Have you ever found joy?

While visiting friends and speaking in churches this past October in Kentucky, we had the privilege of staying with the Calkins family. On their wall I spied a beautiful wooden musical instrument with four strings. In the back of my mind I have been pondering the need for Christian music in our home worship while in Papua New Guinea. I love singing songs out of the Adventist Hymnal with my wife, but neither of us plays an instrument to accompany our singing.

Soon I found out that the instrument on the wall was a mountain dulcimer made by Warren May, a local woodworker. With a tender smile, Mrs. Calkins began to play her dulcimer, and the sweet tones of a hymn filled my ears. She told me that the dulcimer is one of the easiest instruments to play. My heart swelled with joy as she let me play it, too. That night as I lay in bed, I prayed earnestly about getting a mountain dulcimer of my own. In the morning I had peace that this was the instrument I had been subconsciously looking for.

I was privileged to purchase a dulcimer directly from Warren May. He helped me select one made of cherry wood, which should hold up in the extremely humid conditions of Ama. As we drove home from Kentucky, I had a lot of fun learning to play simple hymns.

Ama people traditionally play lizard-skin drums as they chant to spirits during their animistic dances. As we sing songs of praise in the Ama language accompanied by our dulcimer, we want to show that worship of the God of heaven will bring happiness, peace and joy to their hearts.

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