Today was one more day of getting adjusted. We went to church (more on that below), we walked around the markets, and we got ready for tomorrow. It rained most of the day which was to bad because we were hoping to go to the beach. Well, that gives us something to complain about (I went to the DR, I worked hard, and I only got one day to work on my tan!).
As it turns out, the team going to Haiti needs more medical personal, so a number of our medical team as well as others are going to go to Haiti tomorrow. Keep them in your prayers. Now, onto church:
I have heard it again and again – we Americans don’t know how to do church. I have been told again and again that when we are in the Hispanic culture then we see a real worship with sincerity and authenticity. Well, I went to church for three hours this morning and an hour and a half this evening (that service is still happening). I guess I have seen “real” worship by now.
Let me say, the worship was powerful at moments. The singing was very emotional, it was full of a impromptu feel that added a certain feeling of spontaneity and an awareness of the Holy Spirit. The warm hospitality and welcome on the part of the pastors, deacons and other people there was wonderful. The pastor’s sermon was full of power and energy at a very high volume. And it was two hours long. I am in no position to say that the worship was insincere or weak, mostly because I didn’t understand a word they were saying. They could have been railing against fried chicken in favor of baked chicken for all I know. Regardless, it was passionate.
Here is where I get stuck, at a certain point I want to stop and pray. At a certain point I would like to have the opportunity to sit in silence, even if it is for a moment. At a certain point I would like to come off the high and find a quiet peace in the presence of the Lord. As always, it is a balance (at least I think so) between high energy and quiet energy. There is a place for the shouting. There is a place for the quiet. And I contend both can happen in the span of one hour to ninety minutes.
4 comments:
Malone,
thanks for posting on the trip.
First, the way you felt in that worship service was how I felt in your Christmas Eve service!
kidding!
I'm responding to day 1 and day 2 here I guess. I've never been on a mission trip. Very intrigued by the idea, but also hesitant for the reasons you mentioned. I'm not sure what point folks actually take from such an immersion mission experience. I'm a bit afraid I guess, that some will just get a 'glad I'm an American, look at these poor folks, aren't I good because I feel bad for them' lesson out of it... and I think that really misses the mark. I'm not suggesting your 'team' of folks feel that way, incidentally, its just one of my concerns.
Interestingly Tony Campolo (I know, I know, CRINGE, just posted a brief essay suggesting that all of the church mission trips to haiti have done nothing but further the poverty and destitution in the Haitian people. I have serious doubts about his suggestion of causality, but his point that there should be more to a mission trip than just going and building a school, more like supporting education reform, providing school books, job training and finding ways to support job opportunities.
Thanks for going and sharing what you observe and learn. i appreciate it. stay safe.
Needed a quiet break? Bathroom break my friend, bathroom break. You could achieved the meditative quiet you craved.
Regarding Darin's comment, well said, but I think one of the advantages to such a mission trip for some people is that they get removed from their comfort zone, stripped of most of their toys and artifacts. It is an immersion into a culture and peoples, which helps with one's sense of doing something really special and vital. Most of our weekend missionaries do not have the tools to perform ministries such as Campolo would advocate (...more like supporting education reform, providing school books, job training and finding ways to support job opportunities...)but they can roll up their sleeves and do something! And for the most part, building a school, or a hospital, or providing some basic medical care, just ain't gonna get done unless someone goes in there and does it!
What's the point for the immersion missionaries? For many, it truly is a life changing event, one that the multiple returnees want to experience and strengthen with each mission visit. And for my 14 year old daughter who is on this trip, it has torn her from her cell phone and constant connection to Facebook! Lord, I hope that makes a difference in her life!
Ah yes, the quiet.
This is one of the reasons why I've been leaning toward the Quaker way these days (years). After 8 years in denominational life and another two years in ecumenical life, I would rather sit in the quiet than worship in any other style. I fall very short of other Quaker values, but if I am going to fall short, I'd rather it be in the quiet.
Paul, I lead bible study this morning and looked at 1 Kings 19:11-13, when God speaks to Elijah in sheer silence. It is something we have to discipline ourselves to look for the quiet moment of God.
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