Dancing, Laughter, and Jello.

Have you ever felt like jello before? Jello. Wiggly, light, but colorful, jello. After leaving the Joni and Friends camp last Friday, I was the most jello-ed out person you've ever seen.

The Joni and Friends camp was put together by Joni Eareckson Tada, a really awesome lady who was paralyzed from the neck down in a diving accident when she was a teen. Now, she's created camps for people with disabilities all over the U.S. And, it just so happened to be that the camp director asked my dad (Bongo Rod) to do puppets (he's good at making people laugh) and I tagged along to help.

www.joniandfriends.org for more info :)

The first night we arrived: DANCE NIGHT.

People of all types of disabilties were dancing, laughing, and having a blast. One girl in particular, Larson, had down syndrome, but she didn't let anyone, or down syndrome, get in the way of her exploding, groovy dance moves!


When my dad did puppets the next day, I officially sunk into jello mode. Hearing laughter and screams of delight from people who face serious trials sent my heart to a level I didn't know it could reach. I loved talking with the campers and getting to know them. I learned so much from just hanging around them for 2 days!

Here's my jello/light bulb moment: my itty bitty definition of beauty suddenly widened: these campers had such a unique beauty about them. Their personalities and laughter spilled through the outside and all you wanted to do was be around them and make them laugh. They were just themselves and weren't afraid to be themselves. They were like magnets (jello isn't magnetic, right?), and it was hard to say goodbye.


I can learn a lot by being around them. And from Larson and her radical dance moves. :)
(So much emotion and heart behind her dancing...but that's a whole 'nuther story...)

I loved getting to talk with a few of the counselors, too. Who knows, maybe I can be a counselor next summer? That is, if I can actually keep myself from sinking into a wiggly mass of jello. ;)

Can't wait to see what God does next. I'm thankful for those jello moments. Chillin' up on God's boat, waitin' for the next adventure...

Peace, love, and jello,
-Julian