This is a video of our choir's performance of the Testimony Project! I had to cut out some of Jesse's spoken word in order to upload it, so you can read the rest of it at the end of this post!
And here is an excerpt of Jesse and Hilary's impressions of the mission from their latest newsletter.
Jesse's Spoken Word: I Thirst Ok, gather around just listen for a minute, sir, I'd like to take a second tell you two simple words, these words perfectly describe my life's problem since birth, every fight in my life comes from two little words, these words describe the answer to the question of why, the problem of addiction is defined, in two words at one time. I thirst... I thirst…
These two words hold so much power, these words are the reason that drugs are devoured, it's our Lust after power, it’s why men purchase sex for an hour and then leave a human being there to cry in the shower. I thirst….
See, me, I remember this sensation, demanding pleasure now, opposite of patience, this crazy sensation that I was born inate with like Windows on a Dell came with pre-installation, and I hate it, relations with women never seemed to quench this thirst, and when I put my hope in people it just left me worse, like I'm riding through life driving my own hearse, living for a high or to die, whichever came first, I thirst….
I thirst for acceptance, I thirst after something and this thirst is relentless, I don’t know what I search for but my search is just endless, and the more that I try, the more that I'm desperate, desperate for life, desperate for meaning, desperate for anything that seems to complete me, so from weed to mushrooms to LSD, from cocaine to pain pills to ecstasy, and I promised it would never get the best of me, but it left me empty, dead and addicted to everything. I thirst…
I’m just saying, man I searched for a cure but there was no way to tame it, 'cause this thirst that just burned was a thirst for my maker, for a love relationship to know my creator, for the presence of God, for the love of a savior, I thirst… and I didn't know at the time but that savior was Christ, and He took this thirst when He purchased my life, and as he hung there bleeding, mocked and despised, He said two little words to help explain why, these words did not describe a physical sensation, it was the first time my savior felt the pain of separation, when my Christ said these words it was a Spiritual revelation, of the pain that billions of people every day are faced with, He was separated, for the first time in infinity, and the only pain that broke Him, was the same pain that was killing me, but he paid that price to buy my forgiveness and as he died he looked to the sky and He whispered, I thirst... I give up my Spirit, it's finished.
Usually, I like to go all out with making my blog posts aesthetically-appealing. But, this itinerary for our Gens Nova Choir mission trip is such a thing of beauty that I don't think the rest of my post needs much embellishment. I even put a frame around it for your viewing pleasure. ;)
It is hard to convey the amount of work that went into this itinerary! And I think that my heavenly Father had started work on it long before I did! One of the most important goals I had in mind for this trip was interaction with other young adults and making music together. My brother, Jesse, suggested we work with Brooklyn Teen Challenge, where he has served as an intern in the past. When I found out that BTC has a choir made up of rehab students, I couldn't believe how God had already prepared a way to achieve this goal! I decided to travel to Brooklyn in November and create a plan for a choir exchange with BTC. In this exchange, my Gens Nova students will be mentoring the BTC students in choral singing and music ministry. I believe this will be the perfect opportunity for these young singers to be mutually encouraged in their faith, develop their ministry and musical gifts, and form enriching cross-cultural friendships. With the exchange planned, I returned to Seattle in order to save for the mission trip through substitute teaching and begin preparations for my choir's visa interviews. After an incredible amount of research, preparation, and nervous waiting, they went to the U.S. embassy with 7 support letters, pictures of choir events, letters from universities and employers, references from pastors, deeds to houses and cars, birth certificates and authorizations, and even a letter from Congressman Reichert in hand! They were ALL granted U.S. visas. Seeing my choir's nervousness in this process and excitement when they got visas made me realize again how much this mission trip means to them and I am so thankful that I can help make it possible.
