We must sing!

We're home now, but so many memories linger...
One reflection: I can't stop thinking about the singing we heard. On our last night, when we visited the Apostolic church in Khayelitsha, I had the opportunity to sit near Asanda during part of the performance. (As it turns out, members of the youth choir were asked to sit among members of our choir to help us understand the music and language.) I couldn't help, but notice the great number of singers from her church and I asked, "Does everybody sing?" Asanda looked surprised at my question, "yes" she said "it's part of how we bring people to church." She continued, "it's not 'do you want to sing?'. It's like a force in us; it's just something we must do. We must sing!"
I have heard similar statements during this entire journey, that a boy isn't considered a man, unless he sings; that Africans always sing... they sing when they are hurting, they sing when they feel joy. Early in the trip, Sidumo Jacobs urged us to sing from our hearts, "to own the music, embrace it and keep it for the rest of our lives." The Africans we met sing like this, without any self consciousness and often without any preparation. The music just seems to well up and spill out into the world. There are no barriers, not between singers, not between the singers and God. In fact, I am sure that there have been times when all they had was music and God. That's how they sing... as if all they have is music and God.