You don't need to know the words to sing along.

Our first outing into Burkina Faso was to the largest church in the city. The parking lot was covered with playing children, vendors, families and people passing by and joining in the early morning celebration. We were escorted to the front of the church which held services in French.

By the end of the trip, i would learn how to understand people by watching and listening though I could not understand their words. This experience was my first full cultural immersion and proved that the love of Jesus transcends national boundaries. We sang familiar hymns in french and learned a few songs in traditional African style. Certain pillars of my home church such as the faithful camera man, zealous pastor and the praying mothers of the church were present, making me feel at home with this group of believers.

We all joined together in thanks to praise God for giving us another opportunity to worship in His house. I began to hum along shyly as we sang songs in the service. The desire to participate overwhelmed my fear of standing out and I could hold back the songs no longer. After over 20 hours of travel and adjustments I was back home, though in a different place and with different people who agree that, "...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17)"

" 2 Corinthians 3:17.