Bread for All

Last Wednesday I did some filming for the New Testament Project that the church is doing.  Last time I did it, I wrote a really long post about it, and I want to avoid that, so I'm just going to point out some things that I want to remember:

• It was HOT!  It was 105 degrees on set, and all of the extras were wearing thick, long, layered robes along with thick, heavy, tightly tied turbans.  Oh my gosh, it was hot.  By the time we took lunch, six people had already gone down and had to leave from heat exhaustion.  
• Corbin Allred was the head of the rescue team, the group of men available for those who got sick.  That was fun.  He was really sweet and I enjoyed chatting with him for a bit.

• We filmed the scene "Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand" (John 6:1-14 is one reference).  It was really cool to be a part of such a great story from the New Testament.
• One of the 12 disciples (I don't know which he was playing) handed me bread from the basket.  I in turn broke it and shared with others.  It was fresh loaves of wheat bread, and because of the heat, and to keep it real, we were encouraged to eat the bread.  After each take they brought out more fresh bread for us.  I of course, couldn't eat any and the disciple told me he was going to "tell Jesus on me" for not eating.  I replied that if Jesus Himself came down and blessed this bread, I would eat it, but until then, I was not going to ingest anything with gluten.  It was pretty funny.  It looked and smelled so good, and I was tempted, not going to lie.  The dried fish was not as tempting.
• My day began at 4:00 am when I got up and drove to Goshen, UT.  It ended at 9:00 pm when I arrived home exhausted.
• Sitting on the desert floor was miserable, ha ha!  It was hot and scratchy, and there were lots and lots of fire ants just waiting for someone to eat.

(I cannot share any pictures from that day and was not allowed to take any pictures on set, so here's a photo that the church has shared here...this is the land we were on.)

• I was once again mistaken for a teenager by multiple people.  I suppose when you can't wear makeup and you're all dressed in similar clothing, it's hard to tell.  I cannot lie though, it made me very happy.
• I continue to be amazed at the spirit that is able to be present there, although I can attest that the biggest indicator of the spirit is your own personal attitude.  In the (literal) "heat of the moment", it can be hard to feel that...because you're tired, hungry, hot, dirty and you have a headache.  But in the moments of pondering and reflecting and REALIZING what you're a part of, the spirit is all over.  In scripture study later on, the scenes I've been a part of are so much more alive, you know?
• I was once again impressed by how REAL everything was.  It's awesome to walk down a hill and see hundreds of other "Jews" walking with you...it feels SO REAL.
• As physically difficult as it was, the whole thing was worth it, especially when I walked into my house and heard Parker screaming at the top of his lungs, "MOMMY, YOU'RE HOME!!!" and giving me the world's biggest hug.

This is the 4th project I've been able to do with the church in the last year.  I realize that the next year will not be nearly as generous, as the New Testament Project wraps up and as more and more people apply to be a part of other projects.  While the thought saddens me, I can't help but feel happy about the stuff I've been able to do.  Work schedules have managed to somehow work themselves out so that neither Clay or I have had to take time off work for me to do this, and it's really been great.