Elizabeth's Experiences

Dear Friends,
I had mentioned earlier that I wanted to find someone to write a synopsis of the recent Arrows trip to Guatemala...
Well, I have found someone and her name is Elizabeth and she would like to share from her heart what she encountered and felt. Please enjoy...

I went to Guatemala in June. The trip was a time of the victory and sovereignty of the Lord. I have tried to give you a brief taste of what happened on the trip. Throughout the whole time Satan was working to thwart our plans, but I have no doubt that he failed. The focus of our trip was to share the Lord using dance. We had opportunities to dance in a school, orphanages, a prison, a park and churches.

All these different locations, spaces and audiences made for some challenges. It was exciting to make decisions such as number of pirouettes or which costumes to wear at the last minute after seeing and slipping or sticking on the floor. During more than one performance, I remember quickly taking off my shoes right before starting to dance. We danced one night on an unfinished concrete floor, another right beside people setting up a carnival. But that was not important. We had one performance at a church in a very small space with a very small audience, but God was so intimate and worked very deeply in many people’s lives. We also got to dance in a large men’s prison. After hearing the salvation message, we had ministry time and saw some of these men humble themselves before God. At the school, many children were accepting the Lord and crying as the Lord ministered to them.

It is amazing to see the ways that God uses dance (1 Cor. 1:27). We are still undeniably connected to our physical bodies, so it is not surprising that using them to worship has special results. It is an effective way to communicate regardless of which languages are or are not spoken. The joy, love, compassion or longing that we have through and for the Lord can be displayed very clearly. After each program we danced, someone would speak and put into words what had been seen. The dancing helped prepare the hearts for the word the Lord wanted to speak to them. We always had a response from the audience and a move from the Lord when we danced; He is so faithful! There is something about dance that brings abundant freedom and joy from the Lord. When we dance in worship to the Lord, our worship ushers in His presence very strongly. After worship services in the churches, we had times of prayer and ministry that were thick with the presence of God. People were healed physically as well as emotionally. Many people were crying, being slain in the spirit, lifting their hands to the Lord and crying out to Him. Dance is also intercession. During ministry time, we sometimes danced our prayers over the people. It is warfare as well. Psalm 149:6 says that the praise of the Lord can be a double-edged sword in our hands. We danced to tear down the plans of the enemy and in victory over him.

So, I encourage you: seek the Lord, step out in faith and see how He wants to use and grow you! He is faithful!
“To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” Jude 25

- Elizabeth

Update

Hey guys, just want to update you all. Jeff & Natalie are safely back home and they said it was an amazing time and the Lord really ministered to them. The young man, Ben, is still in Indonesia and should arive sometime next week, so please pray that he has a safe trip back home.
Thank you all for praying and will let you know details hopefully about both trips.

Prayer Requests...

Hey Everyone, sorry I haven't been keeping up on my posts. I have been very busy for the past several months. We had a group, with Arrows Interntional, just get back from Guatemala. The Lord moved there mightily and many breakthroughs occurred. They ministered through dance & drama in parks, prisons and orphanages.

One miracle happened at a meeting where dance and prayer had just broken throughout the whole church. A man there had been run over by a truck and was on a crutch and that night he was completely healed and was walking and running for the Lord. Hallelujah!!!

There are so many stories that I hope to get someone who went (as I was not able to go) to post their experiences. Also keep Jeff & Natalie Lewis (directors of Arrows International) in your prayers. They are in China right now ministering the gospel through dance and they return in a week or so. We also have a young man in Indonesia right now and I ask yo to pray for him and his teams protection because Indonesia is in a very tumultuous time right now.
Will update soon, Love you All!!!!

Prayer Requests...

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't been keeping up on my posts. I have been very busy for the past several months. So much is going on right now that I wanted to let you know whats happening. We had a group, with Arrows International, just get back from Guatemala. The Lord moved there mightily and many breakthroughs occurred. They ministered through dance & drama in parks, prisons & orphanages.

One miracle happened at a meeting where dance and prayer had just broken throughout the whole church. A man there had been run over by a truck and came to the meeting on a crutch. That night he was completely healed and was walking and running for the Lord. Hallelujah!!!!

