Will you sing?

While my dad and my uncles can sing beautifully…
While I attended St. Olaf College where they harmonize happy birthday in the cafeteria…

I was a non-singing Ole… and while I can sing, by no means am I as talented as my father or trained for that matter.

Yet, in Israel the children asked. Will you sing us something in English? And I agreed, but first I taught them the same song in Spanish… Jesus loves me/ Cristo me ama… which they did not know. We practiced several times, and with each repetition more children crowded around me straining to hear and adding their delicate innocent voices to the song. The adults were paying attention but still going about their business, it was after all the evening of the churches anniversary. Finally, it was my turn. The minute I started singing in English, everyone and I do mean everyone, went silent and I sang Jesus Loves Me for all to hear that night.

Each evening after that first night, the children approached again wanting to practice their new song. We practiced and I taught them a few other songs and “treated” them each night to one song in English.

Maybe four years of Olaf and four at Luther Seminary, also a place filled with people who can sing, sunk in a bit. Regardless, I left Israel with a promise to learn more songs because the children want to learn and asked me to help them.