This itinerary is a mix of my favorite experiences from both past mission trips and choir tours, so it may seem a little unconventional! I am trying to find the delicate balance between evangelism and ministry opportunities, music education, sight-seeing, and developing relationships. I am so thankful that Hilary and Jesse (my sister-in-law and brother) will be with us sharing devotions every day, contributing their gifts in leadership and ministry, and helping us interpret our musical presentation of Jesse's testimony effectively. At this point, we have ALL of our plane tickets and visas payed for, which amounts to about $14,000!! We also have a good amount saved for our housing and I am working two jobs this month to save for our food and transportation. We are blessed to be staying at Living Waters Church in Brooklyn, which is letting us pay a minimal cost for our housing, prepare our food in their industrial kitchen, and rent a van for a discounted price. Would you consider helping us raise the rest of the money we need for our mission trip? If we don't raise enough, I will be returning to Seattle in March to continue saving until I can pay off the trip, so anything you can give will help me get back to my home and mission field sooner. I have a job, my apartment, and my ministries waiting for me when I return and it has been hard on my choir for me to be away, so I would love to get back as soon as possible! We are still lacking funds for our transportation, food, warm clothing, and sound equipment. You can read about how to give on the right side of this blog in the "Support" caption. Also, please pray for us! We have already been feeling attacked lately and many of the choir members have been dealing with depression, illness, and family conflicts. Please pray that God would use these struggles to prepare our hearts and refine our faith, that He would be on the throne in our ministry, and that we would honor Him in everything we do. Also, please pray that we will form real friendships with the people we minister to, that people would come to know our God, and for an anointing on the art we are creating in response to what He has done in our lives.
Thank you so much for all you have done to support me in my missions calling over the years! You have made this project possible and I hope I can honor your support by passing on this incredible blessing.
Coro Gens Nova singing in a hospital A choir member decided to decorate her folder with Psalm 13:5-6
I got to do some recording on this harpsichord at the local symphony
We bought plane tickets for our mission trip!...to New York!! I just wanted to give a quick update about our mission trip because we decided to make some changes. We were going to buy tickets for Germany, as planned, but found it too sad to leave so many choir members behind because we just didn't raise enough for many of us to go. So, we decided to bring Jesse and Hilary to New York and do ministry together there and we couldn't be more excited! We also will be going in February instead of December because we found a better deal on tickets. Please pray for us as we work to bring all of the details together, but it looks like God is already opening some unexpected doors. =)
A mix of everything, plus one from Ecuador at the end!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Coro Gens Nova will be performing in the largest concert hall in Quito this Saturday!!! Our first song is a tango that we arranged together, then we will be doing an Ecuadorian version of Psalm 23 that is part-arrangement and part-composition complete with lyrics in Quichua, which is the language of indigenous people from the Andes. We will then be performing songs from Syria and a hebrew set from choral composer Eric Whitacre, as well as the Pentatonix arrangement of Save the World. The theme is "A Cry for my Land" and we are crying out to God for peace and healing of conflict in the world! The theatre that the students have written for the performance is incredibly powerful and the dances from countries all over the world, especially countries in Latin America, are truly beautiful! We are so incredibly excited and really can't believe that we have this opportunity...all we have had to do is the creative part of creating the arrangements and practicing and then we just get to show up and sing at this amazing event for thousands of people!!! Please pray for us and also for the countries in the world that are in conflict...we have been especially praying for Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, and also the U.S.
We didn't get very good videos, yet, although we really tried! Here is a link to one on facebook and we are going to continue working on the videos to show you in the near future! =)
This is a video of an indigenous choir we got to hear when our choir performed in a country church a few weeks ago! This song is a good example of traditional Andean music!
Saturday, March 16, 2013
This is my "O my gosh, I'm so happy, I
can't believe I got a resident visa!"face.
This would be my "Heck, yes! I got a
resident visa even though a bunch of
people said I couldn't! yeaaaahhh"face.
Ahem, sorry about that outburst of emotion...it was either that or recording myself screaming or taking a picture of myself passed-out on the floor...which might have been difficult...not really, but it's just so hard to express how amazing this is!
