We are welcomed with handshakes and "Vannakam"s. Sit down. Have a cola. Meet the pastor of the church and lay leaders. Eat snacks. Coconut water. Full stomachs. Music program. Dinner. Munch munch munch!! This is typical Indian hospitality. It’s just about overwhelming it’s so nice. Lamentably, it’s also very easy to get used to.
 
So on this Sunday evening it was very surprising to get only a small amount of this hospitality, far more than necessary, but far less than usual. We were at a countryside church, in Pranthanery Village outside of Nagercoil. Surrounding Zion Lutheran Church are beautiful fields. Most of the men of the congregation work in these fields. Coconut trees, banana trees, sugar cane, rice paddies…all very green and fertile despite the lack of rain, due to an extensive irrigation system. The church bell rang: first warning. After the third chiming we would begin our program. The bell signals the time to end the workday, return home, freshen up, and come to church with one’s wife and kids. Thus, not many people were at the church to greet us or prepare our eight-course snack. "Oh well," I thought, "we’ll be treated after the program."
 
Our program began, as normal, just a touch late but with an overflowing church. But something wasn’t quite normal about the enthusiasm the congregation members had. They had just come from a long day’s work, probably an 8-hour day interspersed with church services, to worship our God during Lent! Where do they find this energy?? You see, they worship every night, every day of the week! Ah, yes, I remembered, "the Spirit moves when He wants to." The Spirit may move here every night—it would be prideful to think that Rainbow of Promise induced this state of joy. Indeed, their joy was contagious and we too began to feel the Spirit.
 
Our program ended and we shook congregation member’s hands, signed a few autographs, and as quickly as the crowd came, the people vanished back to their homes. They had another early morning. "But what about our coconuts?" I wondered. "Oh well, I don’t like coconut water too much anyway…" So we ate a quick dinner and that was it. We returned home to rest for another day of programs tomorrow.
 
I soon realized the importance of our visit to this church. I re-learned my appreciation for worship that isn’t drummed up or hyped. Real worship is driven by the Spirit, and the joy we felt this night was something more than a cool drink and hospitality. When we worship God with all our hearts and minds, that is enough. We will experience eternal hospitality together when we meet again in heaven. Amen to that!
 
 
For more information on Rainbow of Promise and our other International Teams, log on to www.youthencounter.org/teams/. And keep an eye out for greetings and stories from EACH MEMBER of RAINBOW OF PROMISE coming soon to the Youth Encounter website!