Monday, April 19, 2010

Happy's Concert

So as a group project we put on a concert for the kids at Mason Lincoln Special school . We wanted to make it really special, like a nice evening out without having to leave the premises. God blessed it right away by answering our prayers. He kept the rain away! Supposedly a huge storm was going to hit during the concert. We said our prayers here and there asking God to keep it away to make it an enjoyable night for the kids. It sprinkled a bit in the morning, and it didn’t come back until nearly all of us were packed into the car. Thanks God!


We set up a full sound system with speakers, microphones, and an array of instruments. We had guitars, bass, a maraca, and even a harmonica in the mix! I don’t know if the kids knew what they were getting yet. We also had a great turn out of locals ready to support us and the kids. I need to add that the kids were happy to see us. We were greeted warmly and they said they were looking forward to the music. While we were getting things ready by checking the sound system and putting the snacks together this uproar of excitement came about. All of our attention was drawn trying to figure out what made the kids start screaming with enthusiasm, and who but David White appeared from around the corner. You would have thought Beyonce herself had shown up.

We started the concert with some classic Zulu praise songs. All the kids joined in with Siyabonga, Walk in the Light, and good old We Glorify Your Name and a few others. The kids loved the mic getting passed out into the crowd, and Ben was great at getting the kids up and dancing or even wheeling them center stage (literally).

Laura, Julie, and Phil led us instrumentally and vocally through some classic Christian songs. The rest of us did some back up vocals and crowd rousing. The response from the kids was incredible. They were especially excited when Mat picked up the bass. Their smiles, laughter and cheering during the night could keep you energized for days!

Our local supporters came in quite handy passing out some popcorn and drinks to the kids during a type of intermission. Our kids really got into it, even the big kids. Definitely witnessed Matt Blewett whipping out some dance moves while handing out the popcorn. Sometimes you’ve just got to let the music move you.

At this point in the concert we moved into popular songs and good radio classics to complete all the genres. You might say we took it a step too far with Naomi, Ellie, and Katie background dancing to Halo (if you want to learn the moves, I’m sure the video will be on facebook or youtube in the near future), but it just added to the atmosphere of the concert. By the end of the evening even David White “D Dubs” himself and Matt Blewett were on stage impressing all with their ‘dancing’.

We ended the evening with a second round of Walk in the Light by request. At this point the mic was passed between kids as they took turns singing praises to God. A big conga line was formed as we all proceeded to ‘walk’ (or wheel) in the light of God. I couldn’t humanly think of a better way to end that evening with the kids.

When we were packing up, the kids just kept asking when we were coming back. It was so cool to be able to tell them ‘You can join us next Friday for Bible class!’. The kids are really starting to see that we care. Thanks be to God for these fun ways to pass on His love!

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