"Highlights"

Touch Rugby seems to be a favorite pastime sport. Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to watch my friends compete in a tournament playing this sport. I was offered the chance to play along with them, but I respectfully declined, recalling my previous experience of playing "touch" on the beach and always running the wrong direction to catch the ball (rugby passes the ball backwards, football passes the ball forwards). As I watched my friends and noticed the ease in which they passed the ball to each other I knew I'd made the right decision. The experience was extremely fun. Picture a beautiful summer day, a vivid green field, and 3 rugby games going simultaneously, all against the backdrop of a mountain in the distance. The place and day were picture perfect! My friends didn't do so well (only scoring a few points all day) but they had fun playing, and I had fun cheering on the sidelines. I even witnessed a rugby injury. It's funny how people can get hurt with bleeding noses and sprained ankles and just walk it off. All I can think at those moments is, "We'll be getting a call from them at ACC." I came to NZ not knowing much about Rugby, but now it's starting to grow on me. Hey, I'm even planning to see a professional rugby game in a few weeks.

A Beautiful Day!

Warm-ups before the big game.

The rugby ball. Slightly larger and rounder than a football.

Game on!

Smile for the Camera. Yes I have two sets of glasses. I was holding them for a friend.

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Hanging out with friends,

When doing theatre three major wildcards to work with are children, animals, and audience participation. Any one of those alone can add a level of uncontrolability and stress to an otherwise simple play. Combine them together and you've got yourself a chaos. This Sunday, Palm Sunday, I was placed in charge of a skit portraying Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. This skit included not one but all three wildcards: children, a live donkey, and audience participation. Oh, and we weren't able to practice the skit at all until the day of. When faced with this challenge I tried not to be stressed. And failed. Thankfully, Beth, wife of one of our pastors, noticed my distress and prayed with me right then and there. Praise God for speedy answers to prayer! As it turns out, the skit went really well. Our donkey was quiet and well behaved. The children were enthusiastic even if they were a bit confused. I probably should have looked more into why the the people threw their clothing on the ground in front of Jesus. The kids didn't understand why I made them do this. The congregation was a little weak with their cheering for Jesus in the morning, but with a little tweaking of the skit I got the audience in the evening to have a more excited cheer. I really believe the Lord managed all the intricate details of the skit to make it come together and work well.