It was a bittersweet morning as the last day of ministry began. I was tired and a little relieved to only think about one show for my last day in town but sad that the trip went by so quickly.
There was a bit of a miscommunication so we were not expected and the staff had to quickly locate kids able to move to see the show. However, I think it was better for the kids who came. There was at least a 2 clown to 1 child ratio, which was perfect for these kids. They had their own personal show. We spent the first hour just playing with the kids, waiting for more kids to arrive and delaying the show. During that time, we played Simon Says, played different clapping games, did the macarena, and line danced. The kids loved it. There was a little boy who originally did not want to be in the room because he didn’t see any of his friends but as time went on, he decided to stay because he loved being with the clowns.
When the show finally began, they would approach the clowns more readily because of all of the time spent beforehand. The clowns were the kids’ friends and entertainers so the kids felt comfortable volunteering to be in magic tricks, tapping on clowns’ shoulders, or tickling clowns anytime a clown would fall or sit down.
I was extremely proud of the clowns because despite the heat, the clowns made it through the 2 hours – dancing, jumping around, the show, everything. The new clowns went with a nurse and visited kids too sick to come down. They distributed stickers, crayons, and Bible story books. After the show, all of the clowns took their time walking down the stairs. Distributing stickers to anyone we met. I was one of the last to leave so there were few people who passed us who were not already proudly wearing their smiley face stickers. Naumi ensured that one each floor she stopped and distributed stickers to every person waiting between the testing areas. There was one woman I met who didn’t like her stickers and she took it off when she thought no one was looking. However, she stuck it on a doorway of a major area that people pass. So, as you walk through this doorway, you are greeted with “Jesus Loves You” and a clown smiley face. Even those stickers will not be wasted but bring more smiles.
When we piled into the car, I was able to ask our brand new clown how the day went for her. She was able to come because she was older and more mature but it was her first time being a clown. She grinned from ear to ear and said that she enjoyed it.
We arrived back at the church for lunch and to set aside supplies for the clowns. The church loves the clown ministry so much, they want to start using it on Saturdays at local parks and the neighborhood, so they needed to ensure that they had everything readily available. During lunch I was surprised with gifts from the church and the team. The clown team presented me with a coffee mug and at first glance I thought it was because it had a yellow clown smiley face like what we distributed. But as I looked closer it had a personal message from the team and the names written of all of the clowns from the team. I almost began to cry I was so touched by it.
It is always sad to leave Romania but I am always so grateful for the people I meet and the memories we create.