By Natalie Barentson
Ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you one thing: “Natalie has some goofy dance moves.” I can’t resist a dance floor at a wedding, grooving in the car, or shuffling around while I finish chores. It’s just so fun!
A few years ago, my dance skills (or lack thereof) came in handy in Romania. In 2017, I spent the summer serving with Remember the Children. I had the blessing of doing VBS and bible studies in the same orphanage, every week, for 2 months.
At the orphanage, I quickly connected with one of the teenage girls, Denisa*. She was a little shy, and although I didn’t know her story, I knew she wanted someone to pay attention to her. If I had walked in her shoes, I would want that, too!
As time went on, I wanted to find small ways to spend time with her during free play and demonstrate God’s love & intentionality. The only problem was the language barrier! What could I do?
I learned she loved to dance. She was always busting a move to worship songs and loved the Justin Bieber songs she heard on the radio. Therefore, I had an idea: what if we made up a dance together? I remembered how much I loved making up moves to my favorite songs when I was her age, so I figured I’d try it. I grabbed my phone, turned on a fun song, and used my best broken Romanian to ask her if she’d be interested. She was in.
Each week thereafter, Denisa and I added more and more moves to our dances. The moves were goofy and I felt awkward dancing in front of a bunch of people, but I could tell she appreciated the one-on-one time.
As I spend more time working with Remember the Children, I’m constantly reminded of one of the organization’s values: the ministry of presence. Most of the time, people just want to spend time with others and know they’re valued and loved. No one wants to go through life alone, right? One of the most powerful things you can do for someone is simply spend time with them.
How can you practice the ministry of presence this week? Do you need to call a lonely family member on your drive home? Do you need to sit with someone at church who is by themselves? Or do you need to break out some goofy dance moves for a kid in your life? Whatever it is, I challenge you to do it!
*Name changed for protection.