FRUITS...

November 7, 2009
When I was younger and in a youth group myself, my youth pastor taught us this really really cheesy song that is basically just the fruits of the Spirit. It starts with, “Well I’m a fruit, on a big fruit tree,” and goes on to ramble off all the fruits. For weeks, the older kids were asking me to go to some concert with them after church on Saturday, but for the life of me I couldn’t understand what they were saying. Each week there was some reason I couldn’t go, whether it be work at home, or teaching other children, or running errands. Finally, this week I got to go with them.

When we arrived, there was this paper sign up that said “FRUITS.” It was my understanding that this was some sort of church meeting place with the concert in the afternoons, so I didn’t understand why there was a signs advertising fruits there. Then I figured, hey, I’m in Nepal, they’re probably just selling fruit here on the side. Well, when we got in, it became apparent to me that it was talking about the fruit of the Spirit, and that was the name of the group that met there! And it was basically this area wide youth group started by this middle aged man and a few other musicians who seek to draw teenagers to the Lord through worship! Cool, right?!

Well, I thought that was cool, but when they actually started playing, I was floored. The first two songs they sang with us were in English, and as a band they were phenomenal! We sang “He is the Lord” and “Days of Elijah” and I don’t know that I’ve heard better compositions of those songs before! Then we sang a few songs in Nepali, some which I knew and some that I didn’t, but they were all beautifully orchestrated! And to hear some 60 or so Nepali teenagers all singing praises together at the top of their lungs was incredible! It’s been awhile since I really was able to participate in corporate worship like that!

Then the band took a break and the leader basically did a devotional with the kids, talking about his life in the Lord (not that I understood; Laxuman explained it to me later!). And from listening to the kids laugh, he must be an incredible speaker. They were riveted on his words, and his facial expressions only magnified his story telling ability. Now, I should give you some background of the leader. He’s in a wheelchair as his legs never developed fully (though that doesn’t affect his guitar playing at all!). He talked to the kids about how our beauty should come from the inside, and in good humor explained that what’s outside doesn’t matter to God, as was evidenced by his body! He spoke of how people all his life had spoken against him because he can’t walk, but he stated that no matter what those people say, they cannot change the beauty that fills him inside because he’s a child of God! I imagine a lot more details were added to season the story from the laughter of the kids, but that’s the basic just of it. His natural joy in life was so obvious to everyone there, and I could just feel my cup overflowing as I praised God with this brother from a totally different walk of life! Since it’s a weekly occurrence, I’m sure we’ll be back again for another refill this week :).