There are so many stories that I hope to get someone who went (as I was not able to go) to post their experiences. Also keep Jeff & Natalie Lewis (directors of Arrows International) in your prayers. They are in China right now ministering the gospel through dance and they return in a week or so. We also have a young man in Indonesia right now and I ask you to pray for him and his teams protection, because Indonesia is in a very tumultuous time right now.
Will update soon, love you All!!!!!

My Story - 'so far'

I was born in the early 90's and my parents knew before I was born that I would dance. By the time I was walking, I was dancing, and at the age of two I was enrolled into a dance school and was there for 11 years. During those years a lot happened. I learned every type of dance (ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, pointe, etc.). I loved to dance and knew it was my calling; I wanted to do it all day, every day. As I got older, I started feeling empty and dry and felt like I was just going through the motions. I competed in many competitions, won trophies, and cried when I didn't win.

I started attending an amazing Christian dance convention in 2001, called 'Dance Revolution'. It happened once a year and I would wait impatiently all year to go to that event because it refreshed me physically and spiritually. After several years I started realizing that something was wrong when I started dreading going back to my normal dance routine. Knowing that it was my calling, my parents couldn't figure out what was wrong until they started looking from the outside of the box instead of the inside. They saw that though the dance school, that I attended, was a good Christian studio, it had become very secular, forming into the World's standards in order to win competitions and a great name. We switched studios, and immediately there was a complete change. I started flourishing in that new environment. Instead of competing, they ministered to people the love, joy, and grace of God. It had an atmosphere of serenity and peace that I hadn't felt before in my dancing. He grew me spiritually, and physically. My dancing is becoming so much improved every year and He is still growing me in every way.

About four years ago I started having a heart for missions, when before I believed that I could never ever do that, but the Lord started shifting my Heart. I found out about organizations that use dance as their tool to minister the gospel to people. I was ecstatic at the thought of using my gift in other countries. So last year I traveled to Costa Rica (2008), with Arrows International, and a team of 12 dancers. We ministered day and night through our dance in parks, churches, etc. It was the most amazing time! My team bonded together and became unified as part of the Body of Christ. So many people gave their life to the Lord, and saw His love portrayed through drama and dance. The Lord ministered so much to me through the whole trip and gave me a realization that no matter what you may think the world says, He can use your gifts and talents for His kingdom. I'm so excited at what God is doing in my life and what he is doing in the world today and in this nation. This is my story to help you get acquainted with my life, but I'm not finished yet and neither are you, so set and world on fire for Jesus.

Here is an example of dancing with the heart of worship!
This is Ingredients Dance Company, and they are the most godly women of God and love Him with all their heart. I attend Dance Revolution (a christian dance convention), where the company is based out of. I attend the convention every year and I will talk a little more about it on my next blog. Please enjoy and be touched!

I am so excited about my first post; I'm hoping that God will use it all for his glory. I want to begin with how dance first originated. It started in the Bible with the Israelites dancing before their God with exceedingly great joy. One of the meanings of the word "Dance" is 'rejoice' which means 'to jump and spin about wildly' such as David & Miriam did in Biblical times. Our culture over the years has changed this innocent, pure & worshipful art to a style that is not fit for humans to see or even to do. What grieves me so much is that people rarely ever think of dance being dynamic and powerful for the kingdom of God. When someone hears the word dance, it is usually connected with sensual/sexy movement and immodest women and girls.

Each one of us is put on this earth for a purpose and that is to worship God with our soul & spirit. Everyone can dance. Many don't feel comfortable doing it, but in Gods kingdom you are going to do a lot of things that are uncomfortable to you flesh. Dance is a release between your Father, the maker of Heaven, Earth and you. Dance itself is very emotional and feeling-oriented. You might think of examples such as the first dance at a wedding, proms, nightclubs, etc. What we need to do as children of the Heavenly Father is to use this are and the emotions he has given us for Him and to glorify Him. At the beginning I said we were made to worship, which is true, but because of the fall of Satan and Adam & Eve's sin we now have to teach people how to worship our Father.

You might be wondering whether I'm talking about Worship or Dance. I am trying to explain that when a person worships, everything else will follow. Dance can be something you just do in the shower, your house, in a dance studio, or in a church. As long as it glorifies your Maker then Dance, Dance Yea!!!!!!