"Then maidens will dance and be glad.
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow."
Jeremiah 31:13
These verses, along with many others in the Bible, talk about dancing before the Lord or dancing for joy. For some, the pure joy of what the Lord has done for them leaves only one option - to dance before Him!
Last fall, our oldest girls and I started a liturgical dance team at our church. It was such a joy to dance with them, especially knowing where they have come from and what they have suffered throughout their short years of life. Living with them as the Lord restores their hearts and lives is a privilege and honor, but that restoration is not always an easy or pain free process. So, trying to explain what I feel as I watch them dance with joy before the Lord is truly beyond words. While their joy is expressed through dance, my joy is expressed through tears of gratitude.
Since last fall, another young lady has taken over the group and I have stepped down (to care for the rest of the children!) and Angie has moved on to being a Sunday School teacher. However, Diana, Martita and Jocelin continue on the dance team, as well as Erika, the daughter of one of our staff members (Magda). In fact, Diana has taken quite a bit of leadership within the dance team, learning and teaching new routines. The younger girls on the team really look up to Diana and Martita and the dance team has given them another purpose to live for, an opportunity to express their worship and gratitude, as well as opportunities to show responsibility, discipline and to serve as role models for other young women and girls. Praise God!
The following video was taken by a proud Grandfather (my Dad) about a month ago as he and Mom were visiting here. I pray that you may worship the Lord as you watch this short video and thank Him for all that He has done.
With love, from a very grateful mother and servant of the Lord,
Julie Zaragoza
3 comments:
This might seem silly, but I am really trying this out because I have received notification from several people that they are having trouble leaving comments on the blog, so this is a test run to see if the changes I made will help resolve this problem.
Testing 1 2 3..... Praying for you all and absolutely love reading the blogs. You are all such an inspirations to Dale and I. Love ya! Emy
Hi Julie,
Testing, testing!
Love,Aunt Joan
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