Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Friday
******
We finished the school week well. The kids worked hard and slowly but surely both are making maths progress. We're really enjoying Stars of Fortune.

Jack and his buddies went off to their youth group. It's for kids 11-14, run by our church. Jack usually takes 3 kids from the neighbourhood along and they have fun. They are discovering that 'religious' people aren't all dull, uncool, killjoy moralists. Hey! It all helps break down barriers!{g}

Meanwhile, Jamie and I hosted our worship group's rehearsal. Jamie chose all (except one) of the songs this week and several were newish with one brand new (to our congregation). I know that he was feeling nervous about this and so was I. There were a couple of songs I didn't know as thoroughly as I would have liked. So we really needed the rehearsal. It went well. It turns out that Grace, who spends such a lot of her drawing time listening to christian music, knows the songs better than any of the rest of us and had even got some harmonies and 'twiddly bits' all sorted out. She bailed out at 9.00 and went to bed, confident that she had it all nailed, while the rest of us remained practicing and fretting for another hour!

I was exhausted but only managed to sleep for an hour or so before having to get up and get some painkillers for my painful joints.

Saturday
*********
Always a busy day. Since it's dark when Jamie is home during the week, this is the only time for jobs around the house that need daylight. He did some checking on the roof, dropped Jack at gymnastics, dropped music off to various people, picked up some groceries, practiced bass, wrote some linking prayers to use between songs on Sunday and helped me with chores.

Grace and I did housework, cooked and cleaned and laundered. A theme taken up by Jack in the afternoon. We prepared for Shabbat and had our lovely meal. Rested and relaxed. I asked Jamie to play the songs through so I could sing them through one more time. I was sure I was going to make a terrible mistake on Sunday. I hate singing through mikes and having every little error or quiver in your voice being amplified, but it goes with the territory.

The cat was sick in two separate rooms. Jamie cleaned it up. (Thank YOU!)

I fell asleep on the sofa at 9.00 pm, was promptly woken and sent to bed, where I lay awake most of the night.{g} My irony-meter is getting a real work-out these day!

Sunday
*******
Jamie required shifting to church (or the school hall where it meets) at 8.30 to set up sound equipment and instruments. Unfortunately, we only have one car, so I, with wet hair, unmade-up and in sweats, drive him to the building. It's not open. The caretaker is apparently annoyed that he has to get up early to open the school building on a SUNDAY and is waging a war of attrition with the church at the moment, bless him. I had to stay in the car park with Jamie as the temps were around freezing and I couldn't just leave him there. At 9.00, the sound engineer turned up, followed by a furious caretaker.

I get home, change, pick up the kids and head out again, knowing the whole set-up and sound-check process will be late now. We finish setting up and rip through the song list with the other two band members who couldn't make the rehearsal, hoping that we remember to tell them all the things we decided on on Friday. By this time Jamie and I are pretty frazzled and people are arriving in the hall. We all troop out to the corridor to pray together. Pastor is there and a few others. We start to calm down.

We kick off with a NEW song: When I Was Lost (A New Song In My Mouth). Now this song, if you don't know it, is brilliant! Words are wonderful, rocking, gospel tune, the musicians play well, Grace and the other singers, at least, are great! I look out and there is barely a foot tapping, no one is smiling, hardly a reaction. We can't hear if they are singing or not. It's always difficult to hear them as our sound monitors are pointed to us and they drown out what is happening 'out front'. We so wanted the congregation to LOVE singing this hymn of praise to Almighty GOD! But no, I think they are still half asleep. I see one of the elders, (a young dad) looking bored, arms folded, not even attempting to sing. I feel so sorry for Jamie who prayed and studied and worked so hard getting this song list together.

The music continues along those lines. We work hard and try to help God's people feel comfortable to worship freely. There are songs before and after the sermon. Some old, some new. We sing softly during communion. We look out and see sad, depressed looking people, barely moving their lips. I wonder what has gone wrong. Were we all unplugged? Was the projector not working? Did someone die?

At the end, we start to pack away, dispirited. I'm so glad we have a week off music next week. (Creche again instead!) Then a lady comes up, in her 60's, been coming for a few months and tells us she loves the music and so appreciates all we do! Then a man comes over to tell Jamie how that new song just penetrated his heart. Next, someone else tell us we did a great job and actually thanks us! Someone else confides in me that she looks forward to when Jamie is leading worship because it's so dynamic and the lyrics make her think! Wow!

We never get any feedback from the leadership of this church. Ever. But sometimes God's people encourage us, by opening up to us afterwards about how a song or hymn has touched them. We LONG to help this congregation learn to worship whole-heartedly and un-embarrasedly. Maybe one day. When we can learn not to be so...british?

Sunday Afternoon
****************
We've been invited out to friends for lunch! Yay! I don't have to cook! Thank you, W. Their house in on the US base and, like a twit, I forgot to bring ID, but somehow they let me in anyway after W's husband pleads my case.{g}

W and R made us feel so welcome. We started to relax. Delicious food I did not cook! The kids all have fun together!

W tells us all about Dave Ramsey and how his ideas are transforming their lives. She lends me his book. I am almost finished. I am quite hopeful that maybe, there might just be something we can do about our dire financial straights. Not sure what yet, but maybe something. Getting back to making a budget would help.{g} More time on our knees will be required.

We went home feeling happier and more confident. I even slept!