After living my first 9 1/2 years in West Africa without electricity, relying on solar power, I thought I might enjoy having electricity when I relocated to the city. The answer to that question is a resounding “NO!” Why not? Everyday the power is cut for a few minutes, a few hours, or even a day. This little country does not produce enough electricity to supply the ever increasing demand. Daily, I have to wonder, how long the power will be off, will my food go bad, will I have fans to sleep, will my water stop because there is no power to pump it? These unknowns are stressful and exhausting. I am diligently working on getting my backup power situation repaired to ease some of this stress.
What do you do when the power goes off in the middle of a church service? Stop and imagine for a minute, mid worship song, the power goes off. No stage lights, no room lights, no microphones, no electric instruments, no screen, and no AC, fans, or heat..
A few weeks ago this happened in a church service here and the worship leader leapt out of his seat, started singing louder, and clapping a beat. The guy on the electric piano jumped up and grabbed an African drum. Myself and the congregants whipped out our hand fans. Worship, Christian fellowship, and preaching did not stop, we just got louder. What a beautiful thing to see the Lord at work in The Gambia.
