Lura and I were kicking around the idea of having a talent show. We were discussing how nice it would be having one during the week of Hanukah. Well one thing led to another, next thing we knew the ‘cat was out bag’. The youth group cornered me, wanting to know more about prizes. Before I knew it I said something about $100.00 dollars ‘cash’ would be a NICE for 1st place. Their faces lit up, their eyes got big, and you could see their minds began to work!

That’s sort of how all this came about! Think I sort of put my big foot in my mouth and the kids ran with it!

Well, this shouldn’t be a ‘big deal’, right? A hundred bucks!

Well, I began counting the cost and couldn’t believe what I was coming up with. I told Lura, “This is crazy.” “It’s not worth it.” “I’m going to bed.”

During the night, the Holy Spirit came to me softly and tenderly. He (She is more correct) came in a clear as a bell thought: “You are going to do this Talent Show anyhow, right? The worse scenario is that you only have $100.00 to work with! These kids never had an opportunity like this before! Although this started out being an out of pocket expense, it has now become a ‘project’. Post it! Post the facts! Post the details! And see! Behold what happens.”

Talent Show Details and Expenses
Date of Show: Dec. 27, 2003
Place: Mohammad’s
Cash Prize eligibilities: Males 13 and over; Females 12 and over. (Bar and Bat Mitvah ages and up)
1st place prize: 500 NIS ($112.00)
2nd place prize: 250 NIS ($56.00)
3rd place prize: 125 NIS ($28.00)

Boys under 13 and Girls under 12
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes: toys

Bus Rental: 1300 NIS ($290.00)
Refreshments: 750 NIS ($168.00) Approx. $1.50 per person @ 110 people
Free use of restaurant

Total Expenses: $654.00

P.S. I like competition, but Lura doesn’t. We decided to put all participants & group names in a box, call upon the Lord, and ‘draw’ the winners. What sold me on this idea was it solved the problem of choosing a panel of unbiased judges. This way God is the judge!

Why this event is so expensive? Because we are dealing with poor people! People without cars! People who if they want a cup of coffee, make it at home! People that a cup of coffee at a café is a BIG deal, a special event, something you do maybe once a year if lucky! For example: A man may go on such a splurge on a wedding anniversary or his wife’s birthday, both putting on their best for the occasion.

People without a car? I had my first car at 18? I still can’t totally comprehend this degree of lack. My mother did live through the ‘Great Depression’ and to this day can stretch a 16 oz can of beans to feed a family of 5. Maybe, everyday in some people’s lives was as bad, perhaps worse, than the hardest times in America, America’s economic collapse of 1929 – 1933.

Bottom-line: We are dealing with people that just don’t have! The only plate we pass around at church is one that has a few snacks!

Entering a talent show in the US, you would expect to pay a modest entrance fee, provide your own transportation, and spring for your own snacks and soft drink. Here it is different!

Take the Morris Cerullo conference: Cerullo sprung for at least 15 buses, at an estimated $400.00 to $450.00 USD each (incidentally, a bus cost Lura and I $290.00 because God has given us special favor). Cerullo also provided lunch, dinner, and the building! In the states he would pass the plate to cover or offset expenses…here he didn’t.

Well, that’s why a little thing like a talent show is costing almost $700.00 dollars.

P.S. To be honest, I’ve dragged my feet about posting this project. It seems like my heart is just not in it. I guess I’m wavering in faith! Really I should just post it and see what happens. So that’s what I’ve done!

If we get the funds by the December 21 we will still be able to pass the word that the show on! If not, we’ll just have to postpone it and any moneys earmarked for this project will have to be held in escrow.