Ah, the weekend. A joyous time, looked forward to by the wide majority, the end of the week, filled with restful slumbers and peace of mind…is exactly what this weekend looked like for the instrumentalists and singers of LCA, but with some added…spice.
Okay so DAY ONE started bright and early on the Saturday morning of October 8th. As students arrived at High Rock Church, breakfast was served just as the clock hit 10 and we gobbled down on the hashbrown casserole that was so kindly prepared by the lovely Ms. Shim. After clearing plates and filling stomachs, Mrs. Bulger gave us a breakdown of what the day would look like. And thus the blob of children was split, just as Moses did to the Red Sea, into singers, who headed to their warm up, and instrumentalists, who began to heat up their fiddles and lungs. Together we lugged our stands, gizmos, and gadgets a plenty down the stairs with our stick arms, only tripping numerous times, and slowly but surely we settled into our assigned positions. There we began bowing and blowing our brains out as we hit notes and flew through runs. Mistakes were made but quickly corrected and a nerve-racking aura emerged over us as some grew anxious and others grew determined, but all shared a common interest: “When is lunch?” All this grind had caused the breakfast that once rested in our stomachs to disappear into thin air as if it had never been consumed and soon the sound of our tummies growling outmatched our tunes. In desperate need of yummies, a break was called and we chowed down on Chick-Fil-a like animals. But then, a guest entered the room. She was mysterious and welcoming, all while holding a soft expression. What we did not know was that she held the fate of our pride in the palm of her hand. “Who is she? Is she famous?” We whispered and theorized as she gave a brief introduction. Turns out, she was a violinist, a pro at its finest, and she was most definitely famous. A REAL PRO! With this new found opportunity, we found ourselves scurrying to impress her but were quickly humbled as we were no match for her endless knowledge and skill. We still had a lot to learn. Which made us only grow sweatier. From the peak of the sun to the drowning of the horizon, we practiced until we dropped and until our blisters popped. And thus the instrumentalists ended their first and final day of rehearsals.
DAY TWO! The morning arrived just as quickly as the night had come. Thrilled and in mild amounts of pain, the ensemble arose with wide eyes and fluttering hearts. Enclothed in a suit of all black, we repeated the same routine we had the day prior. Enter church, nom nom food, set up instruments, rehearse, confused, Ms. Shim help, “okay I get it”, “no wait I don’t”, “too late the service is starting”. And quickly the service began! Strums and whistles filled the silence that had settled amongst the walls of the church and delicate melodies poured from our instruments as the Holy Spirit entered our hearts of worship. “He is exalted,” spoke the language of the notes, “the King is exalted on high,” they soared. And at the whistle of the last note, a second of silence followed as the performance came to a fulfilled and beautiful end. The audience erupted in applause and we bowed in relief. With that ending, we thank the Lord for his blessing, we thank the church for the ministry, and we thank the chef for the waffles. Thank you all.