We have been in Marion NC since Sunday around 2pm. We have been putting on a VBS for the little Marion SDA church. We were here last year and when they had no children attending there church. After last years VBS, 10 children have been attending on a regular basis.
This year the attendance grew every night until the last night there were 24 kids attending. What a huge success it was. The first night the kids were shy and quiet, and barely participated. Tonight all 24 kids were dancing to the music, doing the motions and with such joy praising God. It was a beautiful site to behold. What a change in a week. On Sunday, everyone was quiet and today they were all loud and participating, laughing.
My group of students have been suffering with sickness this week. One after the other, so we have had to fill in, adjust, and they have worked as much as possible. It has been far from a perfect week but tonight we knew without a shadow of a doubt that we were meant to come to this place, we were meant to meet these people and we were greatly blessed!
So what does it all have to do with living MtC... well as I mentioned in a previous post this week I played a dance game with the Wii for the first time ever. Tonight as I watched the little kids doing the motions and being filled with such joy I prayed that no one will crush their spirit. I prayed that the freedom they felt to praise God in such a uninhibited way will continue their whole life. Tonight as I watched them, I felt sad for me...me as a little girl... me as a teenage girl.... me the inhibited, to ashamed to be crazy, to bottled up to let go and be free. So tonight as I watched them dance, I said to myself, "I'm sorry you have felt that way, I'm sorry somehow your spirit was crushed.... I'm so sorry Beth. If you want them to be free the start by being free too!!! Show them, be the example, delight in them, get up and really participate!" I did!
I don't know how and why my spirit was crushed, I frankly don't think I need to know.... I am now saying to that girl, "you are free to jump dnace and praise the Lord, be free to be silly! Be free to find your inner goofy and remember everyone is weird so just be you!" The other night when I was dancing with the game, I kept saying, "be silly it is good for you! be goofy it is good for you! Look like an idiot....everyone should at some point!" It was a start.
I'm done being the pent up sober minded girl! Tonight watching the joy of those kids gave me just a little more courage to be me, a little more courage to stand up and praise the Lord.... just a little crazy! Living MtC for me has to include being free to be down right silly, to look it , act it, to embrace it!
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