[Video link below.]
If you receive my news emails, you’ve already seen this, but if you don’t…
The Slovenian choir tour is over, and what an adventure it was! The prospect of taking 38 students to a foreign country was daunting, but the experience was, without a doubt, one of the most memorable weekends of my life. I have never–never–seen teenagers be so consistently focused, committed, respectful, responsible and a joy to work with. This director only got a total of 13 hours of sleep over three nights, but the sheer energy of doing something meaningful for Christ far outweighed the weariness any of us felt.
We gave two concerts and spent a full morning singing in market squares, and the choir has never sounded so beautiful. One Slovenian lady came up to me after our second performance and said, “Your music was blessed–there is no other word for it.” The students communicated the Joy and Peace of Christmas in a way that moved us as much as it did the strangers who attended our evening concerts, seeing in the students’ bright and sincere faces something they might never have witnessed before in a country where the youth is disenchanted and often disenfranchised. They toiled without complaint, obeyed without question, and showed the kind of character and purpose that touched me in a profound way. What a wonderful weekend of music, friendship, giving and learning!
Thank you for your prayers as we embarked on this adventure. Now I’d value more of them as I negotiate the final few days of the semester (including the Christmas concert on Sunday) while running on fumes (and Slovene fumes at that!).
With great hope in this season of joy,
Michele