Birchwood Rehab

On November 21st we performed at Birchwood Rehab. We spent quite a bit of time trying to decide how to position the floor in the room to make best use of the space. However, we made up for the lost time by doing a very quick and efficient set up. Go team!
The performance went very well. Everyone did a great job, and Karissa did a wonderful job sharing her testimony for the first time! After the performance, we were able to have some really good conversations with the residents. We prayed with many of them and all of them heard about God's love for them and the free gift of salvation. I pray that it really sinks in, and that they give their lives over to Him!! They were a very fun and sweet group to perform for and talk to!

~Breanne :-)

Word of Life

On November 5th all of us trainees got to go perform at a women's conference at Word of Life Assembly of God Church in Baldwinsville. We didn't have a whole lot of time to lay out the floor because we came straight from teaching at the LWB studio, but we did it! Mrs. Taddeo (mom of former trainee Sarah) met us there and acted as coordinator and emcee for us, which was great! We did our ballet "All I Need," which went pretty well (well, it didn't feel like it went well, but when we watched the video later, it was not too bad!). Afterward, we had all the ladies at the conference stand up and do simple arm motions with us to the song "Lord I Need You" by Chris Tomlin. It was really well received - I looked out and I'm pretty sure that every single woman did it with us! Such a cool moment of being able to worship together through movement. I must say that song gets me every time - its about the Lord's strength in our weakness and placing the full weight of our confidence in God - very fitting for our time of doing performances and things while the LWB company was in Israel! I think that was my favorite part :-)
Afterward, we were each given a sugar scrub that the ladies running the conference had made! That was a fun and sweet gift! AND I ended up seeing my friend (who made the food for the event) as well, and she gave us the most delicious cinnamon rolls I've ever had......nice healthy dancer food, hehe.
We didn't get to speak with the women afterward, but I believe they were blessed and encouraged - I know I was!
~Gwen

Maple Downs

We performed at Maple Downs Retirement Home on November 18th. The staff was very hospitable towards us. We were given a very large dance space in the dining room and a spacious room to use as a dressing room. It was great for the company and trainees to be dancing and praising the Lord together again. The performance started off great with the company dancing Song of the Ages, a piece in Hebrew. I really felt the Lord’s glory and presence filling the room as they finished up that dance. It was a fun experience for all 10 of us to perform Alive together for the first time. Although some of us ended up with too much space and some with not enough, Alive turned out just fine. After the company performed Lifesongs, Gwen shared from her heart about what the Lord has done in her life. I talked to only one lady named Hetti because we had to clean up the dining room for lunch. Hetti was impressed that all of our dances were centered around Jesus. After much prayer, we left with smiles on our faces, and I believe with God’s peace in the hearts of the staff and residents at Maple Downs.

-Karissa

Faith Heritage

On Wednesday November 16th, the second year trainees went to talk to the students at Faith Heritage about our recent mission trip to Peru. Cayla had put together a slide show of pictures from our trip, but it wasn’t working quite right when she began so she did very well improvising until the problem could be solved. Then Julia, a student of Light of the World Ballet School as well as Faith Heritage, danced to Chris Rice’s song “Come to Jesus.” It was a blessing to watch her. She was so brave and did a wonderful job sharing her talent with her school. We were honored to get to be a part of their chapel that day.

~Krystalan

West Side Manor

On Thursday November 3rd, the trainees performed at West Side Manor, an assisted living and retirement community. We again did our ballet called All I Need and it went very well. It was our first performance without the company while they were in Israel. Many thanks to Mrs. Taddeo for helping us out! The space was small and the ceiling was low, but we were able to work around it pretty well :) I shared my testimony for the first time and it went much better than I expected. Cayla also shared her testimony and the gospel message and the Lord truly spoke through us. We think that we were able to talk and pray with everyone that came to see it and we were told that it was a huge blessing to the residents and staff. Gwen was able to share the gospel with a lady and prayed a salvation prayer with her :) Yay! The Lord was truly glorified through this performance and I am so thankful for His faithfulness!

Love,

Ashley

Cornerstone Tabernacle

Gwen, Krystalan, and I had the opportunity to talk about our missions trip to Peru to a group of girls in a youth group at Cornerstone Tabernacle. There were about 12 girls there between the ages of 13 and 16 who were very animated and easy to talk to. We arrived early to help set up, and the girls ate once they arrived, then we started to tell them about the culture differences between America and Peru. I shared about some of the highlights from the trip, the laid-back culture, and the church that we worked with while we were there, then we got to show them some pictures of the trip. Krystalan was able to tie it back to the Word by sharing on spiritual poverty, and how that affects us, not just those in countries where they might not have as much. Gwen closed with points of application, talking about how poverty and wealth are relative, but we should be focused on what is important; our stewardship is more important than the stuff we have. The girls were very engaging; at one point, some of them were becoming a bit distracted, and so one girl turned to them and shushed them, saying that we were not done. A week later, we heard back from the leader of the group, who said how appreciative they were, and that the girls seemed to really enjoy the message. The girls were a fun group to talk to, and I hope that they really absorb everything that was said. God bless!
~Cayla <3

James Square Rehab Center

On October 28th we performed at the James Square Rehabilitation Center. This was our first performance of the year and it was very exciting to be a part of the ministry that took place. Being a first year trainee here at LWB it was intriguing to see how the whole set up process worked. We were each assigned a different task to ensure that everything ran smoothly and nothing was forgotten.
The performance went very well. The company performed Song of the Ages, and the trainees performed a ballet called All I Need which is a compilation of four pieces: Alive, God is in Control, Hungry, and Life of Praise.
In addition to the dancing, we also had a testimony during the performance and I was given the privilege to share. I was nervous, but the Lord gave me grace and a clear mind to remember what I had prepared. After we danced, we invited the audience to join us in some simple arm movements to a song called Healing is in His Hands. It was wonderful to see them participating with us in worshiping the Lord. When the performance was over, we had the opportunity to talk and pray with some of the patients and several of the girls were able to share their testimonies.
I pray that the Lord will continue to work in the lives of the people there at James Square and for further ministry occasions.

Blessings,
Abi