Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
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Today I attended the most powerful church service. Powerful, yet so simple... Just a large tent. Metal folding chairs or wooden benches to hold hundreds of people. A stage area for an electronic keyboard, a couple guitars powered by generators. No fancy sanctuary. No hymnals to read from. Just enormous speakers to spread the Word of God to all people from a variety of Haitians speaking to them. To us. To me. But not the typical church service. The congregation wasn't sitting in rows. Or standing at certain times or sitting when they should. This congregation was praising God in every possible way that may shock some and awe others. They were doing what they felt in their heart to do. Praying. Praising. Singing. Simply worshiping. All while standing up, walking around, sitting down, kneeling on the ground with their spot as their own alter and/or lifting their hands up to God. But what I thought was the greatest thing about it was how powerful it was. They are so fierce and strong in their faith. It didn't matter who you were, where you live, what you do, how much money you have or don't have. It was about loving God. Because today is Thursday and just a bit after 6 am. You can come to church any day of the week from 6-11 am.
Every single person was there because they wanted to be there. Not because society, friends, neighbors or even family dictates they should be there....but because each of them wanted....no, that's not right...I think they needed to be there. Even though the entire service was in Creole and the only words I understood was Hallelujah and Amen...it didn't matter, because God was speaking to me in my heart. Speaking to us in our hearts. Giving everyone time to just pray.
I don't think I have ever felt closer to God, or had God so much in my heart. It was the most powerful church service. And I will never forget it.
kristi
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