The Dennis Life

Monday. Day 1.

To bed at 4:30 or 5AM, and so with only five hours of sleep our first day in Mumbai begins. We meet around the lunch table at 12:00PM for our first team meeting. IWI’s (International Worship Institute - http://worshipinstitute.com/) “team India” 2007. Here we were, people seated around the table from all over the globe; the local hosting church pastor, Pastor Shelton from New Life Fellowship, his American missionary friends who booked the Worship Institute in for this event, Dwayne and Leslie from Sower of Seeds Ministries, our local Hindi worship leader for Ascend 07, Shannon, our local Hindi lead guitarist, Benny, our leader from the International Worship Institute, LaMar Boschman, and those of us making up Team India from all over the United States. We went around the table and introduced ourselves, heard from the local pastor about his heart’s cry for his country and the work they are doing, shared a meal together, and then down to business planning the event.

Breakfast and planning complete, we settle on a time to meet in the lobby for the cars to carry us to Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Auditorium (from here on out, known as the hall). Sound guys are leaving soon to go to the auditorium to get that all set up and ready to go and the rest of us are asked to meet at 2PM in Matt’s (our unbelievably amazing sound engineer) and Sion’s (our incredibly gifted and humorous music director) room for rehearsal and to plan the music set for worship this afternoon and this evening.

I only have a little time to pack my little travel bag to carry back and forth to the hall and to take some quick pictures of the hotel.

2PM and rehearsal begins. LaMar opens up with a prayer and his vision for our week in India. He reads from 1 Corinthians chapters 2 and 3 and shares this is what God has laid on his heart for our time together. We’re all wondering what our part will be? We meet each other more directly. LaMar introduces the music director and band. LaMar, the director and founder of the Worship Institute (and person of great worship vision who has pioneered the field for 30 years). Sion, music director, worship leader, songwriter, amazing keyboardist, and group wise guy. Buddy, worship leader, vocalist, majorly cool bass player, and really nice guy. Mandi, incredibly gifted vocalist, Irish pipes player, and lovely young woman (she‘s been our liaison over the past 2 months while she‘d been in India ahead of us and guided us in the local ways). Alison, worship team member back home, lovely alto vocalist, roomie, and like me, just doggone thrilled to be there in the room. Cheri, LaMar’s PA (personal assistant) for WI Mumbai, worshipper herself (although she claims she can’t sing but we know otherwise), sweet, sweet young woman who’s got it going on, roomie, and like all of us, just happy to be here.

And then there’s me. How’d I get here? What am I doing in this room? What part will I play?

Sion takes over the meeting and passes out the song list (I know maybe 2 songs on the list, oh no!!!!!!). LaMar says he just wants us to worship together for a little while and get on the same page. He says that maybe not everyone will be on the platform but we’ll all play an important role (OK, so I’m thinking, this is definitely “audition” time). So I’m pedaling as fast as I can, Buddy’s playing his base, LaMar is playing his guitar, and Sion doesn’t have keys yet so he’s using the tracks on his laptop. So we start going through the songs, and I’m catching on as we go, not too bad, and as always, I’m hearing the high harmonies. Sion’s leaning in and listening hard to our mix and harmonies (he’s a harmony guy). He points to me and says, “Yes, that’s the soprano part my wife usually sings, good.” (We’re working on one of his songs.) So I’m thinking that’s probably a really good sign. I have no preconceived idea or thought even that I might be part of the worship team, and really, was ready to do whatever was asked of me just to be of service, learn, be mentored and be part of the experience!

So rehearsal is over, we’re given our instructions to meet downstairs at 1PM ready to load up and go to the hall early for a sound check. So yeah, Sion will be lead male vocals and keys and music director for LaMar, Mandi will be lead female vocals (you should hear this girl sing, she has pipes and has a style all her own), and Alison’s on alto, Buddy’s on tenor and bass, and yes guys, I’m on soprano. Woohoooooooooooo!!!!!!!

Unbelievable….speechless once again…

4PM. We load up, a little shell-shocked and travel weary, but running on adrenalin and ready to go. Finally on our way to Shanmukhananda Hall where we will spend the next three days teaching and ministering to Indian pastors, worship leaders, worship teams, sound engineers and anyone else from the local hosting church New Life Fellowship who wants to attend. We are told they are hungry for instruction and a refreshing and renewing in the Spirit and leading their people in worship, and ready for a breakthrough in understanding and participation of worshipping God Almighty! The New Life Fellowship home church in Mumbai is the church where home groups and other churches have been seeded all over India. There are 25,000 in attendance in the Mumbai area alone and number around one million at sister churches all over their country. The thought is staggering and I can only imagine what it will be like being part of a training for this venue over the next week.

Back out onto the Indian streets. It’s daylight now and we can see things more clearly. The buildings are still stark and I’m amazed at the size of the street shops and living shacks intermingled. There are people everywhere! Walking in the street, walking on the sidewalks, milling around the storefronts (not what you and I would ever think of as a storefront). There is store after store, shack after shack, block after block, and their common size is about 20 feet wide by 20 feet deep, if that. Past open air markets selling beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables, some stalls with beautifully and richly colored scarves and gold jewelry glittering in the sun (I want some of that!). Then a brightly painted concrete opening painted either bright blue or orange or red, with flower garlands hanging and baskets of fruit and incense urns__holy shrines I’m told, either to this God or that God__a land of intense worship. Their situation is desperate, they are poor, they work ten hours a day seven days a week and all for 6,000 rupees a month. And that’s for the common man earning an excellent salary. 6,000 rupees is only around $180!!

Speechless…

We reach our destination and we’re ushered behind iron gates with intense security. The guards use a mirror to do a bomb check under the car before we’re given entry in the hall parking area. The people brush past the cars, looking inside to see who has arrived with such ceremony…

As we get out of the cars, we’re greeted warmly, always so warmly; they are a gracious, polite and loving people. Introductions are made all around (I only hope I can remember everyone’s names later) and we’re led through the stage door entrance and across the platform to the green room where we will live over the next few days. The lovely bright-eyed people bow slightly with their hands in prayer position with their fingertips to their foreheads and say, “Namaste.” Welcome! “Thank you. How do you say thank you in Hindi?” “Shukriya.” “Shukriya, and we’re so happy to be here, really!!!”

To be continued…