Originally published on September 2nd, 2014

“Before this teaching, I thought God could only hear me when I prayed in Swahili,” says an attendee to the workshop in Mariwanda, Tanzania. “Now I know God hears me when I pray in Taturu.”

This woman and the other participants in Mariwanda had just spent three days delving into some of what the Bible has to say about worship. Pouring over passages like Revelation 7:9-12, John 4:5-26, Numbers 10:1-10, 2 Samuel 6:12-23, Romans 15:9-13, and many more, they see a glimpse of what worship in heaven will look like, learn how Jesus’ conversation with a Samaritan woman changes everything, and see creative responses to God’s glory in the lives of Moses, David, Paul and others. The greatest reward here, for us as the facilitators, is seeing the hunger with which the participants study the Word. It seems as though they cannot get enough.

On the fourth day, we visually and audibly capture over twenty-five songs and dances. The participants perform joyfully with all their might, praising God with all their hearts, fully understanding the words that they sing.

At the end of each day, the participants stay in town to practice and  fellowship. Some start the three hour walk back to homes without electricity even while the sun disappears behind the mountains. With these songs, the Taturu, Ikizu, Nyaturu, and Sukuma are carrying a different kind of light into the darkness.