Joys of Community

Today started out very sunny and nice, but now it's dreary and raining. I thought maybe it was just because we are living on top of a mountain as to why it is always so dreary and rainy. But some of the others who have talked to the locals, said that they said, that all this rain is unusual. It's good for the crops, but I really like the sun!

Anyway, this blog post isn't about the weather, but rather about one of the recent things that makes living in community so enjoyable (although it definitely has it's struggles too!). So, as I'm sure you know, we have many different people living all together - singles, couples, and families. To accommodate the families with school-aged children, we have the Mercy Ships Academy. A top notch school on the ship - and I might add, they just got finished getting accredited!! So proud of our teachers and students for that wonderful accomplishment!

But, I'm not writing this to discuss how the school runs, but rather to brag about the wonderful school Christmas play they put on for all of us last night. None of the kids are mine, but I was proud of all of them! They sang, danced, spoke, and acted so wonderfully. The title of the play was "The Fear Not Factor". It was the Christmas story from the angels perspective. It involved all the kids, from grades 1-12 (and I think there is actually at least one kid in each grade this year).

I've been to a couple of school plays before, and they are fun to watch, but I feel that this one had an extra element. Because I knew the kids personalities a bit better than at any other school play, it was even more fun to watch them display their talents and see their personalities come out in their acting and dancing. Also, knowing how similar the kids were in real life to how their characters acted, made it so much funnier.

There's one little boy, who I just love! He is about 8 and was quite bored with the whole play thing, and it really showed, but in a funny way. He was the inn keeper and as he stood there waiting for Joseph and Mary to arrive, he kept looking around with a devious look in his eyes, and tapping his finger together, looking very mischievous, which he is! But it was so fun to see his personality come through in his acting.

I can't do the play justice or describe how wonderfully talented the children are here in writing, but watching them brought such joy to my heart. Seeing how they all pulled together, and how well the older children interacted with and helped the younger ones, was just beautiful to see.

I think it was such a great way for them to start their Christmas break. Not only did it bless those of us living here, but some friends from a local church that some of us have been going to were able to come and enjoy it. Anyway, those are a few of my thoughts on that, so i will close for now. Have a great weekend!