The Little Things Make It All Worth It
99.9% of being on tour with Daraja is just pure fun, joy, and excitement. The worship is exciting. Experiencing all the kid’s “firsts” with them is always a blast. First time swimming, first movie theater, first time seeing the ocean, first time riding a bike, or their first time having a cheeseburger. Being in a new town or city every couple of days never gets old. Spontaneous loud singing on the bus is just down right joyful.
But for me, my favorite part of being on tour with Daraja is the little things. It is those quiet moments that are not always visible to everyone in the room. It is in those moments that I see God the most glorified. Of course God is receiving glory when all 24 kids are on stage singing, dancing, and praising with all their hearts, but the moments I really love are the ones that are easily missed if you aren’t paying close attention. In between bus rides, late nights, sound checks, social studies tests, and lunch times, these tiny moments are the ones that make it all worth it. They’re the kind of moments you quickly write down so you can remember to journal it later. We are a month into tour and I’ve already experienced so many of these tiny moments. It’s the woman who approaches you after a concert and tells you after having Daraja in her home she has committed in her heart to approach Jesus in an entirely new way. It’s the lady who sneaks in the back door during sound check just so she can silently worship from the back of the room. It’s the little boy who stands on his chair so he can see over the people, arm raised high, worshipping. It’s the conversations you overhear on the bus when two kids are discussing what they read in scripture last night with their interns. It’s the look on a child’s face when you read them a bible story for the first time and you know it sinks in. And my favorite- when I’m riding in a car with a host home and another intern when the host opens up that she has had insomnia since her sister recently died. She tells the other intern that the first night Daraja was in her home was the first time in a long time she actually slept peacefully through the night. Without hesitation, the other intern tells her that Daraja carries the spirit of God with them wherever they go and she is not surprised that the presence of God in her home brought her peace.
I’m asking God for eyes and ears to continue to notice those little moments where people worship Him, encounter Him, and fall more in love with Him.
Bishop