May 11, 2015 - Korçë, Albania Doc’s hand fell. The sound of roughly sixty voices in unison flooded the foyer with the first note of the Doxology. The line leaders began to rush into the theatre. I followed the line, trying not to make a racket with my heels on the worn wooden floor. Here goes nothing, I thought. Will our ministry really be as effective as everyone says? We’re not that great of a choir… |
Our first host church was arguably the first evangelical church in Albania after the Iron Curtain fell. There were only five believers in the country at that time. These faithful few actually had a key role in rebuilding Albanian identity and society after the damage of communism and atheism. Since then, the church in Korçë has flourished. The Greek Orthodox church nearby stated that this church was “the hands and feet of God in the city.” As the pastor described the church’s ministry, I became convinced of how true that statement was. Ministries for the youth, the elderly, the homeless, the town itself… You name any need in that city, and the church was directly involved in meeting that need. Their ministries were so effective that they even had social and political influence in the local government. Suddenly I realized that this church was more alive than most churches in America. This was what the body of Christ was supposed to be doing. Having the Chorale give a concert was just another facet of the church’s ministry. They rented out a local theatre and invited the public to attend our concert. Whoever attended the concert would be met with (hopefully) excellent music and a Gospel presentation in Albanian. This was to be the format for almost all our concerts throughout the Balkans. At first, this sounded like the old bait-and-switch to me. Advertise for music and then throw the Gospel in there? The church does have a reputation in the city. Maybe, since the audience would know the church hosted this event, that would aid in the connection? Our music is Christ centered, but not all the audience can understand English. That connection won’t translate. Or so I thought.
Doc’s hand fell. The sound of roughly sixty voices in unison flooded the foyer with the first note of the Doxology. The line leaders began to rush into the theatre. I followed the line, trying not to make a racket with my heels on the worn wooden floor. Here goes nothing, I thought. Will our ministry really be as effective as everyone says? We’re not that great of a choir… We filed onto the stage, searching for Dr. Plew in the back of the dark theatre. I’d done this many times before. Hands to your side, shoulders back, weight on your toes, knees slightly bent. Try not to bump into your standing buddies, stare at Dr. Plew, smile, listen louder than you sing, spit out those consonants, keep the air flowing, and most importantly, sing every word like you mean it. After three semesters of singing in the chorale, most of these things are second nature, not requiring much attention during the concert. The difficulty actually arises in your thoughts. What should we focus on during a concert? Hint: the answer isn’t a what. It’s a Who. They key to excellence is glorifying God and worshipping Him during the concert. It’s so easy to think about how stiff you feel, how your feet are numb, or how hot the concert hall is. Focus must turn from self to God. The only way to truly minister to an audience is to lead them in worship. Doubts crept into my mind again. How could we lead an audience of mostly nonbelievers in worship? Especially when they don’t understand the language? Considering the fact that doubting doesn’t change a thing, I made myself focus on the only thing that I was responsible for: my own attitude. I should be worshipping God, not worrying about our ministry to the audience. God will take care of that.
After a few opening songs, the time came to sing Xhamadani Vija Vija. As chorale sang the first words of the popular song, something truly unexpected happened. The audience began clapping and cheering! Some stood and hollered, some sang along and clapped. All were thoroughly enthused. I’m almost positive a collective grin broke out amongst the chorale. They loved it! Maybe working so hard to sing in Albanian wasn’t a waste of time after all. I later learned, almost at the end of chorale tour, that singing that Albanian pop song actually played an essential role in our concerts. Marching into a theatre all dressed up and singing can sometimes be intimidating to an audience. After making our initial impact and establishing that we mean business, our translator would introduce us, and we would start singing Xhamadani. The crowd went wild almost every time. Singing that song endeared us to the people. It made them want to pay attention to us, and actually established our credibility amongst the Albanian people. The fact that we came to their country and sang their song showed them how much we cared about them more than mere words could communicate.
After the concert ended and the audience left, we all gathered again in the theatre to discuss what happened that night. For one, the concert went way better than we deserved. Two, the pastor couldn’t find words to thank us. Apparently our ministry was immensely effective. “How on earth?” I thought. The pastor went on to describe just what had happened that night. The audience was moved by our heart; by the looks on our faces. They could tell we were worshipping God, even though they couldn’t always understand what we were saying. They knew we were singing about God, and they could tell we loved Him by our faces and our attitudes in singing. That set the foundation for the Gospel to be preached. While we didn’t have people coming forward and giving their lives to Christ right there, seeds were most definitely being sown. Could it be that Christ was being preached without words? Without language?
