Last night I had the privilege of leading a GEMS group of 8th grade girls at Heritage CRC in Byron Center, MI through a fun Zumba class. I opened my time with them sharing some scripture that I feel is important to care for our bodies from a spiritual stand point as well as taking care of ourselves physically (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Philippians 4:15, 1 Peter 3:3-4). Imagine in a room full of 8th grade girls, I knew the class would start with lots of giggles, and it did, because in Zumba you do shake those hips a lot! But by the second song the room got pretty quiet, well, besides the music. It was so fulfilling to me to see all of the girls fully participating and appearing to have lots of fun.
Zumba is a dance fitness class that to me has been so beneficial in my life that I became a certified instructor. By day I work for The Banner as the advertising sales rep, but I am also a wife and mother of 4 children. So at some point in my day I need to relieve some stress, as we all do. I have found that fitness not only relieves stress for me, but is also good for me ... and when you add dancing to the mix, I leave my workouts with a smile on my face! Last night I brought along my twin 10 year old girls so they could share in the evening with these girls, take pictures, and for me it was important to let them hear me talk to other girls about something I am so passionate about. I can only hope that one day they will do the same.
This opportunity and time with these girls completely filled my heart with JOY, I would love the opportunity to do this more. I loved sharing with these GEMS girls how important it is in taking care of ourselves as Princesses of our King!
GEMS is a great program to get your daughters/grand daughters/sisters/friends involved in. To find out more, please visit the GEMS website.
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