"My name is Eric, and I'm here to say..."

I humbly apologize for the long absence of blogging. The past month has been a busy time for Laura and I, but God has been so good in making sure we have time to sleep most weeks. Lets get everyone caught up:

• Wrote an Urban Impact Musical Theatre Camp Proposal to the Pittsburgh Public Schools: It's long and not to fun to read, but hopefully something will come of it.
• Started the fall semester of the Urban Impact Performing Arts Academy: I now administrate the academy and also teach Improv and Elementary Acting
• Spoke at Laura's home church: We had a wonderful time in Westfield and Laura made Apple sauce
• Helped with and went on the Urban Impact Choir Retreat: Nothing like spending the weekend with a cabin full of gassy middle school boys.
• Said goodbye to a few Performing Arts staff as we welcomed on new staff and friends.
• And have now almost, possibly, may have, fully raised most of my support! This is still depending on few things, but it is so exciting.

Since the Performing Arts Academy has started back up so has the PAA story of the week!

This story happened on first day of class at the beginning of October. I was finishing up with what had been a very long but productive day. The academy had just about finished up its first week as a success. At this time I was teaching the elementary class and we were reviewing what we had learned in class that day. "We are all God's creations,"said several of our little kids. One girl read her memory verse and another said, "We don't have to be afraid of who we are especially on stage." And I think one girl even said, "It's fun to create characters just like God created us."

By this time I am beaming. I look over at the other two volunteers, Mr. Rick and Ms. Karen, and I can tell they feel the same way I do. The feeling of using your gifts to bring glory to God's name makes all the stress and running around of the busy day worth it. If only I'd closed in prayer and sent them home right then, but for every mountain top there is a valley.

We had a little extra time at the end of the class so as we were about to close in prayer two of the little girls in the class asked if they could go on the stage and perform a cheer. "Yeah, sure why not?" I thought, "This is what acting is all about, performing." WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Silly ol' me thought they would get up and say a cheer like "Here we go Oliver! Here we go! Woot! Woot!" or even "Bump, set, spike", but no.

The girls got up whispered to each other around the corner and then came on to the stage to perform. One little 1st grader stood at the front of the stage look forward out into the audience and starts cheering:

My name is Madea

And I'm here to say

I'm gonna shake what I got

In my skirt today.

I'm gonna turn around

And drop it real low

And shake what I got

In my skirt today.

This of course has spinning and twisting moves to it and repeats and the other 1st grader joins in the singing. I am in shock and really have no idea what to do. I look over at Mr. Rick and he is staring down at an empty chair and Ms. Karen has her jaw slightly dropped probably very similar to my own. Thankfully it stops before everyone starts to shimmy and shake. The two little girls on stage want to do another cheer, I say it's time to pray.

I learned my lesson, but the damage was done. Instead of going out talking about how God created them and how they can create characters, the students left humming "Shake what I got in my skirt today."

Prayer Requests:

• The Proposal to the Pittsburgh Public Schools
• The last itty, bitty, tiny bit of support raising (this is also a big praise!)
• The next step for this past Summer's Young Men's Bible Study
• The Performing Arts Academy