Singing & Dancing...

This past Saturday we went to the Music for Life Choir Training Center for a going away party. Choir 36 & Choir 37 are headed to the States, and we wanted to give them a proper sendoff.

It was such an exciting day! All the parents & grandparents traveled hours from the village in their finest clothes to say goodbye to their kids. They had the opportunity to learn more about what Music for Life does and watch their children perform. Afterwards we had cake & orange Fanta. Then the kids also had photos taken with their family. It was a great celebration!

For those of you that do not know what Music for Life does, let me explain. Music for Life is the parent organization for the African Children’s Choir. They pull kids out of hard situations & train them to be part of a choir. This choir then goes and tours the US/Canada/Europe for 1 year. The kids become ambassadors for Africa. When they return to Africa, their education is paid for through University. They also become part of the Music for Life family!

Many of you may love to travel. Obviously I do! You may dream of going to Europe or Asia one day. Financially it could be a difficult task so you may have a special travel savings account. You may plan to go in 2015 and work towards that goal. It requires hard work & diligent saving, but it is possible!

For these kids, travel is NOT possible. Most of them will never make it out of the city limits. They have never seen an airplane. There is NO savings account. Many can’t even afford to go to school down the road. Some days there is not even enough money to eat.

I sat in a room full of such beautiful people; people that have experienced hardship beyond my imagination…and I shared with them one of the greatest moments of their lives. The impossible became possible! Their children were going to get an education. Their children were going to see the world. Their children were going to be a hope for their family & their nation.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

-Matthew 19:26

I have never seen parents so joyful or proud of their children. When the kids came out in their beautiful costumes & started singing and dancing, the room was filled with shouting, clapping, tribal calls, & praise! I was overwhelmed with pride as well, I started to cry (Many of you know I have never been a crier, a couple months ago I think God flipped a switch. Who knew?!?!) Twenty-five kids were just singing & dancing for their parents. The same thing all of us have done at one time or another. It was truly a joyful celebration!

I am not a mother, just a pretty fun Auntie (I think). I get overwhelmed with pride at my nieces & nephew’s sporting events & school plays. I can’t even imagine the pride & joy a parent experiences when they watch their child succeed, love others well, and reveal the glory of the One who made them. Sitting in that room, their joy was so pure.

That JOY, is how the Lord thinks of us. We are His children, and I know he experiences that same joy when we are doing that which he called us to do. He experiences that joy when we rest in his fatherly love. He experiences that joy when we stand before Him… singing & dancing!