25 years ago, a Mennonite church in Portland, Maine started a mission in the Munjoy Hill neighborhood in Maine's largest city.  It was named the Root Cellar, and it is still going strong, and has gotten national recognition for its unique approach to inner city missions.  In the last few years, the Root Cellar has expanded to Maine's second largest city of Lewiston.  Our family has had the chance to minister in both settings many times, and last night, I returned to the Lewiston site for another show.

I was really excited to do this show, as it had to be rescheduled twice this autumn, and I finally got to keep my commitment.  This particular show was for their after school program, but there seem to be countless other programs that they hold throughout the week.  There was a small but energetic group of elementary school kids present, and I did close to an hour long show.  Of course, there was an excellent group of dedicated volunteers, too.  Some were college students, some were parents, some were senior citizens, but they are all true heroes in their community. 

The show focused on the life of Jesus.  The Root Cellar is in a predominantly African neighborhood, with many Muslim families.  Since the Koran speaks very highly of Jesus ("Isa" in Arabic) and acknowledges many of his parables and miracles, this allowed for some common ground rather than focusing on divisive issues.  They're kids, after all.  Of course, they loved the rabbit and dove productions.  One little boy had never seen a live rabbit before! 

I confess I've struggled lately with a few frustrating performances.  I've wondered if, at almost 52 years old, my juggling skills were going into a permanent decline.  However, yesterday was very encouraging, as I juggled as well as I have in a long time.  I even did a few tricks with four cigar boxes that I had never, or rarely ever, done in a show before.  The show goes on.