For the SLAM service week Uganda I functioned as one of the Audio Visual Tech crew members. This meant that under Melonie Flores’ leadership that I helped to set up and tear down the audio and visual equipment for the SLAM service week. We are lucky to have an incredible band who set up their own equipment and have their own sound engineer. These guys are very talented and work very hard. I am very grateful for them.
Every session, which contains a time of worship and a sermon, and major event I was responsible for recording the time. I and the other AV members set up our two cameras and streaming/recording system multiple times every day in various other locations. Though we have become proficient and continue to improve, it has become a challenging task to do the same thing that quite frankly can often feel so disconnecting from everyone else every day.
I haven’t gotten to directly participate in any of the worship times or take many if any notes on lectures as I have been operating cameras to record the sessions. Being seperate in this way is something I am used to having done AV work for a long time in school but it has at times felt a little more disheartening on this trip as I was hoping to be able to participate more.
Through this challenge I have had to remind myself that what I am doing is a service and that in order to serve I have to set my self aside. I am here to serve and that has been something I have had to let characterize my work. It is not something that I negatively dwell over because I know that because of what I am doing more people will be able to witness God moving on this trip through our AV teams recordings. I know that what we are doing is important and because of that I make the choice not to let it be something that separates me from God’s presence in the room but an act of service that brings me closer to him.