The following day, chorale had the opportunity to help the church in Korçë with a kid’s fair. At first I was nervous. I’m not the greatest with kids. And once again, I couldn’t speak their language. But God moved last night without that, so maybe this would work out too. As the church members set up the fair, music began to play. Soon after, a familiar song came on the speaker, one that I knew a line dance too. A few other chorale girls and I began to dance in the square. Much to my surprise, several Albanian kids came and danced with us. Sure they didn’t know the steps, but they were having a blast jumping around and being silly with us. Words weren’t required. Then the games started. From balloon tosses to dancing the hokey pokey, everyone involved had a blast. Again, no words were required. I made several little friends just by smiles and dance and music. It’s intriguing how much can be communicated between people, even when there is a language barrier in the way. That night, as I reflected on another concert and the time I spent dancing with the Albanian kids, I realized how powerful nonverbal communication is. In fact, I’ve come to realize it can actually be deeper than words; that words can get in the way sometimes. The fun I had with those kids was more fun than I’ve had with some of my own friends that I could talk with. Could it be that the Gospel message we brought to our audiences was actually clearer without words?
Concert after concert, a resounding “yes” came in answer to that question. The Gospel was being preached mainly through body language of all things. Each time, the local pastor or believer would clearly give the Gospel message in Albanian. But the main impact was always said to be “chorale’s heart.”
May 13, 2015 – Durrës Standing buddies? There’s Steven… and there’s Anthony. Check. Bowties straight? Check. Pearls on? Check? Lipstick alright? Check. Dress tied? Check. Where’s Doc? There. Downbeat. Go, go, go! |
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. – 2 Corinthians 12:9”
“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
“We never give up, we never lose heart, we never despair when the way seems dark. Though our bodies may fail, the Lord keeps renewing our spirits. Present troubles really seem quite small, compared to what God is producing in us all; immeasurable glory, and joys forevermore…”
May 17, 2015 - Tirana, Albania An encouraging and successful concert just finished, I greeted a few people and then retreated into a group of fellow choralians. I was inept at engaging in conversation with strangers and was a little intimidated by the skill some of my peers were exhibiting. Looking around, I spotted at least three choralians praying with audience members. I wish I was that good, I thought. Suddenly, someone gently grabbed hold of my arm. I turned to see a grinning Albanian woman about my age. I greeted her as cheerily as I could and introduced myself. |
This is what the Body of Christ looks like. I met this girl less than three minutes ago, and I feel like I’ve known her forever. And here we sit, praying for each other in our respective native languages as if we were old friends.
“Amen.” I opened my eyes to see her grinning face again. We talked for a little while longer until I had to go. Suddenly I realized that I would see this dear lady again in heaven. There, no language barrier would block our fellowship (not that it blocked fellowship very much in the previous moments). In that moment, I promised myself I would continue to pray for her.
“Goodbye friend! I’ll see you in heaven okay?”
She smiled. “Yes! I’ll see you there! Goodbye!”
Our parting was bittersweet. Bitter because I didn’t want to leave what felt like an old friend, but sweet because I knew I would see her again in glory.
Why had I never had an experience like this in America? I’ve visited other churches. I’ve talked to other Christians like that. Yet, I connected with this Albanian lady. An ocean separated us, a language barrier blocked our way, yet we bonded through Christ. Why had I not experienced that with someone close to home; someone not separated from me by an ocean and a language? I definitely need to talk to people more and to reach out on my own, that’s certainly a main factor. But I think the vast majority of Christian America is missing something about unity and community. We can be so individualistic and self-focused that we lose sight of our bond with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, especially when it comes to brothers and sisters in other churches, states, and countries. I know I am guilty of that mentality. But that sweet Albanian lady really opened my eyes, simply by grabbing my arm one Sunday night.
June 8, 2015 - Arizona, USA Coming home after traveling isn’t my favorite thing. Everything traveling is new and exciting and unexpected, and everything at home is familiar, mostly expected, and routine. Familiar things and routine things have their place, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes its hard to make the adjustment. However, being home does provide the opportunity to reflect on my travels, meditating on what the Lord accomplished in Albania through the chorale, and what He accomplished in me through Albania. I learned several valuable lessons during my journey through the Balkans. The Spirit is on the move in Albania. The Church is growing and active. |