Worshipping In Three Languages

Last night, we ditched our Sunday night prayer meeting, packed up Silas, and drove 98 miles to see a commissioning service at Celebration Church. One of their pastors and his wife will be returning to Cambodia to share the good news of Jesus with the people of Cambodia who have not yet heard His name.

It was beautiful. 

The room sang praises to Jesus in English, Spanish, and Cambodian. They took the time to translate everything into Spanish and English. 

People were there to worship Jesus, the longer the better. People were clapping off beat. Oddly enough, I’ve missed that. Slides didn’t always match what the singers were singing and you could see the confusion on the singers’ faces. Again, never thought I’d miss that, but it turns out, I’ve missed that. 

Worship was eclectic, which was fun. There was an unfamiliarity to this time and place, and simultaneously also a deep assurance that this was what life is all about. It felt like I was on the mission field and I was at home. This was a diverse body of Christ, coming together in unity, to celebrate who He is, what He has done, and what He is doing.

While I didn’t get to hear all that Pastor Gary Tangeman had to say (a 2 year old up past his bed time = lots of running around for parents), I did hear him passionately share about Luke 15 and the celebrations described in those 3 parables. I heard him share how God miraculously spared Sonly’s life in his youth during the time of the Killing Fields in Cambodia. God has already used Sonly and Phalla to plant 5 churches! Then Pastor Gary told us something I hadn’t heard of before - that missiologists are saying we’re in the ‘red zone’ right now. (It’s a football term, for the zone before the end zone. Go sports teams!)

The commissioning service was part celebration, and part rallying cry that this Christian life is war. We believers are all on team Jesus and He gets the W at the end of the day. From our perspective, this Gospel work is hard, and yet commissioning services like this ground us in the mission of God. We’re here for a purpose. Prayer is primary. Matthew 24:14 is central. The King is coming back ya’ll!

After the service, the hosts graciously extended food to us (yes please!). Silas ate white rice and it dawned on me that I’m a lame Asian mom and I haven’t been feeding him the staple of my childhood. Some kids bumped into Jeff while he was holding a bowl of curry and the curry spilled on the floor. And who comes to help clean it up without skipping a beat? Sonly. He could have been schmoozing, he could have been greeting guests, he could have been saying his goodbyes since he leaves this Thursday. But no, he grabbed some paper towels, stooped down low, and cleaned up our mess.

I pray that South Bay Christian Alliance can be a sending church like Celebration Church. I pray that we finish well and (if the Lord tarries) that we are willing to keep pressing into unreached areas, and yes, stoop down to clean up food spills in the hallway. 

The livestream of the commissioning service for Sonly and Phalla Goy can be found here: https://youtu.be/f-7MQU4JdtE. Enjoy. May it bless you and encourage you richly.

About 96% of the Cambodian population is still unreached. If you want to partner with the mission work that Sonly and Phalla Goy are doing, you can donate via Celebration Church.