Aside from that, for the past several months Brian has had a huge desire and burden to reach out to the many people in our city that are not being reached with the gospel, including the artistic community. We had been praying and brainstorming about how to go about this, and it has been so amazing to see how the Lord has opened doors just within the last couple of weeks! Just recently we found out about a sponsorship program through the Shakespeare Festival, where you can sponsor actors/stage managers, etc. for the year...have them over for dinner, make them care packages, calling and emailing them...just making them feel welcome in Montgomery. We are now sponsoring two girls (one is an actor and the other is a stage manager). As you can imagine their schedules are crazy and busy, but we were finally able to have one of the girls over for dinner a couple of weeks ago, and the other girl is coming over this upcoming week for dinner. We are so excited about this and are really looking forward to getting to know both of them!! Another fun perk about this sponsorship program are the free tickets to the plays!! (We didn't know about this beforehand...I promise!!). Anyway, our sweet girls were able to give us 4 free tickets to the showing of "Charlotte's Web" yesterday afternoon. Jordan was able to stay with Nate, so Brian and I could take Hudson and Henry. This was their first time at a play, and they absolutely loved it! They were so still and quiet throughout the whole thing, just taking it all in!! And...the girl who played Charlotte is one of our girls that we sponsor...the one that's coming over this week for dinner. We can't wait to officially meet her, and the boys were quite intrigued when we told them that "Charlotte" was coming over this Tuesday!
Another neat opportunity we will be having is getting to know the professional dancers in the Montgomery Ballet. Two of the dancers go to our church, and Brian has been talking to them about ways to get involved and get to know these dancers. We were able to go to one of their amazing performances about a month ago...a really fun date I might add...which I never thought would happen...going to a ballet performance as a date with MY husband!! (we have gone to a few performances in the past to support our youth group girls when Brian was the youth pastor, but now it's different.)
Anyway, just this past Friday we had the whole Montgomery Ballet company over for dinner, as well as a couple of other friends. 7 out of the 12 professional dancers were able to come. We had such a great time getting to know them, and amazingly it was so natural and not at all random. The dancers at our church encouraged us to do it, saying that the dancers would not think it strange to come to a stranger's house for dinner...they would just be grateful for the free, homecooked meal!! So we took their word for it, and they set it all up, and they actually came!! They had rehearsal until about 7, so it was a later dinner (which worked out really nicely to have our boys in bed by the time they came, so we could actually talk and not be distracted). We had a great time and really enjoyed getting to know them. We are really looking forward to doing this (at least once or twice a month). Now I'm really excited about going to their next performance because I know them (or at least am getting to know them) now!!
Lately, we've been having families and couples over for lunch after church on Sundays (including today)...in which the Lord continues to sanctify me and break me of my pride when it comes to hospitality ... especially on Sundays...it is just a hard day for me. (I can't even imagine what it's going to be like when Brian is THE preacher every Sunday!) Even Brian is helping in that sanctification. For example, when he called one Thursday evening to see if I was making dinner (it was right after our week of the bad stomach bug where all we were eating was chicken noodle soup and crackers). Fortunately that night we were finally getting back into the swing of things with our mending tummies. Anyway, I was making dinner...thankfully...because he ended up inviting the young, single guy he has been discipling over for dinner...and they showed up 10 minutes later! I had also never even met him before! He definitely saw our family in everyday life...it happened that night for sure. Nate was crying and fussy and wouldn't let me put him down while I was trying to get dinner ready; the boys were fighting with weapons in the family room in the midst of their toys scattered everywhere, and I have no idea how clean the bathrooms were that night!! Anyway, talk about being humbled and not necessarily ready for guests. The Lord is sancifying me, I tell you!!
All that to say, we have enjoyed having people in our home...especially people that do not go to our church. It's been nice to get out of the "Eastwood bubble" and begin to serve and build relationships with those so desperately in need of the gospel!! We are so excited to see what the Lord is doing in all of this!
2 comments:
This is very exciting!! And what fun to be part of the theater community!! We know your interactions will be a blessing to them as it will be to you!!
It is so good to read this blog...and be reminded to me ready to witness and fellowship regardless of the dust. I definitely let too many opportunities pass for those reasons! Thanks for sharing. The community is so fortunate to have you guys!
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