FITNESS MARSHALL!!!!
How Fitness Marshall drew me closer to the lord, and gave me a better understanding of community.
Month one in India my teammate Elisabeth introduced us to Fitness Marshall. Thirty seconds into dancing she got injured and was in a wheelchair for two weeks… so you would think we wouldn’t do it again. Nope, the next few months we danced on a regular basis.
It started as a way for us to just have fun and be silly. But somewhere along the way it changed to just being a part of us. In Vietnam we went out for New Years and we were using our Fitness Marshall moves.
It just became part of our everyday life, doing it durning ministry and teaching little kids the dance moves, to just being silly.
In the words of the Fitness Marshall:
“Clear the table, grab your dish, serve your dish, MAKE YOUR MONEY!”
Our first experience with Fitness Marshall was our teammate getting hurt. You can look at that moment and say it was a negative one. But we stood outside hand in hand praying for her and praying for healing. We drew deeper as a team.
In Nepal and Vietnam we used it as a way of entertainment and team times and maybe a little bit of a way to distract us from having to go deep, but it had the reverse effect. It was a way of loving Elisabeth well, and allowing us to be silly, goofy and letting our walls down for a moment.
In South Africa, debrief was our last night as a team before team changes happened. They had the jazz band come and play music for us. All 7 of us stood in a circle doing Fitness Marshall moves, laughing and having the time of our lives. (Wish I could’ve just pressed pause for a moment) we were connected and unified.
Then going to Swaziland and doing it most mornings as a workout with Ali and Elisabeth as a way to stay connected and be silly.
To Mendoza debrief when the whole squad of 40 something people are doing it together for our mentor Fran’s birthday.
To our final month working with special needs in the park and teach them Fitness Marshall and giggling with them.
Fitness Marshall taught me that something as small as
“Clear the table, grab your dish, serve your dish, MAKE YOUR MONEY!” Can grow you closer to the people around you than you ever expected. It will teach you to laugh at yourself and let your walls down and to let others in.
Thank you Fitness Marshall and to Elisabeth Chauncey for introducing us to him.
-TaylorB
