Joy

Today's theme word: JOY.

Since I last updated, we've participated in 3 church services. The pure joy, excitement and passion we've experienced is beyond the scope of what I can put into words. It's overwhelmingly fun to see and participate in the completely abandoned worship with these Vietnamese migrant believers. It'd take me way too long to detail each of the services, so I'll stick to one.

Last night was our first service. As I mentioned in our last post, I was asked to lead a few songs in English before I handed off the guitar. I chose songs that I assumed would be known in Vietnamese as well- Lord I lift Your Name on High, Awesome God, How Great Thou Art and Above All (Mom made us learn that song in Vietnamese while we were still preparing in the States.) As we began to worship, I was blown away by the joy and participation of everyone in the room. I sang in English, but the rest of the room overpowered me, singing and worshiping in Vietnamese at the same time. It was amazing. I could literally feel the presence of the Holy Spirit heavy in the room, and I even had a hard time singing the last song because I was filled with so much emotion. It was beautiful. I didn't think anything in the world could get much better than that moment... I had no idea what more was in store.

When I handed over the guitar to the Vietnamese worship leader, it felt like the room exploded. As he began to play and sing worship songs, the room filled with loud and passionate praise and dancing. People were singing at the very top of their lungs, jumping, dancing, clapping, raising hands in love for Jesus. Every face had the HUGEST smile I had ever seen. Although we didn't understand the words, we knew we were all worshiping Jesus together. It felt as though heaven had descended on earth for this time of worship. Every one of us on the SEAM team learned a little something about what it means to have childlike faith, and to "dance as David danced" last night. Never have I been so carefree, abandoned and excited in my worship. Never have I danced and sweat so much in worship. Their passion for worship transformed me, and I will forever cherish last night's experience.



After worship, Hieu practiced the "playground principle" by leading the study. (For non-"Convergers" that don't know our jargon, the playground principle is that we can experience and try something new, and even if we fall, we get back up and keep playing.) You could tell at first he had some jitters, but he did an excellent job and really got everyone involved. Julie and Vincent lead the way by sharing their testimonies. Others came up and shared stories of leaving Vietnam for Malaysia to work, missing their family, their disappointments, and also their gratitude for the opportunity to hear about Jesus and come to know him here. It was an awesome time of sharing.




Praise:
-In this evening's church service, Sabastian preached and several gave their life to Jesus for the first time!! Many other believers also decided to rededicate their lives.
-Many of us have had some wonderful conversations with these Vietnamese migrant workers- not only have we encouraged them, but they've really encouraged/enlightened us (I think Thinh may be blogging soon...)
-We've all stayed well! Josh's rash is continuing to run its course, but other than that, no major illnesses that have taken anyone out of commission
-No fighting! We're tired and sometimes irritable with each other, but thanks to your prayers, we are able to set this aside and respect and love each other. (On a side note, the first "fight" goes to Josh and Hieu! Haha. Hieu said Josh's Vietnamese middle name means pink, and started calling him "pinkie." Josh wasn't amused, and told Hieu he lost his rank as a favorite uncle. He kept falling lower and lower on the "list" until Josh exclaimed he wasn't even on the list anymore. Ouch! But, they made up and enjoyed some fun time in the pool and eating ice cream. Hieu's back on the list again. For now.)

Prayer
-Several people gave their life to Christ tonight! Pray they will stay connected with other believers and grow in their new faith
-Tomorrow evening we take off for Vietnam. Please pray for safe travels
-Josh's rash is continuing to run its course, but its still around, and the heat and humidity is making it particularly itchy and uncomfortable.
-Pray for continued unity and health. We're starting to see cracks of exhaustion creep in- which can affect both emotional and physical health.

Love you all! Thanks for reading, praying and commenting! (Eric and Ange, your comments have been super encouraging to us!)