Rain, Food, and Music

We started our day, activity-wise, at a church. Twenty adults met and loaded up vehicles with food for a barbecue. It was drizzling out, and we were hoping that wouldn't last long. Some of us brought umbrellas, others had left the house before it started raining and were unarmed. Yes, I was in the second group.

We talked about the orphanage we were going to host, and the plan for doing so. We would take the kids from the orphanage to a nearby park for the barbecue with games to follow. People were assigned games, and we loaded a canopy to cover the food for the light rain. We prayed, and then we were off.

Once we got to the park, the rain was not so light. We went through plans from A to C, until we lost track of what plan we were on. We set up the canopy, unloaded the food, and awaited orders.

The rain didn't light up.

We finally went with plan whatever letter of the alphabet which involved having the cookout and games at the church. We reloaded everything, broke down the canopy and went back to where we started.

We found a gym in the basement of one of the buildings and played games while some prepared the food. Some of the adults rounded up the children to play dodge ball. I scooped up the soccer and basketballs and kept them safely out of the way. I joined the kids who didn't want to play, and we switched between playing catch and watching others play dodge ball.

I asked one young man if he wanted to play dodge ball in Korean. He said no, then in perfect English, "I'm hungry." Me, too, I tried to answer in Korean. He was not impressed.

That was around 1:00. We had started out around 12:00, and I'm sure we weren't the only two who were hungry.

The food was ready around 2. We gave thanks, served the kids hamburgers and hot dogs, then helped ourselves. Watermelon (what else?) was for dessert.

The pastor noted how much these children had grown since we last saw them. They are growing, and seeming more familiar each time we visit. I wish I could remember their names.

Later we got home, dried off, and then I farted around online a bit. I discovered a tour that continued to answer one of my struggles with Christian music. I sampled the music, which was okay, but not great. I doubt that part matters much.

The tour is called art, music and justice. It features artists I don't usually listen to, even though one song entitled "I Never Met a Savior on Capital Hill" may be one of my new favorites for the title alone. It reflects my frustration with much of what is going on nowadays.

The point of the tour is to encourage Christians to see the importance of social justice issues. It challenges us to get out there, and I can't argue with that.

Getting out and serving. Why does it seem so hard for us to do?