I guess you would have to have been there through all the many days of waiting for hours in crowded government offices, hounding less-than-honest lawyers, making my way through crazy traffic looking for the public notary's offices and fingerprinting place, getting documents translated, sending documents back and forth to the US to get an apostille...with all of the time and money and stress that went into this process, it often felt like a part-time job. And then there was the uncertainty of not knowing whether I would be able to stay in Ecuador or where I would be able to get a visa that works with my unique ministry and work. It has also been one of the biggest areas of culture shock I have experienced, from being made to feel that I am totally helpless and have to humbly depend on the mercy of various officials, to sitting right next to guards holding assault rifles, waiting to transport money in an armored car safely to the bank. My new visa means that I can stay in Ecuador for as long as I want and I can work legally...it's an incredible relief and a confirmation that I'm where I'm supposed to be. Now I have to get my Ecuadorian ID card so that I can vote...and in order to that, I have to go swear that I'm single...not too hard in my case. =)
Meet Doña Maria's house! I wish I could introduce you to her wrinkled, radiant face, but out of respect for the indigenous people here, I try not to take pictures if it doesn't come up naturally. Last Monday morning at 7am, I started the week off by walking through the park to Maria's mountain-side home to buy some milk. She didn't have any milk that day, but her reception was more than worth the walk. She held her arms open wide when she saw me and pulled my head in for a firm hug and kiss, her eyes sparkling...it reminded me a lot of what my grandpa's kisses used to be like. Everyone calls her"Doña Maria" because she has a sort of elegance about her, even though her job is to go through other people's trash to find things she can recycle. Her 90-year-old self is always decked out in sparkly sweaters and dangly earrings; her vibrant grin is full of gaps where she has lost teeth; her eyes are full of joy, even though she can cry at a moment's notice if she is reminded of something that makes her sad. The park where she lives is now a government archeological site and they have kicked all of the other indigenous people off the land, except for stubborn Maria. I think she is one of the mostly lovely people I have ever met and her home is situated in one of the sweetest spots in all of Quito. By the way, it was ok that I didn't get to buy her milk that day...later, I was walking to the grocery store through the high-rise area of Quito and a man walked by trailing four goats...he stopped in the middle of traffic, stuck one of their udders in a cup and sold me the milk...it was such a day of contrasts! Like this morning's blistering sun in contrast with the afternoon's cloudburst and thunder storm...what a place to live!
I'm trying to write brief posts more often to keep you updated! We finally startedchoir again this week and even though I had a bad stomach bug and couldn't eat all day, we got kicked out of our normal practice space, and about a hundred other things that went "wrong", we had a great time! I came away so excited that it was hard to sleep--I missed choir!!! And more than anything, I missed these precious friends that God has brought into my life to encourage as young singers. The young man I told you about from the ministry for street kids came, too! Please pray with me for all of the people who are supposed to be part of this choir to come and for everything to be completely ordered according to God's will for us, especially in all of our hearts and minds! I was also able to finish the guitar and bass arrangements for my song recording...here's hoping the finished product will turn out well! Tomorrow, the Pan de Vida kids are going to be buying my old stuffed animals with "money" they have earned from memorizing Bible verses, they are soooo excited! Also, the girls' Bible study at Pan de Vida is going well, although the girls' prayer requests are sometimes hard to hear...just knowing the reality of what their daily lives are like...some simply ask for prayers for "all of the problems at home". Please pray with us! Also, as an answer to prayer, one of my supporters decided to pay for me to get the bars put on my windows, I am so thankful!! They will be done next Saturday! I also wanted to include this adorable video of Martin, a little down syndrome boy who has been with us since he was a newborn, playing peek-a-boo in music class at FHC.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
my new home
labyrinth of rooftops out my window
the mammoth avocado
happy hiking in the park
Not only do we have awesome prayer time in choir concert intermissions...we also dance Gangnam style =)
I came to thank my God
I finally found my peace
and it's a peace that I can rest in
A shouldered cross I take up this new day
my kneeling prayer this bright morning
I sing my joyful elegy
it's a peace that I can rest in
And I saw my spiritual shame depart from me in the form of a rugged execution tree
your shouldered cross, my penalty,
Oh my Savior, I'll never be the same again
For I was lost
selfish desire my maze, my mirrored cage
storing up heaven on earth
forgetting death will come first
my soul to rise again, oh, I'm born again
Oh weak and hungry man
my God has heard your justice cry
has reached the ear, the ear of the Lord Almighty
the ear of the Lord Almighty
it's a cross that I will walk with and a hope a that you can trust in
My cross a love that will swallow my blinding shame
I don't carry the monstrous weight of my pain
but spread scarred hands wide this love to proclaim
my salvation
and nothing looks the same from this view upon my cross
For I was known by a Father,
his clay, his masterpiece
and for the very first time I, too, see daughters and sons
this love is born in me
and my world explodes inside
I came to thank my God
I finally found my peace
and it's a peace that I can rest in.
Also, here's a simple recording I did...starting from a place of simple dependence and trust, and waiting on God, to see what He'll do from here. God, You Are
This video shows what we do during our weekly music classes at For His Children. Only one child is featured in this video because it will be used for an adoptive family to get to know the specific child they will be adopting. The other kids in the background are also enjoying music class!
This is the Coro Voz Andes Children's Choir performing with the Coro Voz Andes Choir at our Quito Days performances. Enjoy!
These are some articles from my new NEWSLETTER that is replacing my blog. If you would like to see the full newsletter with pictures of kids, as well as some nifty digital scrap-booking, e-mail me at: jilliancomrie@comcast.net. Thanks!
