Worshipping with the Nations

One of the things I enjoy about living overseas, as well as visiting other countries, is going to a Mozambican church. There is something amazing about worshipping with believers on the other side of the world and in a different language or worship style that puts in perspective how big and diverse the body of Christ is. If you stay in one place too long, you might begin to think there is only one way to worship the Creator of this huge universe.

In Mozambique, we attend a church just down the road from our house. I love to watch the women dance in to the church for special music and the bongo style drum that accompanies all the music. There are some challenges to going to a church like this week after week. Listening to a sermon in another language is hard work and sometimes loses it sense of worship, not to mention it is easy to become distracted. Once I watched a chicken walk in during the service and completely lost my focus! We often are singing along to music in Portuguese and Macua, the local language spoken where we live, not knowing what everything means.

This month we had the opportunity to come back to the United States so that Dave could attend training at MAF’s Headquarters. We were able to visit our home church and several supporting churches. After being away so long, I didn’t realize how refreshing it would be to worship and sing to my God in the style I was accustomed to and to hear a sermon directed at my cultural background. What a privilege it is to experience different forms of worship and see our God as Lord of all the nations!

All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.” Psalms 86:9