Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Our Shining Star

I know I have said this many times before, but I can't reiterate how thankful we are for the Inspire homeschooling group that Faith joined. Not only has she made some wonderful friends, her social skills have improved, she has more confidence, and she has learned a lot in science and history.

Besides all of that, she has gotten to take part in their annual Christmas program, which she absolutely loves. Last year, she played the part of an angel and had a few lines to say. This year, she played the one and only bright shining star. Not only did she get a narration part, for which she had to memorize and say an entire paragraph worth of words, but she got to say the best line of the play, "SO MANY STARS!"

This year's program, Starry Night, Noisy Night, told the birth of Jesus from the perspective of the animals that were present in the stable that night. There were sheep, chickens, cows, and of course a donkey. There were also shepherds, wise men, and angels. Mary and Joseph were there, too. And so was the star.

During practice one day, Julie, the music teacher at Inspire, had Faith say the lines, "and so many stars." (The two previous lines are, "So many sights! So many sounds!"). From that moment, Faith wanted that part. Even though the script called for other characters to say it, Julie generously gave her the part. Faith practiced every day - she knew all the songs, not to mention everyone else's lines. I kept telling her she could only say her lines during the program. I also told her that when there was a duet or solo, she couldn't sing their parts, even though she really wanted to.

At home, she sang the songs beautifully, but during Inspire, she only sang her favorites. At home, she recited all her favorite lines, but at Inspire, she did her best to restrain herself and let the other kids say their parts. I had no idea what would happen during the actual program.

Besides helping her, I had to come up with a star costume for her. One day while out shopping, I managed to find the perfect star outfit - a midnight blue dress with gold and silver stars, complete with a little gold jacket. I also grabbed a black pair of leggings with gold and silver stars because I honestly didn't think Faith would go for the dress. When it comes to clothes, she usually opts for comfort over style.

I also grabbed a ton of arts and crafts items in the hopes I would somehow be able to create a star to mount on her chair. I had no idea how to do it. Pinterest was of no help whatsoever. Apparently turning a wheelchair into a star is not really a thing that people do.  I bought some tag board, a string of gold garland, lots of glitter, a roll of gold wrapping paper, two strings of LED battery-operated lights, and some really cool sparkly gold duct tape.

When I got home and told Faith she could either wear the dress or the leggings (with a black shirt that I was somehow going to glue some stars on to), she surprised me by yelling, "The dress!" Little did she know that she had just made my life a little easier. Now, I wouldn't have to worry about the shirt. She wanted to try the dress on right away and we discovered that it fit her perfectly. We also discovered the black leggings looked great underneath, despite the fact they were black and not midnight blue. She wore her outfit to Inspire the Tuesday before the program. I had also strung some lights through the bottom of her chair. Everyone loved her star look. So far so good.

Faith on stage with the shepherds, angels, and animals
The next day we got to work on the actual star. One of my friends had posted a picture of some Star of David cookies she had made for Hanukkah and I noticed the star was basically two triangles. I figured I would go for it. To my utter dismay, I couldn't make an equilateral triangle. It's harder than it seems! My sister-in-law said I should've used a protractor. Yes, I should have, I told her, while trying to remember what in the heck a protractor is. Math was not my strong suit and I had nearly failed high school geometry.

By this time, Faith was getting quite impatient about this whole star deal. I had to come up with a plan B. I basically used two squares to make the star. The trick was to make sure the star stayed put while resting on the push handle of Faith's chair. Somehow it all came together - the star just had to stay in place during the actual program.

Faith and friends
We had to be at the dress rehearsal at 5:00 p.m. The star looked great, I put lights on the star as well as her chair, and with her star outfit, she looked amazing! The other kids crowded around her telling her how much they loved her star costume. During the rehearsal, she was extremely excited. When it was her turn to be pushed up to the microphone for her narration part, her whole body tightened up, making it hard to enunciate. She said her other line, "So many stars" perfectly.

Faith's star all lit up - along with the candles for Silent Night
By the time the actual program rolled around, she was getting tired. It ended up being a good thing, though, because her body wasn't as tense which enabled her to say her lines loud and clear. She even tried to sing along with her friend, Maddie, with her solo. Maddie just smiled and kept on singing. It ended up being a great program, and even though Faith didn't sing like she did at home, I couldn't have been happier for her. Not only was she our shining star that evening, she is our joyful, sparkly girl all year round!

The entire Inspire group
Faith with her Grandma Deone, baby cousin Marla, and auntie Lisa




Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Faith Loves Immersed Night of Worship


It can be hard for Faith to try new things. She loves routine, which makes it hard to adjust to change. While that’s true for many us, it can be nearly impossible to get her to try something different. There are some things I just know she’ll love if she’s able to give it a chance. And that’s exactly what happened a couple of years ago with New Life’s Immersed Night of Worship. A lady from the worship team started the monthly event, and even though Faith was a little hesitant about going at first, she has come to truly love it.


At Immersed, Monica simply stands at her keyboard and sings worship music. Those who attend can worship in whatever way they want to - by singing, dancing, sitting quietly, or even lying down. It's a night that the Holy Spirit is free to move and Monica lets the Spirit lead.



Over the past several months, there has been as many as 30-some people filling the small room at the church office. Other times, there has been less than 10. People come with expectant hearts to spend time with the Lord and soak in His presence.



Faith loves it because it's just one voice and one instrument, and not really loud like the worship music can get in a church setting. Faith has memorized many of the songs and she doesn't hold anything back when she's singing along. I can't help but think how much God must absolutely love that! Personally, I think He loves it when we worship with total abandon. You can hear Faith in the video snippet below singing along to a song Monica wrote.





Faith has come to realize that every time we go to worship night (as we call it), it's different every time. A few things are the same - Monica usually does a short teaching or shares something that God has laid on her heart, plus she always asks if anyone has a testimony to share. While some things are the same, the Holy Spirit shows up in different ways each time. Sometimes, it's all very calm and quiet, while at other times, it can get loud and people are clapping and singing praises at the top of their lungs. Oftentimes it ends in people receiving prayer.
 
At first, Faith was too anxious to take part in things like having people gather around her to pray for her, but as she has become more comfortable, she willingly wants to take part.

Faith loves her friend Monica!

The other night, we did something called a "fire tunnel" where everyone lined up opposite one another forming two lines, forming a "tunnel." Then, one by one, each person walked through, and as they did people reached out and prayed for them.


One time we did the fire tunnel and Faith was too nervous, but the other night she wanted to do it. Rob pushed her through and she had a blast! She also loved seeing everyone else go through it. 

Last month Monica did a Facebook Live version of worship night and Faith has probably watched that video a hundred times! During the most recent Immersed Night of Worship, I recorded the event just so Faith had a new worship video to watch.


Faith loves Immersed Night of Worship so much that she's already looking forward to next month's event!