It was something like that anyway.  All Dressed Up And No Place To Go was the title of the speech I gave in eighth grade for the area music and speech competitions.  I can’t remember exactly what the event was called, but my memory of giving the speech being supported by my mom, sister, and grandma and all the coaching Mrs. Bosma (my Aunt Karen) did to help prepare me is vivid.  For those of you who knew me in those days, you may be speechless imagining me getting up in front of a group of people.  I was painfully shy in elementary school.  I don’t even like to think about it now...it was painful! I’m almost embarrassed to think about it.  I wanted to “come out of my shell” but just didn’t have the courage to do so.   With that scenario in mind, you can imagine what a triumph it was for me to deliver this speech.  

 

I was remembering this tender and affirmative moment in my developmental years as we rode to church today.  I wasn’t in the mood for church today.  I’m not feeling well, it takes so much energy going to new churches, and we just never know what we will encounter once we’ll get to church.  The worship is unfamiliar to us, we don’t always understand the cultural nuances, people constantly stare, it is hot and the music is usually loud, we don’t quite know when the service will be over, and well, it’s just different.  But we are all worshipping the same God.  And since church isn’t about us...and because I know and have experienced the importance (and beauties) of the Body of Christ and communal worship...I sucked it up and got dressed.  We piled into the Toyota Condor in order to find this new church we were going to visit....to no avail.  We rode around, examined the map, and asked bystanders but just couldn’t find it.  After 45 minutes in the car, we headed back home.  All Dressed Up and No Place to Go kept ringing in my head and made for a rather humorous moment when i explained my eighth grade speech and the images in my head to Mike, who was a bit frustrated at the time.  We have found humor to be a sanity-saver as we adjust to the new cultures around us.

 

 

photo:  After doing Amira’s BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) lesson for the night, I returned to our lamp-lit bedroom to find Amira “studying” away.  She loves doing her daily lessons, has her memory verses down-pat the first evening, and loves to flip through her Bible on her own.  Since we don’t have the option of Christian schools or church programs to help Amira learn the Bible, this program has been a treasure to us.  It’s been a bonding experiencing for me to do the lessons with her and has been so fun watching her grasp and learn the truths of the Bible.