they had only learned certain songs.
I was the same way starting out with Piano till I realized that it was all a pattern. I began to show them what notes were and also how to build chords from a note. I taught them how I was taught (I can’t read music, just chord charts).
At the beginning I was questioning myself because I wondered if they would be able to understand the concepts of the pattern, but to my surprise they understood and then started combining melodies with the chords.
Kendall was teaching some of the same songs because those were the only songs we knew in their language and ours.
When we finished Binh asked us if we would be able to teach again after church and we were both excited to do so.
Sunday came and we went to church, sang our two songs for the members, prayed over some people, had lunch, and then were ready to begin with more lessons.
We reviewed a few things from the day before, taught a new song, and then in the end something beautiful happened.
Kendall and the guitars had been practicing in another house so that the sounds wouldn’t effect each other, but for some reason, today we had ALL the instruments in one house. It was hectic but I think God was setting us up. We had been practicing different things but in the end we decided that we wanted them to try to play together with the guitar and the piano.
Kendall and I went first to show them how, and then we turned it over to our star students. Binh was on the guitar and I’m not really sure what my students name was but he began to play on the piano. By the end they were both playing together in unison while singing at the same time.
When I first started teaching I didn’t think that teaching the basics would be beneficial, but in the end, listening to both musicians play together as one, it was clear that God himself was preparing both Kendall’s students and my students separately, but for the same purpose. To worship together as one.
Maybe they will practice and find a guy who knows drums and will have a whole band one day, but even if that never happens
I must say thank you to all the people who have poured into my life musically. This gift of music has been the forefront in strengthening my relationship with Christ because of being able to worship him and express myself through song. So thank you to Francine Stoltenberg for building a foundation of music and Thank you to Stephanie McKay for giving me the tools I needed to make me who I am today as a musician and worshiper. Thank you both for letting the Lord use you to mold me. It is because of you that these people now have the tools they need to begin their journey of music with the Lord. May God bless the both of you.
