Trish Carlson is a gifted worship leader and serves as Song Discovery Manager for Worship Leader Magazine www.WorshipLeader.com She is a woman that clearly knows worship. Trish recently visited ROCK of Africa Mission and experienced worship in a fresh new way. A Mission of Worship is her compelling account of that experience in Africa.
I
have fallen in love with Africa. Now I know what others are talking about
when they say that Africa is an example of God's creativity. From the desert
areas to the plush green trees on the banks of the Zambezi River, God's
handprint is there. Never before have I seen so many bugs and animals all in one
place. except for the zoo of course. And in the midst of this creativity, the
Rock of Africa Mission stands as a solid rock at Gwayi River, Zimbabwe, in the midst of poverty and poor
healthcare.
When we arrived at Gwayi River Primary School on the first day, the moment we
stepped off the bus, the children literally jumped into our arms. All they
wanted to do was touch us and be touched, hug us and be hugged, love us and be
loved. As we took the children on a prayer walk throughout the village that day
(to set the ground work for our mission), they sang at the top of their lungs,
worshiping the Lord. We may not have known what the children were saying, but
when we heard the joy in their voices and the words, "Allelujah, Jesus,
Emmanuel," we knew what they were singing about! That is all we needed to
know. Right then and there, I knew I would have a hard time leaving these
children. They were an example to me of joy in the Lord amidst suffering. Here
they were barely clothed, having to stop along the way to pick out the thorns
stuck in their bare feet, then skipping along again while singing to the Lord,
just content to be alive.
Many
nights I led worship at Gwayi River Church and was amazed at the people's
eagerness to learn American worship songs. They loved "Trading My
Sorrows" (mostly the "Yes, Lord" part), "Our God Is An
Awesome God", and "Let It Rise." Most surprisingly, they loved
"Victory Chant" which some of you know as "Hail Jesus You're My
King." Some of the school girls, as well as a teacher, asked me to write
the song down for them. The Lord truly amazed me as I believe He spoke to me the
exact songs that they needed to hear. It's exciting to know that they will keep
on worshiping the Lord with these songs even after we are gone.
The most humbling experience, but perhaps the most important on this trip for
me, happened one night during those times of worship. That night we had decided
to wash the people's feet. We wanted to be an example to them that we were there
as servants of God to their village. Our director asked if I would be interested
in being one of the people to wash the women's feet. I answered with hesitation,
and told him that I really would NOT like to have to wash their feet. I just do
NOT like feet. I have never found that part of the body to be attractive and I
knew that people's feet there would be dirty, calloused and aged. I felt like a
horrible person telling him so, but he said no problem, that I didn't have to.
He told me, however, that if I felt led to wash during the service, to step
forward and do so. I nodded but knew deep down that I was NOT going to feel led!
Well, isn't it funny how the Lord always sees your heart and knows exactly where
to challenge you for growth when you least want Him to?
That night I was leading worship with some of my team members during the foot
washing when I saw a woman walk up to an empty water basin. She sat down and
waited. Right then the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said, "Go and wash
her feet." Before I knew it, I was walking toward that water basin. It was
almost as if someone was gently pushing me. At that moment I realized I cared
more about that woman knowing that Jesus loved her, than I cared to stand there,
safe in my comfort. As I washed that woman's feet with water, I immediately
thought about the woman in Luke who washed Jesus' feet with her tears. As I
washed more women's feet that night, I realized that my obedience to the Lord
at that moment was my worship to Him. God was calling me that night to
worship not in song, but in obedience. As David says of God in Psalm 51:16-17,
"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take
pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken
and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." We need to remember that
He delights in our humility and obedience, not just in our songs and our music.
Let us bring humility and obedience back to our worship and not forget, wherever
we are, that God finds pleasure in our submission to Him-and that is true
worship.
Trish Carlson
03.30.03
