SUN -Day 6) On a Hill Far Away
Well after midnight, when the team was finally settled in and packed up for the day of "church" and ministry to the orphans, I sang myself to sleep. "Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am...."
Lipok arrived and we headed off to the church. We didn't even bother asking how far it was, or how long it would take us to get there. "HERE (in India) we are to worship. HERE (at the end of a physically challenging trip) we are to bow down, HERE (in a church filled we people who don't understand anything we are saying) we are to say that You're our God."
The van pulled into what looked like an area of road construction just off the main highway. We looked around and saw no signs of a church or even a building. Lipok pointed to the dirt path leading up a MOUNTAIN (hey, I am from Texas) and said, "This way." It was STEEP, it was slightly muddy, it was uneven and did I mention it was STEEP!
"Here I am to bow down..."
I just prayed the bowing down part didn't entail me falling down. We trekked again on our journey with the King, and knowing my fear of heights AND falling, from somewhere on the slippery slope behind me I heard Vicki's voice say, "don't look down."
"When I said "my foot is slipping", your love, O Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." Psalm 94:18-19
We keep walking, breathing heavily and wondering just WHERE was this church. When we could finally see the top of the hill - we saw it; still far from us and much higher still.
"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." Matthew 5:14
When we arrived to the thatch walled church and walked in it was filled with 90% children. It was a beautiful sight indeed. They were already in the process of singing songs. The 19 year-old girl who was leading the praise turned to us nervously and with her voice cracking said, "We can't believe you are here. We could have never imagined people like you would come to visit this place. We are a very poor church, you can see we are mostly children. We don't have any instruments even to play. But we have our hands. So we clap as we sing and praise God."
I cried.
Beginning the night before I had dreaded the thought of the morning. When I saw the steep road ahead of us with no church in sight I was even more agitated at the thought of what kind of mess God had gotten this 50 year old body into THIS time. By the time I stepped inside the church I was out of breath from the journey.
And then the Lord took my breath away with the humility of a young girl who expressed with such eloquence (in English) she could not have dreamed of such a day!
"O clap your hands all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph." Psalm 47:1
The children sang and praised God. They clapped their hands in rhythms that rang throughout the hilltops and on up into the heavenlies. When they finished the girl interpreted my story. I told her she had made me cry. She was embarrassed and said, "oh no." I explained my dismay looking up at the steep hill. But I went on to say if I had only known this was what was waiting I would have run as fast as I could to get there.
"Out of the mouth of babes and infants hast Thou perfected praise." Matthew 21:16
We all love the mountain top experiences. The view from the heights the Father takes us to remind us of how far we have come. Sometimes it's just hard to remember the journey to the top isn't always easy to make. We must remember to press on and pray, "Lead me to a rock that is higher than I."
Out of breath
Smiling!
Charlynn
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