Uganda, Africa | choir

Thanks to our friend Beatrice and her mom Florence {a member of the H.I.S. team} , Eleanna & I got involved with the choir practices at Pastor Job’s church during our visit. 

I absolutely loved these times. They weren’t practices as much as they were legit worship services. Each time they would open & close in prayer. Before we sang, we would be reminded by one of the leaders that we were standing on holy ground as we worshipped Jesus; He deserved all the worship we were giving Him; we shouldn’t be taking it lightly. How awesome is that?! 

El & I were looking forward to learning African worship songs but we quickly found that that wouldn’t be happening! At least not at choir practice! {we did learn African songs at H.I.S. devotions & from the children} They have a full western worship band, with keyboard, electric & acoustic guitars & drums, and they sing almost all western worship songs! But the fact that this was just “practice” & they were singing them more passionately than I’ve heard in some worship services gave me goosebumps! Literally! Songs that we would consider “old worship songs” they sung passionately... just as if they were new. So great! 

Most of the practices we attended were in preparation for a huge, 3 day event leading up to Easter that's called the Easter Explosion. This is put on by Deliverance church but involves 4 or 5 other churches in the area. They plan to sing over 30 songs during those three days! So wish we could be there for it!

Choir was where we really got to know people in our own age range. Isaac, Martha, Ivan, Joseph, Irene, Joshua & Samuel... Afterwards, we would walk home with a group of them, as the sun set, joking, laughing, telling stories & comparing cultures. Loved that!

My camera wasn’t “sly” enough to get pictures during choir practice so all of these pictures are thanks to El!!  Though most of them were taken by children who got ahold of her camera during one practice!

 Practices technically started at 5:30 but in following with African time... no one would arrive until 6p or later. With the exception of our friend Ivan:) He was always sitting in a chair outside the door when we arrived... just waiting for everyone else to get there. So we'd all hang out together until choir started. {and no, I'm not sunburned... the lighting was just funky!}

He gave us African bracelets & then later showed us where he go them-- the coolest little shop in Soroti that we had completely missed... even after passing by it everyday! It was full of fabulous African crafts and we ended up purchasing many gifts there.

 Ivan's sister Irene led most of the songs with an incredible alto voice!

 One of Pastor Job's sons, Dan, on the keyboard

Ivan playing acoustic

 Bob playing acoustic {still can't get over the fact that his name is Bob. in Africa. haha}

 Isaac on drums

Eleanna & Bea on the walk home

we all had running jokes about this old bus sitting by the side of the road that we always passed. Joshua {the one pictured} started it all:)

This was the time that Joshua decided to tell me that he believed El & I were the answer to his prayers for mzungu {white} wives for him & his friend! Feel free to ask me the story- it's quite funny:)