Sing a New Song

Rainbow from our roof

It was hard to hear.  There were waves crashing rhythmically on the rocks. There was a breeze off the ocean. There was a mass of boys climbing on the huge rock behind us and jumping into the water with accompanying shouts. Finally there was a small group of women, huddled on a rocky shore, singing quietly.  But this song was a new song.

We had already gone in the water. A mother and teenage daughter had gone for a special dunk, acknowledging things left behind and new things beginning.  After, all of us played in the water a bit and then we got out, prayed and had some snacks. The mother shared a bit of her story.  Finally our island friend who was leading the time said she had a surprise for us.

She brought out a page with handwritten words covering both sides of the paper. She said the words had just come to her and stayed in her head. Then she heard a traditional tune and the words fit the tune. She saw it as a blessed gift for this very occasion.   A new song!  So the teenage girl took the lead singing part and two others joined on the communal refrain.

New entertainment for our kids-- 4 baby kittens outside!

It was hard to hear. I couldn’t make out many of the words, but I didn’t really need to hear. I could see the happy smiles of those singing and the light clapping set to mimic the drumming that would usually accompany the tune. I could see another island woman leaning in eagerly to hear the words and to sing along on the refrain. I could see the little baby gone quiet and staring at the singers entranced. Even without knowing all the words, I could see that it was a song from the heart, in the local language and local music style, and one that was instantly engaging for all the islanders present—a new song!

When the song ended, the boys were still jumping, the waves were still crashing and the wind still blowing but everyone was smiling now. The women passed around the words and talked about teaching it to others.  Sing a new song…

Last week, the same women met at our house. They brought the traditional drums and the words. We practiced the song several times and then went into the back room and recorded it. With a recording it would be easier to teach it to others and ensure that they didn’t forget it themselves.

In the States it’s easy to take for granted all the new songs.  We even get impatient—not that old chorus again!  But here, a new song is still precious—still something of a miracle, and it is treasured.  Sing a new song.

Our kids back to school

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are thankful for this new song. Our kids had three partial days of school last week- meeting teachers and settling in. It went very well. Thanks for praying. Our youngest surprised us by being excited to go and our older son was less anxious than normal. Our teammate had a chance to share with a whole van-load of islanders yesterday! We pray that she will get opportunities to follow-up with some of them. We came to the big island early this morning! We look forward to connecting with some old friends here before traveling again tomorrow.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
We travel tomorrow to mainland Africa— pray for safe and easy travels. We haven’t heard back from the clinics about our medical appointments— pray that getting check-ups wouldn’t be too much of a hassle. Pray for a restful vacation and good family time. There is a workshop on the big island this week for everyone working on the local language projects— consultants from abroad are here and workers from all islands are gathered. Pray for a good time of learning and encouragement for these workers and projects. One of our teammates is at this workshop and will go from there back home for a conference and some vacation. Pray for her— the next few weeks will be a bit crazy for her. Pray also for our remaining teammate who is alone on Clove Island for this week. Pray also as we continue our house-hunt for our new teammates who are coming November. We found one good options— pray we would have good discernment about whether we should take it or keep looking. Please pray for Ma Imani’s youngest (18 months). She has been in the hospital this past week with diarrhea and vomiting, which is complicated by recurring lung problems. Pray for healing and wisdom.