The Vs

Abbie had her first dance lesson today!  Our church has partnered with a wonderful Christian ministry called Gotta Dance! Gotta Dance ministry gives professional dance lessons at a discounted rate as a blessing to the community so everyone can experience the joy of dancing and performing.  The music, dancing, and outfits are always fun, clean, and modest.  The teaching staff is passionate about using their gifts to bless others.  Gotta Dance teaches dance lessons in one of our church's buildings. They have tap, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and special classes for little girls as young as two-years-old! 

Abbie at home preparing for her dance lessons.  She's talked about nothing else for an entire week, so today was a very big day for her. :)  I think she learned her poses from Angelina Ballerina. 

The Artist Director, Theresa Fietz-Goubran, is Abbie's dance teacher and she's wonderful!  Theresa has been a professional Broadway dancer and has done choreography and taught dance lessons for many years.  She did a wonderful job of making the first dance lesson fun for all the little ones.  Abbie tried to copy her every move . :)

Abbie looking in the dance studio mirrors - so precious!

The first dance lesson! 
Abbie will be in the Young Dancers class for 3-4 year-olds which begins next week, but today she joined the Two-Steppers (2-year-old) dance class for an introduction day.  Two of Abbie's friends, Kaylee and Samantha, will be in the Two-Steppers class so they were all together today.

The Hulla Hoops help teach them to twirl.

My sweet friend Kelly Willetts asked me to make a little video incorporating my testimony around the topic of "Accepting the Skin You're In" for her to share with her middle school youth group girls.  Kristine Tsui, an amazing high school senior and videographer in our youth group, made the video for me and she did a fabulous job!  I hope you enjoy this 8-minute version of my testimony. :)

Christian and I have been attending Chinese School every Saturday morning for the past year.  We are in the kindergarten class. :)  Even though Christian is the youngest in the class, he is doing so well and learning so much!  Greg and I are so incredibly proud of him! 

Below are two videos of Christian at Chinese School.  The first video was taken this morning.  All the kindergartners had to recite a poem.  Christian is such a little ham doing his best to make everyone laugh. :)

Hello everyone!  I am Christian Vruggink.
Today I will read a children's poem, The Little Monkey.
The little monkey shouts, "Zi Zi!"
He is too hungry to jump.
He's offered a banana, but he doesn't want it.
Do you think he's funny or not?
Thank you!


The second video was taken a few months ago during the Chinese New Year show.  He learned the song so well that he had the honor of holding one of the two microphones.  I'm so proud of how hard Christian has worked and how much Chinese he has learned over the past year!

The Lord Jesus loves me.
The Lord Jesus loves me.
The Lord Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.

In this world there is a never changing promise
that is Jesus loves you.
In this world there are no troubles and trials
that can separate us from God's love.
Are you willing to become God's child
and all your life let Jesus love you?
In this world there are no hardships and worries
that can separate us from God's love.

The Lord Jesus loves me.
The Lord Jesus loves me.
The Lord Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.

Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.

Christian and his best buddies enjoyed a special Spider Man treat from the ice-cream man last week.  They are too cute! :) 

Tomorrow morning Christian has Kindergarten Orientation.  It's going to be so surreal walking through those elementary school doors with my baby boy.  I can't believe next year he'll be gone from 9:10 AM - 3:35 PM every day.  I'm going to miss him so much during the day, but I know he's going to be blessed to learn, grow, and shine at school.

My Uncle John passed away on Monday morning.  He was a wonderful Christian man who lost his battle with cancer.  He was my mom's brother.  Particularly whenever there is a death on my mom's side of the family, first my Grampie and now my Uncle John, it makes the pain of my mom's death resurface and sting.  It makes me miss her a lot.  At the same time it makes me happy to think of my mom and her brother reunited.

As I read my uncle's obituary this morning it made me happy to know that Christian and Abbie are two of the three great nieces and nephews mentioned.  I'm happy Greg and I made him a Great Uncle before he joined my mom in heaven.

Friday morning I'll be flying to Indiana for my uncle's funeral and I'll be there until Monday morning.  Please pray for my flights to go smoothly and safely.  Please pray for Greg, Christian, and Abbie as we're apart for the weekend.  Please pray that I'll be a blessing to my family this weekend.  And most of all, please pray for my Grammie and family during this difficult time.

Death stings.  Death brings tears and heart ache.  Death hurts in this world.  But someday when our mortal bodies have been transformed to immortal bodies, and we are all together in heaven then we will be able to joyfully proclaim that death's sting is over.  We will be together and victorious someday!

1 Corinthians 15:51-57
"I tell you a mystery.  We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.  When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.  O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?'  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

John L. Gibson Obituary
John L. Gibson, age 57 of Dyer, passed away April 9, 2012. He is survived by his beloved mother, Helen; two sisters: Beth (Jon) O'Hara and Michelle (Joseph) Benson; 12 nieces and nephews; three great nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his father, Lowell Gibson; and sister, Dr. Carma Marley. Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 14, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at the Lincoln-Ridge Funeral Home, 7607 W. Lincoln Highway, Schererville (Rt. 30 east of Cline Ave.). At rest Memory Lane Memorial Park, Schererville. Friends are invited to visit with John's family on Friday from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. John was a graduate of Wheaton College. He was a 1973 Lake Central graduate and class valedictorian. John attended Faith Church in Dyer. He was a loving son, brother, and uncle who will be dearly missed.