Hillsong

(This is blog #2 in two days so if you haven't read yesterdays you've got double duty :))
Tonight I went to Hillsong of Cape Town. I definitely felt like I was in the states. They rent out a hall in a convention center for their services in Downtown Cape Town. The feeling was very Mosiac (Erwin McManis’s church in Downtown LA), or FLOOD (Sean Randall’s old(?) church in Sac), etc. because of the look when we walked in. The people who went were very trendy and I think every girl re-evaluated her outfit when we walked in! 5/6 girls on stage had boots on with skinni jeans under them- apparently the big trend right now! Worship was SO well done. You can tell these people are trained vocalists and have a great director. The whole service was very organized and their logistics person did a great job. All the staff knew when to be where and everyone on stage looked where the audience should be looking (ie. the screen or the speaker, etc.). All to say, it was a great service. I also realized that for one of the first times since being in SA I experienced worship I was completely comfortable with and LOVED it! It was so great to feel in my element when at church. There were only about 3 references that were lost in translation- a huge improvement! I think that’s because Hillsong breeds people from the US, Australia, and Europe so there wasn’t many South African references. One girl definitely was from the states… probably Midwest as she said “o” different than me. Anyways, back to the service. They had a TON of baptisms, probably 25, and got those people in and OUT of that water fast! We had lots of worship, which was great. Offering. Speaker who really remineded me of an Australian Dad! Not because of looks but how he spoke made him very relatable towards the audience and he broke down John 16:33 into basic truths (which Dad is really good at doing- simplifying scripture then applying it to today). So that was really great.

The most impactful thing for me in this service was what was running through my mind during worship. I kept thinking of some of the women and kids I met at Project Gateway and couldn’t get their faces, life stories, and sad eyes out of my brain. When I would sing about God being faithful or lifting me out of bondage or being holy, all I could do was cry and think about them. These women and kids have faced more hardship than I ever will. It’s true. And thinking about how they can have gone through all of that and still hope and trust in the Lord really brought a new perspective for me. But I couldn’t stop praying for them. I felt like in that moment each face in my mind needed prayer and protection so I couldn’t push that out of my mind. So tonight their beautiful faces have flashed through my mind. I miss them. I miss trying to be an encouragement for them when not many people are. I miss giving them an opportunity to forget their mothers and abandoned and let them play like the girls they are!

*sigh* So that was my Sunday night. Came home for some wonderful homemade lasagna thanks to “Mom” and now I’m about to start and finish one of my two papers. Yes, it is due tomorrow. Don’t worry, Mom. I’m about it do it. :) I know, not about it. I’m doing it NOW. :)

With my love from Athlone (the town I live in), South Africa
Paigey