By Micah Castleman, student writer
When I came to Queenstown, New Zealand, with the Harding University in Australasia study abroad program, I expected breathtaking mountains, new adventures and lasting friendships. What I didn’t expect was how much I’d miss sitting at a piano.
After a few weeks, I couldn’t resist the urge to play again. I walked down to St. Peter’s Anglican Church, a beautiful old stone church near Lake Wakatipu, and asked if I might use their piano for a little while. The vicar invited me in for coffee, and we talked about music, faith and life in New Zealand.
By the end of our conversation, he asked if I’d be willing to play the hymns for their Sunday service. That next Sunday morning, as I sat at the piano and the congregation began to sing, I felt completely at home, even though I was half a world away.
After that service, I thought that was the end of my time at St. Peters, but the vicar (and the Spirit) had other plans. He saw me eyeing the old pipe organ in the humble building, and since All Saints Day was coming up, the timing was just perfect. He reached out to me once again, and after another filling conversation and delicious cookie, I was back in front of an instrument come Sunday morning. This time, it was at the organ, a place I hadn’t seen myself in two weeks before.
God has a way of weaving our passions into his plans. What started as a simple question turned into a chance to serve, connect and make music that brings people together.
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