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Subscribe now wherever you get your podcast. Life audio. Yeah. Hi from the Salvation Army, and you're listening to Words of Life.
Alright. These are the words, these are the words of life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. Hey, welcome back to Words of Life. Today is our final episode in a four-part conversation our host, Bernie Dake, had with some members of the Salvation Army's Southern Staff Band.
Two. They had recently returned from a 10-day trip to South Africa that ended up being a life-changing endeavor for everyone involved. Thank you, Daryl, Brad, and Bethany, so much for coming on the show and sharing this incredible story with us. Learn more about Salvation Army Music Ministries at USS Musicandarts.org. I live through it, you are so true, you are.
We've heard about the trip. All the things leading up to it, actually getting there and getting things going, and then moving out to a camp and being a part of teaching 120-plus young people all about music and creative art and scripture. But now, We leave the camp. And you have opportunities to minister in other facilities. I understand there was a children's home.
I want to know more about these things. Yeah, there actually were two. There was a small ensemble that went to a children's home for young people ages zero to three.
So very, very young. And By all accounts, that was very moving for everyone who was there. I've seen pictures. It's a different experience. I know that was powerful.
The whole band Went to a children's home for ages three to seventeen, three to eighteen. And there were nearly 100 children who lived there full time. We did kind of a tour and learned about the facility and then also played a concert. That sounds more impersonal than it was. Because it was extremely moving for everyone.
Basically, everyone I talked to had the same exact experience. You know, it was kind of a chaotic, like most concerts are, you're setting up and it's in a room and You're trying to get it done and then you start.
Well, again, they wanted to feed us first. They wanted to feed us first. They're always trying to foodable and serving, always. That's true. Almost, and I mean, it's lovely.
They forced us to eat first. But yeah, but as soon as it started. One of the lasting effects that I have of the entire Trip. was hearing the kids sing back to us. We played a couple of Pieces that featured South African songs.
One of our good friends and the bass trombone player in the band, Matt Broom, wrote a medley of songs from South Africa, for example. The purpose of that, not only to honor their music, but to have people recognize the songs and be able to sing along. And the first thing we played, and I can't look at Daryl, was. One of their authentic songs, and they were singing, and they were singing powerfully to the point where you look around the band. I'm a percussionist.
I can play while crying. Brass players, it's hard to play while crying, as you might know. You kind of need, you kinda need your whole apparatus to be able to do that. And I would say probably half the band couldn't play by the middle of the first song. It wasn't just that, but that's what sits with me.
And. You know, talking to people afterwards and just the energy and the life and the joy they had, despite. Challenge. What shall I render to Jehovah? For he has done so much for me.
And to hear Kids. who have been abandoned. Sing that With every bit of their spirit. Back to God. Oh.
Uh I will never. I will never forget that. I don't know how I played through it, but I will never forget that moment in that they are. Giving God every bit of that praise and They have You know. One of the worst situations that could possibly happen to a child.
was being abandoned. And uh For me, obviously.
Well You may not know, but I've adopted My son.
So, in seeing all of these kids, I see When I look out I see him. And I see this situation that he could have been a part of. And for them to give back to God. Uh It It changed my life. There's no question of it.
So Yeah. There is trying to play through that was a little bit tough, and even trying to talk about it here is tough, but. I know that God Yeah. was there for them and he has shown up. through the Salvation Army.
Time. to raise those young people and to take care of them and give them love and That moment will always stick out with me forever. As I understand it, for some context, the Salvation Army has a ministry in different parts of South Africa where they run children's homes. And they're very well known, so much so that Parents who are not sure how they're going to provide for their children or aren't ready to be parents will abandon children in a park close to The Salvation Army, knowing full well that the officers and employees who work there would collect those children and bring them into the fold. And I can't even fathom that as as a But the fact that we are Granted the opportunity to raise those children in a safe place.
Where they'll be introduced to Jesus and have caring people around them for I don't know how long, but. I've heard many of you talk about the experience there, and even one of the other band members. holding the kids, you know, and I'm glad that you had that opportunity to see that. I don't know if we'll know. on this side of heaven.
