Music Journeying

Bass / Guitar player, Caleb, in the center.

The end of the road is starting to look a lot like the beginning. When we first started feeling called to come to the Sahel, it was through reading and praying about a position here working with youth and technology. Then another need was put before us of training leaders for community transformation with CHE. Well, the last month or so things have changed a bit because there hasn’t been as much that I can do with the CHE training program due to travel restrictions and the need for future planning to go on without me. So I finally have some time to work with some youths from the church who’ve been asking me about helping them learn some new things for their worship band.  Working with youth and special guitar equipment, teaching about worship and tutoring in English… these are some of the things I first dreamed I’d be doing in the Sahel.  And now in the end I’m glad I’m getting to connect with some people on this level as well.  

One youth named Caleb has been quietly watching over a lot of things with the make-shift band that our local church decided to start a few years ago. He doesn’t have any music training, but he now far exceeds me in his ability to improvise on the bass guitar. And he’s learning pretty quickly how to add bits and do some chords on the six-string guitar. La Maestra pointed him out to our children a few Sunday’s ago because one of the fellowship groups was leading a long, energetic song, which was highlighting the dancing and singing of a few members. This prompted some people in the congregation to get up and give thank offerings to God, and some followed the custom of sticking the money to the heads of the singers who inspired them to give an offering. But a guest from another church (who played a song in the band earlier that day) came up to Caleb during the song and gave him a big awkward hug. He was recognizing the hard and creative work Caleb was doing to keep up with the energy across the whole song, which was a nice recognition in the midst of some of the flashier contributors.  May we all make our contributions in creative and self-giving ways, and also look for opportunities to encourage others who don’t often get recognized in their efforts!

-- El Padre