My dear friend Drew Brown and his wife Sara went on a missions trip to Asia with their church. Both are involved in the arts and were teaching in those areas on the trip... here is what Sara wrote... it struck me even as I prepare for worship service at my church... how quickly I move away from  the important things... thank you Sara for calling us back to the simple and honest place.
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By Sara Brown

I've been wanting to write this note for awhile now since being back from the trip and now I'm kinda kickin myself b/c I'm not as "inspired" as I was then, having let too much time go by since.

However, I still think it's important to post this b/c...well, you'll see why.

During the 2nd week of the Philippines trip, our team went to this place called Banaue in the province of Ifugao (sp?), a very bumpy 10 hour drive from Manila. There we stayed at an orphanage that houses about 35 children where a lady named Linda from Guelph takes care of them (along with an amazingly loving staff).

We stayed there, hung out with the kids (who were AMAZING!) and then participated in a Pastors and Leaders Conference, sponsored by my church. About 150 (I'm guessing?) pastors and youth, children's and worship leaders from all over the area came for encouragement, practical teaching and worship. I lead one of the seminars on Drama in worship. It was incredible experience...and I now know that I DO love public speaking! But I suppose that's for another note...

Anyway, the worship seminars (which I was a part of) were amazing. Here were these people, with only basic English, absolutely EATING UP every word we said. And they especially loved the songs. Wade and Drew were teaching them "new" worship songs (ones we've been singing for years), and they got sooo excited.


During the question and answer period, they didn't want to ask questions. They just wanted to go over the songs, so hungry, so desperate to remember them so they could take them back to their churches....their churches....where they MAYBE had a guitar..if they were lucky.



It got me thinking....a lot. About how incredibly blessed we are. We have resources sitting at our fingertips. If a worship leader wants to learn a new song for Sunday morning service, he goes to his local Christian bookstore and picks up the cd or downloads it (likely puts it on the church budget) and downloads the lyrics and chord charts. Then s/he makes as many copies as they like on the photocopier.

Oh yeah, that reminds me. At the end of our sessions with them, Wade gave them each a package of about 10 songs/chord charts, the ones we had been teaching them. Songs like "Here I am to Worship" and "Forever". When they realized what we were giving them, they clapped. They cheered. Their faces were beaming. It was such an emotional moment. And I thought, Wow, we take SO MUCH for granted! Where internet access is remote and Christian bookstores even more so, they simply aren't even close to having the resources we do.

And yet, here's the cool part. They have hearts to worship God like I've never seen before. Drew would joke around, telling them that THEY led HIM into worship. From the first chord, their hands were up in the air. During the muscial "interlude" between songs, they were singing aloud their own "love songs" to God....so free, so beautiful.

They don't need the latest Hillsongs cd. They don't need the whole band to be playing perfectly in tune or on beat (b/c they don't have a band!). They don't even need their favourite song to be played before they decide to "get into it". They just passionately, whole-heartedly worship the God they love.

Why do we get so tied up and stressed out with such small things? Why do we often act like little spoiled brats?

Life is beautiful. We are blessed.


And if a bunch of poor Philipino leaders with absolutely nothing (you think that ministry HERE doesn't pay much?!?!?!) can "show us up" with their passion and hunger for God when they would kill for all we have, I think there's something wrong.

I guess I don't have to "inspired". I just start writing and I find myself "back there" so quickly. I wish I could hold on to the lessons learned, and hope to do better at living them out.