HEAVEN'S SWEET MUSIC
Early in the morning before dawn, there were hooting sounds of some owl or night bird outside in the trees next to our window. Every morning I looked forward to the waves of sound. There was an order to the events heard from nature's orchestra. The village was quiet when the music began. I loved the echos from other trees full of like feather. It seemed the music was made just for us as heaven's wake up call for prayer. Next came the sweet long warble of some little black bird with a long curved beak.
After the sweet song that reminded me of a wren, I heard the squaks of a crow. I am continually intrigued by how the CREATOR designed all these vocalizations each unique to their species yet all part of the orchestra. The squak was like an audience clapping. Then I heard many green parrots gather to make their raucaus calls as they caught up on the latest village gossip.
Next came the shhh---whop, shhh-whop, shhh-whop as the village ladies did their washing before the sun made the job unbearable.
While
I was recording the song that sounded like a wren, a dear friend Vijaya Kumari
came with Ravi and provided breakfast. While cousins were signing their names in
my prayer journal, she was just full of so much joy that she began to sing
softly. She was not aware that she was part of heaven's orchestra to my
soul.
I wanted to capture her song on tape. It was such a sweet fresh sound unique to India. I took her up on the roof and with my camera recorded her, while she sang a sweet song for me in Telegu.
Her mother Chituma had wanted to cook for us and asked what we could eat. Then Vijayakumari took over the job and daily prepared food.
This
sweet woman and her kind thoughtful son wanted us to come to their
home. Ravi was busy completing third year of engineering training
and was preparing to take exams. In spite of this pressure, he took time to help
us. He translated for clinic and for house calls to see and treat the sick ones
in their homes. God will bless him because of this.
Their home was such a relief from the heat which was torturing us. I took a nap on the cot in their home. It was so refreshing and quiet there.
Ravi
played a song for us on the keyboard and we had such a pleasant time visiting.
We also the next day visited his neighbor who was his relative. Their dog Tommy
kissed our feet with his tongue and made us real home sick for our sweet dog
Patches. As we left, we had special prayer for their family. We expect God will
bless them many times over for the kindness they have shown to us.
We first became acquainted with Ravi after one of the meetings when he asked to be prayed for in his taking of exams. He spoke good English so I asked if he could translate during medical clinics so Provin could leave as he desired for Tenali. The very first time Ravi, his mother and grandmother saw me speak was at the all night prayer session held by his pastor Paul at the Cyclone Shelter. I had spoken for an hour on prayer and answers in my own life. They had been blessed and discovered I was beginning the next day to hold a series. They came most every night.
Among the other patients he translated for, Ravi's own family members came to
clinic that day. There was not the shouting that usually overwhelmed me. They
all knew Ravi would get them in to see doctor.
That
is where I realized his grandma was Chituma and he invited us to her home. We
have come to dearly love and appreciate this family. Often we would stop in at
Chituma's home to return the container which had brought our food that day.
Someone would run it on over to Ravi's home for us.
God
has HIS own orchestra bringing people with their music into our lives that we
can encourage on the road to heaven. He has prepared people who will care for
missionaries. He prepares them to do this work long before they even arrive at
the village. I have seen it over and over in the years I have been in this work.
The mastery of English by Ravi was begun many years before we arrived. Ravi
could not have helped us without his understanding of our language. He carefully
asked what we could eat. He always was sensitive to how we felt. He believed us
and instructed his mother to prepare things which would not cause us pain. We
thank God for Ravi's whole family.
I
greatly appreciated the help of Vijayakumari when she went with us during the
baptism at the ocean. she made sure the umbrella shielded us from the sun. We
were very sick from heat stroke and also had a respiratory infection. The ocean
air felt good to the lungs.