Amen. How great an impact? It had on you. or on those children. But praise God for that opportunity.
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That are working there in southern Africa, who, with limited resources, And often, as volunteers, fight for the growth and the development of these programs in the church. My favorite, I worked with her the most, she does all the creative arts in Southern Africa. Her name is Lorato, and she's so passionate and so hardworking. to get people Opportunities to learn dances, to learn scripts, to learn how to write, to learn how to choreograph, to give people an opportunity to praise and worship. And again, when the resources are very limited.
And I was just so inspired by that passion and that push. Even as a volunteer, to get all of this work done so that people have these opportunities and get to keep growing. And I just. I will take that with me that when I get tired or grow weary of doing this, I'm just going to remember. how hard that they are working.
To do the same thing in southern Africa. It's like a sisterhood that's across the country fighting even harder than I have to. And I was just really inspired and convicted by that. It's interesting because I'm not the most natural messenger of something like this. It's not my natural state to go and tell people what I've done and what I've seen and various anything.
It's just not. My natural thing. But I feel like we just have to. We have a responsibility to. Having been there.
Having been... given the privilege to go to South Africa to see what we saw. to express what we experienced. And it's been easier. than it would normally be I think in my brain and my heart to share with people.
then normally I just kinda like, yeah, what's good. That's kind of my natural thing with a trip. Even a good trip. That's kind of what I would just normally do. I feel that.
Tug. to not let that dwindle. Not wet it. die away. Even in the future.
Bethany's right. The leadership there is powerful. People are digging in every day, every week. through trying times and I admire them. The thing that will probably stick with me the most Is The joy of it all.
the joy of the people there. Joy is not my resting state. generally speaking. And I'm challenged by them to have it be. Mm.
Because Even if they had everything It would still be this way, but because they don't have everything, it's even more powerful, probably. Everyone we came in contact with. I mean, truly. young people Adults Older people who have been there for years and years and decades. I don't I s genuinely do not remember a interaction with a person in which there wasn't that.
level of joy and spirit. And that's hard. I mean, around here, I can, you know, you're going to come, you'll have some experience somewhere where it's like, oh, that person wasn't very happy today. Nobody, there was none of that at all. It was just pure joy.
And I think that the joy of the Lord that they live in each day. is uh gonna stick with me. For me, it was definitely the worship. There's a quote by Genghi Victor that says, Worship is the natural response of man. to the supernatural presence of God.
and in every meeting we experienced the presence of God. and it was mostly through their singing. And their freedom of worship. Dancing. And dancing, and laughing, and hugging, and interrupting people and.
It being a A family-filled worship activity. Like everybody was involved, kids. Um grandfathers, grandparents. They would raise their cane as they're dancing and lift it to the air. It was lovely.
Worship. That's the thing that I got from that trip. And I need to be free to give my entire worship. To God at any moment, at any point. And it's okay to do so because he's given so much to me.
My favorite song that they would come back to. Um You know, they were mostly in Zulu when they were singing these songs, so we didn't really know the language, but our amazing executive officers would send us a message saying, Here's the lyrics of what they're singing in English, so that we would know. And there was one song where we couldn't get the lyrics, and so I was asking somebody, What does this mean? What are these words? And they couldn't say, they're like, well, there's not really words, it's just, they call it a song of uliolation, where they're just.
Praising God with la la la and just raising their voices without even words, but just letting their whole spirit praise God and just coming as they are, and that that was enough. And that one, just every time that happened, I felt my whole body fill with the Holy Spirit. And just the power and the beauty of that moment will always stay with me. I haven't danced that much in my entire life. He danced.
And I'm not alone. I mean, I won't name people in our band who you would not say are dancers by trade, right? They all danced. I can see it. People.
And just. I say dance, it's not really dancing for me, it's moving. It was dancing. Brad danced. It's on record.
Oh, thank you for showing me the emptiness of all I held on to. I surrender it all, surrender my everything for you. I surrender it all, I surrender. The mine? Everything for you.
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These are the words, these are the words of life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. Thanks so much for listening to Words of Life. We want to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the show. Visit lifeaudio.com, where you'll find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network.
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