This year at Summer Madness, CMSI gave campers the opportunity to defy gravity and spin madly with a group of break dancers from Omagh. The four guys who traveled to Gosford practice their spins and flips about four times a week, but there were still a few people willing to try it for the first time.
OK, so the newcomers were pretty pathetic, but fair play, it's not easy to spin on your head - even the four year old had trouble with it.
More upside-down caper with the Velcro Wall which arrived on Monday. Under scorching sun more lunatics gathered outside the CMSI tent to bounce, flip and stick to the wall.
Believe it or not all this madness had a point. Think about what it might be like to go to Africa or Asia to work for CMSI. You'd feel pretty confused at first, not speaking the language very well, not understanding the money, not seeing any familiar faces or places. You might as well be hanging upside down, or spinning on your head.
But as the culture shock subsides and you begin to see God's plan unfold, you find your feet again. God is big enough to hold us tight, no matter what situation we're in.
We also invited some Rwandan dancers to visit from London this year. They gave a graceful and captivating performance which made their audience aware of traditional practices in other cultures. Line dancing will never seem as good again. But apart from the dancing the Rwandans and some other Africans were in great demand to bead hair, African style. The queues were long but the girls were all pleased with their new look.
If you took the opportunity to ask the Rwandans about their culture you would have discovered that they spoke several languages, and had traveled extensively - experienced young people who have had to adjust and cope under challenging circumstances. They were also a really good laugh, and great cooks. Speaking of food, on Saturday we served a free Nepali lunch of lentils, curry and rice with water melon for dessert. Lusho!!! Mark Gill talked about his time working for CMSI as an engineer in Nepal, where he played a part in the huge growth of the church there. In the evenings we had stories, songs and drums from James Uhomoibhi who hails from Nigeria. If you weren't there, you missed the one about the crazy monkey who lived on the island surrounded by piranha fish who threw the fruit at the useless drunkard who was then made king (the drunkard, not the monkey). Alison Turner also talked about her time working in a shelter in New York State, USA, with the homeless and men on rehab..
So as festivals go, this year's Summer Madness was hot and mad, not sad. It was good to just chill out in the sun and enjoy the start of the holidays with your mates, with no worries about having to watch endless tennis and golf on TV. Lots and lots for us to do, lots and lots for us to see, me and you, you and me. Or are you all too young to remember that programme? Probably.
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