MISSIONS VARIETY SHOW

I wish I had photos... some folks took them last week, but so far none have been sent to me. I was too busy to take any, as you will understand.

March is Missions Month -- Hearts for the Harvest -- at our church. I was on the missions board for a couple-plus years, but I am NOT administratively oriented. At all. Become so bored I can't even think straight. I finally just told them that I trusted that their financial choices and other decisions would be godly and done with integrity-- and I was out of there.

However, I've always been missions oriented, since shortly after coming to the Lord nearly 45 years ago. Have studied and taught and studied some more -- and been one in Uganda -- and am one here for the Bhutanese and Karen now, right up the street.

Last year the Lord dropped an idea into my life and I put on a show based on Ed Sullivan... an MC focused variety show. The music/songs and MC dialogue, skits and puppet show and all the other elements were in my lap-- either writing or choosing. It was an intense time for me, but I thoroughly enjoy that type of "God-job".

Well, in August as I was driving home from the NW across the Rockies, I was listening to a CD and heard the Steven Camp song, "Where are the Heroes Now?" and it slammed me that that would be what the next show could be if the missions board was willing to let me do it. They were.

ANYHOW, the blessing? In this whole process I had hoped the Mission Team would truly understand where my heart was with this and the heroes focus. Well, I received a card from the Missions Team...

Dear Joanne,

Thanks so much for writing, producing, and acting in the Hearts for the Harvest Variety Show.

The theme was very appropriate and you wove so many different aspects into it.

The fact that you did this in the midst of your many other ministries truly shows that it was a work of God and He was honored in it.

Please extend our thanks to all who participated in this great show.

I was overjoyed with this blessing. Believe me, it was a hard-working experience and I had hoped beyond belief that people's hearts would be touched. [I'll probably be posting a couple pieces of it one of these days... the main hero focused on was Eric Liddell, so you might find that interesting. Just want to keep hearts and minds open to how the Lord led people like him, buried in huge difficulties, and how He is preparing us for our future, both individually and culturally. My usual intensity is pouring forth... can you tell??]