Worship: the universal language

On Saturday, CEDEINFA celebrated their 19-year anniversary. As people of various ages began to arrive at the mission house for the celebration, one thing became clear very quickly: we did not speak the same language. I desperately wanted to hear their stories and get to know them, but it was very difficult to communicate. The four years of Spanish I took in high school never really stuck and the basic phrases I stumbled through only got us through a few minutes. Reluctantly, I gave up and ate dinner with my friends.

After dinner, we gathered as a group in the community room / church of the mission house. An elderly lady, Esperanza, sat next to me, laughed, and grasped my hand between the two of hers — a moment of warmth that made up for all the lost words. After hearing about the organization’s efforts in El Salvador over the last 19 years and courageous people sharing their testimonies, we began to worship to praise God. I was astonished to find they listened to the same worship songs I do, but in Spanish. They switched between English and Spanish as they sang to accommodate the two groups, a powerful moment where I realized that worship was universal. Though we didn’t speak the same language, we could still praise the Lord together.

Fast forward to Monday morning, where we joined CEDEINFA’s team for their weekly prayer meeting. With a little over 25 gathered — around 10 mission staff and 17 of us — we dove into scripture and discussed how God is using each of us to serve these communities. To close the session, we once again began to worship. This worship was more beautiful than any I’ve encountered. Each person sang in their native language at the exact same time. They sang passionately, without reserve, and the energy of the two teams and languages combined overwhelmed me with joy. The words blended together and glory filled the room as we praised the King of Kings who provides for us. This moment brought me to my knees. God’s love and language are universal — He is the link between each of us. As long as we know Him, we can communicate.

The Lord is moving in this place and through these people. I don’t really think I’ve done anything to serve on this trip yet, but my soul is being restored and my heart is full to be surrounded by them and the love of the Lord pouring out from them. Praise be Jesus Christ for His goodness!