Joyful Songs

Today we attended Bethel Lutheran, a church within walking distance of our house. The church is simple but quite large, with a vaulted tin ceiling. Everyone was in their Sunday best - the men in slacks and button-ups and the women in traditional chitenges (she-tain-gays). Chitenges are simple cloths that the women typically wrap around their waists or use as a baby sling. Chitenges are really a blog post in and of themselves. It's amazing to see everything that the women do with this piece of fabric!

The music was definitely my favorite part of the service. The selected hymns were classics, and when the congregation joined together, the result was beautiful. I hesitated before joining in; I feared my thin, shaky voice would ruin the harmonies. Thankfully, their loud voices drowned me out. :)

The church has a choir of about twenty men and women. If circumstances were different, the leader of the choir would have had a good shot at being the next American Idol. The choir's last song, the postlude that ushered us out of church, was my favorite. As the choir sang in the front of church, they marched back and forth while swaying and dancing. (This was also impressive because, like singing, dancing doesn't come naturally to me. Just ask my prom dates from high school.) We didn't want to leave our seats; they were so good! We were finally forced to exit, and the choir trailed behind us, still singing as we walked outside. As we exited, we were surprised to see the entire congregation forming a large semicircle outside. Following the lead of the people in front of us, we shook hands and greeted everyone. Some of the men do a different handshake: regular handshake, clasp of the thumbs, back to a regular handshake. I fumbled awkwardly for several in a row, but by the end of the line, I had perfected the "secret handshake." Sharon told us that this greeting is common in the bush.

All in all, church was nearly a two hour affair. Maybe some of you can relate, but I'm usually anxious to get in and out of church in an hour. If there are too many hymns or the sermon goes longer than 20 minutes, I discreetly check my watch and look wistfully out the window. My sinful attitude was definitely condemned today. I can learn a lot from the Zambian people. The worshipers today weren't in a rush, and they danced and sang God's praises with all of their strength. Isn't that how God designed worship to be? I hope that I'm not coming across as judgmental of American churches, because that's not my aim. I just want to be honest that many times, my attitude and thinking is skewed regarding church and worship. I got a good reminder today!

After church, Kelsi and I prepared for tutoring and teaching tomorrow, went to the grocery store, worked out, and made a scrumptious dinner. It was another gorgeous day today, so after dinner we walked the dirt roads around our neighborhood and took some pictures. Although we are frustrated that the pictures do not come close to capturing the sights and beauty of our surroundings, they are the next best thing. We are having some trouble uploading pictures, but we will do our best to get some up on Facebook and the blog shortly.

Overall, we had a really enjoyable weekend. We hope you are all having a wonderful weekend as well! Good night and God's blessings from me and Kelsi!