Gently moving the wheelchair of a severely-disabled 16-year-old, Veronica, as we listen to worship music, I realize I unknowingly chose a song with special meaning for the For His Children orphanage. The song “La Niña de Tus Ojos” translates to “The Child of Your Eyes” and talks of God seeing and loving us when no one does. The refrain, “You loved me”, repeating in the background as I rock this child who has no independence and no way to communicate, but is truly a child of Him. For His Children cares for many children with disabilities who will eventually be adopted (over 700 children have been “held in the arms of FHC”, read more: forhischildrenecuador.org). But, some of these children with severe disabilities are not easy candidates for adoption and it's beautiful to see how FHC cares for and loves these children as representatives of their true Father.
My first “classes” in a normal day at FHC are with the babies. I sing to each one, play games and finger plays, and help them move with music and instruments. The next is with three children in wheelchairs, probably the least-responsive to human interaction. I've enjoyed coming up with crazy ways to help one boy, Zacarias, stop make continuous sounds and listen, like hiding behind a chair and pretending a stuffed monkey is singing (I tried that after matching the pitch of his sounds on my recorder didn't work). Next is a class with three more high-functioning children who love dancing and play instruments and games with unrestrained joy. Then, several classes for toddlers and pre-schoolers that have little or no disabilities--six of these children I knew as babies when I volunteered at FHC in 2009. Last is a class for younger children (ages 5-8) with disabilities--a joy as the children all respond to music in their own ways. Leslie is just learning to walk, but she's a talker and narrates like a 40-yearold; Sofia runs around the room or fixates on things like hair bands and when guessing what something is, she always guesses it's a hair band; Flor has a developmental delay but loves music and after learning the “toe song”, points at her feet and claps every time she sees me; Joffrey and Vilma are in wheelchairs, but love trying to “dance” with hand movements and they get huge smiles during music class...
Driving through the ever-changing landscape of incredible mountains, unearthly rock formations, and unending hills in 4 states between here and South Dakota; 7 relatives in one big van; pulled pork and potatoes at long, purple plastic-covered tables; a sense of patriotism and remembrance gazing on giant faces of national heroes at Mount Rushmore; rodeo towns and cowboy hats; a positively Pentecostal sound of exclamation as people from all over the world enjoy Old Faithful's show at Yellowstone Park. Our road trip to my cousin's wedding felt like a cannon ball back into Americana (not the shooting kind, but the kind when you jump in the pool and come out smiling). I found a lot to contemplate remembering my home and everything I love about it, which my love for other cultures could never diminish. Listening to the country music that seems more popular than ever, I get a sense that many Americans are experiencing this rememberance of love for country and history and culture (and, YES, the U.S. has its own complex, fascinating, and even multi-cultural, culture, even though it may not seem exotic, probably because it is the culture we know). Maybe we are listening to country music more because we are sensing the transience of every earthly thing, including this nation that has afforded peace and prosperity to many...and opportunity, to create and innovate in ways human history has never known. (I have been too busy to blog for a while, so I'm trying to make it good!)
Sometimes I think of how I could be a missionary to Latin America in the U.S.
In the time between last year's Ecuador and this year's Ecuador, my uncertainty of the future made me want to research the places in WA where I could teach Latino kids. Driving through Eastern Washington, I remembered small towns like Othello, Brewster, and Bridgeport where 80-90% of students are Hispanic and receive free or reduced-price meals because of the low socio-economic status of their families. If I lived in the U.S., I could have a nice, little house...and save extra money...and not have to look over my shoulder at the market...or wonder how much money I will have to pay to get a package at the post office...and I could breathe clean, fresh air all day because our government can enforce laws that protect us from breathing black exhaust from all the city buses. But, then I wouldn't get to eat empanadas...and listen to salsa music everywhere...and listen to bachata in every taxi...and learn a new language every day...and experience a culture who's loving openness constantly challenges my personal bubble and introverted personality and brings me joy. All I know is that I'm surrendering my life and desires to my Savior and I believe He has shown me that I should be in Ecuador this year for His reasons. And, really, I feel overwhelmed with gratitude, partly because my mind and heart feel clearer and more able to change and focus on what's important. And, most of all, my life has meaning because something about living in Ecuador makes me more able to lay it down. I'm becoming more aware of what's going on in so many lives around the world and I think God is just changing me...and that He is just getting started with what He is going to do.
