Ministry this month has come to completion. Teaching the kindergarten this past month brought joy to all of us. The kids antics and constant energy always left us with some story to talk about each day. Teaching music also went very differently the last bit of the month. It pulled me out of the shyness that I revert to typically with my musical ability. It was also encouraging and exciting to see the kids music ability flourish. They are very gifted musically and will do well as they continue on.
All of our programs have finished as well. From the many nights of practice at the church to caroling on the 20th till 1am. From dress rehearsals to the final performance of the Christmas event at the mall. And finally, the Christmas Eve service as well. All of these experiences bring joy to my heart and a smile to my face as I look back at them.
Caroling was tremendous fun. From the car rides and conversations there in, to singing carols and talking with the hosts afterwards and having fun with the children. The songs my team learned in Tamil and Malay are not going to be ones we forget very quickly, and even now continue to get stuck in our heads on repeat.
The mall event went better than we could have hoped. This was the first time songs with Jesus Christ in them were sung in this mall, the first time the Gospel message was presented there (even though it was done without words through a skit). It was encouraging to see those who came out, stopped and listened, or the shop owners who were present.
The Christmas Eve service was equally as delightful. From the passionate sermon that was preached that held so much truth to the dancing of the children and the socialization that followed until long past midnight. It was a great evening, a great month, and I can truthfully say that I am very sad to see it come to an end. I will miss this ministry, and it is one that I foresee myself coming back to again one day.
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The mall program consisted of an hours worth of time. During it the church and my team sang songs both in English and in Tamil and Malay. The children performed two dances, one to a English song and another to a Tamil song. Both were choreographed by my teammate Rebekah Davidson. The kids were so great to watch, and at the end of the program when they played the song again, my whole team joined them in the Tamil dance. It was and is quite a fun dance.
One piece of the program was a skit that my team had the honor of performing. It was a “cover” of the Life House skit that was extremely popular a few years ago. If you haven’t seen this skit before, it is about the life of a person. How the person gets swept away by lust, greed, beauty/pride, alcohol, and eventually depression and suicide. Finally, the person starts fighting back and reaching for Jesus. It is only when Jesus comes in and fends off the holds of the world that the person finds release and rest. Jesus saves the person and gives His own righteousness to him/her and this is shown by the transformation of a black shirt to a white shirt.
For this skit, my squad leader, Haley, played the role of the boyfriend. Rebekah played the role of greed, Elise the role of pride, Mariah the role of alcohol. Emily played the role of the demon who takes the form of depression. Laura played the role of Jesus, and I played the role of the person who’s life took the drastic transformations.
For me, this was a really growing experience. Not at first. At first, it was just fun to be practicing the skit with my teammates and working together on it. But, later I finally realized that the prayer I’d prayed at debrief in Cambodia had come to fruition. That I was dancing joyfully with God.
I have never been a dancer, and aside from not knowing how to dance, I have always felt awkward doing so. But God is a God who answers prayers. I have experienced so much joy in many different areas this month. Most of which has to do with ministry and my walk with God that has been daily changing and growing. This month has just brought so much joy.
But, in this skit, I had to dance. I danced not only in front of my team, but in front of my ministry host and the church members, and those who came to the mall event and to the Christmas Eve service (where we performed it again). Looking back, seeing this answer to prayer, has been so encouraging to me. Seeing how God has filled my life with joy and has taught me how to dance is a journey I have loved taking.
Below I am attaching a video from this month that I’ve put together. At the end, I’ve added the video of the skit. I hope you enjoy it.
Till Next Time,
Kara Faber
“People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa… I never made a sacrifice. We ought not to talk of ‘sacrifice’ when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father’s throne on high to give Himself up for us.” ~ David Livingston
