Sing

I mentioned in a previous post that I joined the Church choir for Mass on Sundays. This has proven to be EXTREMELY uncomfortable at times, particularly when I don't know any of the Chitumbuka words that are being sung. It's also pretty uncomfortable during meetings when they talk about me. This last week, they talked about how I wasn't at the practice on Saturday. Then the choir director defended me because I was there at the time that the practice was supposed to start but no one else was there, and that is why I missed the practice. All of that was in Chitumbuka. Then later on in the meeting, one of the members gave a speech about how "we all should be helping Andy since he doesn't know the songs." He then talked about those in the choir who are struggling should find a buddy to listen to so that we can better learn the songs. These moments are weird, awkward for me, and uncomfortable. But then, there are the moments where we are just singing. There are the handful of songs for which I've learned the words and the harmonies. And there are the songs to which I can dance right in line with the choir members next to me. Those moments are the moments I'm singing for. The moments when the person next to me, African, black, not as educated, not as wealthy, is just the same as me. Those moments when I can show them and myself that underneath my American clothes and beneath my Muzungu skin, we are just the same. We both were created by God, we both love God, and we both want to sing and live for God. What else is there better to do in these moments than sing?

This Friday our Chaminade campus is celebrating Chaminade day. We will be having a grand Mass with all the students from MIRACLE, Chaminade Boarding, and Chaminade Open Schools. A joint choir has been created, and I'm also singing with this choir. The practices we have had so far have reached moments in which the Holy Spirit is visibly and audibly present in the movements, expressions, and voices of the choir. It rocks.

And finally, to commemorate the inauguration of President Barack Obama, Molly and I sang our National Anthem to the entire MIRACLE community during this morning's assembly. I thought it was really fun, and the students and staff seemed to be thouroughly entertained by us two white people singing our national anthem partly out of tune because we have a new president today. As goofy as we might have looked or sounded, it's moments like that that make life wonderful. Life may bring us all kinds of troubles and difficulties, but if you can still smile, if you can still sing, and if you can still dance, what else do you need?

Just open your heart and sing.