The end of the school year was full of recitals and concerts. My private voice and piano students performed in several recitals and it was fun to see how much they've grown. A highlight for me was bringing together two fifteen-year-old girls from two totally different schools to sing a duet in French! One is a missionary kid from Alliance Academy and the other a student I teach as a volunteer at the Allegro Institute. They both have worked hard the entire year and their voices blended beautifully together. I didn't anticipate how much my voice and piano lessons would be a ministry for me in Ecuador. Many of my students are young in their faith or don't know what they believe and I get to show them the love of Jesus on a personal level each week, as well as pass on my passion for music. The Allegro choir had another park event, but this time we joined with the instrumentalists and sang Kirk Franklin songs, including Awesome God. The coolest thing for me was seeing the growth in students who had never sung before and it was a big stretch for them to join choir. What a rewarding experience it was being able to see how much the choir improved! I also was able to record some jazz songs in the recording studio at my church. Lately, I have been working to write new songs because I am going to be recording my own songs this year and the proceeds will go to support our ministry at For His Children. It was hard to say goodbye to the 1st-graders and I will never forget our last chapel when thirty little hands were laid on me to pray for the new things God is giving me to do.
I am so happy that I get to continue teaching music and working with kids at the For His Children orphanage this year. This is an orphanage where I volunteered in 2009 and I will be serving as a part-time music teacher and music therapist this year. One of the coolest parts of FHC is that they take in many children with disabilities and most are adopted (often by people from the U.S. and Canada). I am so looking forward to purchasing instruments and beginning our music program when I return to Ecuador on August 1 (you can read more details about the orphanage in my last blog). One of the other new opportunities I'm excited about is working with a local Christian choir of 75-100 members to help them prepare for their Quito Days concert in December. I also plan to start a music club for children in poverty and a group of U.S. Embassy-workers has already offered to help support the club financially! Since I will not be a missionary with Alliance Academy, my "Support" information (see right-hand column) will be changing at the end of August. I will keep you posted on the changes next month, but you can send donations to the same account until then. I am so thankful God has given me a way to help support myself through giving voice and piano lessons, but I will be working from less resources this year and some financial support will be needed. I so appreciate any support you can give to my ministry to impact at-risk kids and show them God's love for them through music. God bless you and yours and I'd love to hear from you!
Beautiful historic corridor in Quito
View from a mountainside cafe
The Good Friday parade in Quito:
I watched Catholics showing reverance
and religious piety for Christ's sufferings
through carrying crosses, wearing crowns
of thorns, walking for miles with bare feet
chained, and other forms of self-torture.
It was hard to watch, but gave me more of
a glimpse into the catholic mindset in Latin America.
The Facts: (http://www.ecuadorexplorer.com/html/vital_stats.html)
Name: Republic of Ecuador
Border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
Highest point: Chimborazo Volcano, 20,702 feet (note: Cotopaxi Volcano in the Andes is the highest active volcano in world)
Elevation of Capital City (Quito): 9,200 ft (the highest legal capital in the world)
Volcanic history: Ecuador has many active volcanoes, as well as one of the greatest densities of volcanoes in the world. Active volcanoes include Cotopaxi, Sangay, Reventador, Tungurahua & Guagua Pichincha.
Due to its great variety of life zones (coastal plain, Andean highlands, rainforest, cloud forest, Galapagos Islands, etc.), Ecuador boasts one the highest levels of bio-diversity in the world. For example one hectare of lowland rainforest can contain as many frog species as in all of North America; one tree can contain more ant species than in all of the British Isles combined; and of the world's known bird species (about 9,000), pint-sized Ecuador is home to over 1,500. The central square of Quito is located about 16 miles south of the equator the city itself extends to within about 0.62 miles of zero latitude. Quito was the first World Cultural Heritage Site declared by UNESCO in 1978 (along with Krakow, of Poland).
Population density: 47.7 people per sq. km (one of the highest in South America)
Population of Capital City: 1,842,201 residents in the 2001 census
Mestizo (mixed Indigenous and White) 65%
Indigenous: 25% (Quichua, the language of the Incas, is the most widely spoken indigenous language)
Spanish and other European: 7%
Black: 3%
Internet users per 100: 1.7 (2001 est.)
PC ownership: 20.3 per 1,000 (2001 est.)
Roads paved: 18.9% (2000)
Economic Aid - recipient: 120 million
Unemployment rate: 8.9%
Underemployment rate: 43.8%
Poverty (% of population below national poverty line): 65%
Child malnutrition (% of children under 5): 45% (2001)
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