After a hectic week of activities filled with fun, joy and
laughter, a day of calm finally arrived. It was church day.
As the team gathered in the lobby to leave for church, the
four guys in the team sneaked up to the balcony and sang a sweet Happy Mother’s
day song….the ladies absolutely loved this act by the boys. And off we went to
church!!
The road to church had been damaged in the rains from the
night before, so we had to trek up and down a grassy slope. It was a wonderful
sight to see our team in a single file line, one behind the other, winding
their way to the simple yellow building where we would worship.
This was the same church that the 2012 mission team had been
to and the team was ready for some Swazi-style church, especially the singing.
It was wonderful seeing young Swazi teenagers lead worship with the simple
instrument of voice.
The team was warmly welcomed by the Pastor and the members
of the church. Seeing us enter the church with a guitar in hand, the Pastor
invited our team to introduce ourselves and sing a song. We walked to the front
of the church, introduced ourselves and Suzanne led us in singing the song HE
REIGNS … “It’s the song of the redeemed rising from the African plains …
Glory, glory, halleluiah he reigns … ”
I had the pleasure of speaking a few words on behalf of the
mission team. Being Mother’s Day Sunday, I began by honoring all the mothers by
acknowledging how they are a special and beautiful reflection of God’s very
nature in their sacrifice and that they are the face of the Father in Proverbs
31:28-29. Turning to the rest of the people, I conveyed our love to the church,
the kids and the families of Mkhombokhati village and to the people of
Swaziland on behalf of Capital Church and all its members. I personalized the
scripture from Isaiah 65:21-24 for the Swazi people and ended with the blessing
from Psalm 115:14 -15.
The service continued with multiple offerings received, and
testimonies shared. The Pastor then preached the word from Joel 2:28-32. The
message was a reminder to all to wait on the Lord who has promised to pour out
the Holy Spirit on all who call upon him. Although the service lasted much
longer than our traditional Western world service, the team totally enjoyed the
experience of joining our Swazi brothers and sisters in worshipping the Lord on
a wonderful Mother’s Day Sunday!!
Anand B.
Anand B.
