ChristeleBethsey
When I was just a youth myself, probably around 13 years old, I was already carrying out the work of dance ministry. I was still in middle school, learning what I could from my dance classes and reteaching it to the children I saw once a week at church.
I watched so many dance shows and recital videos on YouTube back then. Looking back now, I have to say my first generation of students had a very different teacher than the one I’ve become today. Though I had already accepted Jesus into my heart, I was still so inexperienced. I didn’t yet trust my own intuition and had no real relationship with the Holy Spirit. So, I relied heavily on what I learned in my school’s dance ensemble and what I saw on Dance Moms (yes, we even had a pyramid and everything!).
It was tough, but I thank God for those first few years of growth.
With no executive board or team, I worked alone for most of our foundational years. My mother was our designated carpool and my dad would open up the parsonage for us to practice, which we called the Church House at time. By that point, the original Daughters of Destiny dancers, Kim, Nehemie, and Esther, had already “retired” from dancing.
As I was inspired, I began to create, teach, and steward the talents that were given to me. I choreographed in math class, on the bus, and while walking home from school. I listened to gospel music nonstop, on my way to work at Funplex, during lunch breaks, anytime I could feed my spirit.
I used my school library to print permission slips and information packets for the dancers and their families. In 2015, before I left for college, we planned our very first concert.
Our little ministry became a light within our small congregation and the community around us. Many dancers, some whose parents were neither saved or members of our church home at the time, looked forward to joining in on the fun. Two years later, our second concert was titled Ask, Seek, Knock, inspired by Luke 11:10:
“For everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Even back then, and still now, we understood that when we ask according to God’s Word, He hears us. We asked to be heard. We asked to be used for a special purpose. We asked for the Lord to fill the gaps within our church and unite us all in praise, worship, and love for Him.
And He did.
It wasn’t until that first generation of students reached about 13 themselves, that I began to mentor them in leadership, teamwork, and the values of ministry. They were still students, still learning, but they were dancing at a higher level and had willing hearts.
Around that same time, in 2019, I tried to expand the vision beyond dance and launched a mentoring program called Young People After God’s Own Heart for our church's youth ministry. The idea was to pair older youth with younger ones as “big siblings,” meeting biweekly for discipleship and accountability.
The program was supposed to last an entire year, but it was short-lived. The older youth weren’t as easily taught, and many didn’t engage with their “little siblings.” Still, I learned so much from that experience.
One scripture that carried me through that season was:
“You are the light of the world, like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)
I knew that what I was doing, within my church, my home, and the Body of Christ, was meant to illuminate the light of God. As long as the Lord was with me I would always have the strength to carry out His will and shine in every season!
