Thursday, March 21, 2024

Here I Am, Lord!

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” – Isaiah 6:8

It was March 30th, 2023 around 3:00 PM in the afternoon when God called me. I was at one of our favorite haunts near our cottage in Southwestern, PA with my Mom and Brynn. It was a sunny “warmish” day. We were all enjoying the large playscapes and spending some time outdoors with, of course you guessed it, a coffee from the coffee shop at Whispering Pines Gift shop. It was the Thursday before Palm Sunday when a text from Doug Dykstra, our organist, came through, “Tam, I have COVID, can you cover rehearsal tonight?” I of course had to politely decline as I could not physically be home even if I wanted to for rehearsal that evening. Then it hit me, if Douglas is sick with COVID he won’t be able to play this Sunday. This set things in motion for one of the most rigorous weeks of my life as a musician. As it turned out, we needed someone not only to play for Palm Sunday, but for ALL of Holy Week. This is a rigorous week even for those who play for a living. I would learn 8 solos for preludes and postludes, 5 accompaniments for chorale anthems, and 12 hymns. I spent all of my spare time practicing so that I could play for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and EASTER SUNDAY! NO PRESSURE!!

To give some background. I do have a Bachelor of Music degree from Michigan State University, (GO GREEN!) and I did study piano in college. I accompanied my high school choir and taught piano lessons as a teenager. All this said, I have played in church from time to time over the years and have enjoyed sharing my gifts as offerings. However, I typically have 4-6 weeks to prepare ONE piece. The other thing you may not know is that in college I developed a severe case of performance anxiety through a series of unfortunate events. So, I was a bit terrified to say the least.

I wanted to do a good job for God, the congregation, and Doug. I didn’t want to let anyone down, especially since Easter is a special service with many visitors. As the week went on, and as I played more and more, something amazing started to happen. I started to become a little less nervous, was better able to deal with my anxiety, and was feeling more confident. On Easter Sunday, I was naturally still nervous and my playing certainly wasn’t perfect. However, as Jack van Becelaere always said, “it was adequate.”

As it turns out, I was the one who received the gift. God had put me in a situation that not only helped the congregation, but helped me tackle some of my demons. I also felt such love and support from the congregation. I cannot express how much I appreciated all of you rooting for me. So, I say all of this to highlight that you never know what is in store for you when you answer God’s call. At the end of the day, you yourself might receive the greatest reward.

In Christ with Humility,
Tamara Baubie

PS Let us all thank God for Doug’s recovery and pray for his continued good health! (Especially during holy week!)