SERVE Part II

So here we go again. I'm avoiding a little paperwork this afternoon and figured I may as tackle another chunk of the out of control blog that is SERVE.

My absolute favorite part of the weeks I'm in Sioux Falls, is without a doubt the people. The main thing that differeniates this group from many others that I work with, is the way they immediately invite you into their little circle. Speaking and comedy can be a lonely job at times. You end up spending a lot of time driving in a car, sleeping in a hotel room alone, or sitting in empty sanctuarys while people are "leaving you alone" to get ready. Often when I go on extended speaking trips, I'm given a room to sleep in alone because my hosts want me to have some privacy. The SERVE group, on the other hand, has none of this. I'm bunked right in between the host team, and they treat me as if they've known me for years.

Practical jokes abound. Whether it be airhorns, shower shenanigans, towel snapping, surprise "gifts", or my personal favorite - putting a picture of a young, awkward, teenage Troy on the big screen during worship - these guys and gals know how to have fun. My father in law has always said that the key to a good spiritual week is to play just as hard as you worship, and the Sioux Falls crew has that down.

From prank calls on Danny's speakerphone, to constantly threatening to steal someones clothes and towel from the shower, everyday has new suprises. So without further ado, I'll end this post with a few of my favorite SERVE 2005 moments of hilarity:

5. Jason Bartman sings Garth Brooks
Drummer for the week, Bartman grabs a guitar one afternoon and proves he's just as proficient on the six string. He does a rousing rendition of "I Will Sail My Vessel" with a little help from Danny Fergen.

4. Chelsea Plays Screech
So, on the old show Saved By the Bell, there was the nerdy character Screech, who had a unique style of fighting. It's hard to describe, but essentially, he'd cover his face with one hand, and then put his other fist through the arm that was covering his face and swing the fist around. It's hard to imagine without seeing it, I know. But if you ever run into Chelsea Gerdes, she does it better than the man himself. I'm still laughing (and secretly imitating the move in front of the bathroom mirror.)

3. Dustin Attacks Mark
Good friend Dustin is wearing a low slung pair of plaid shorts. We find that if he hikes them up enough and walks a little goofy, he looks like a pretty big nerd. So we challenge him to run into the crowded cafeteria and do Chelsea's "Screech Fighting" with Mark. Dustin steps up to the challenge and many kids are left wondering about his sanity while Mark tries to defend himself.

2. Morning Radio
So every year, Mark and Dan think up new ways to get the servers wide awake at 7 AM. In the past, this has included air horns and whacking them with those large foam noodles. This year, however, they set up giant speakers around the school and put on their own little radio show with Danny Fergen. Every morning during the show, they'd have a "special guest" come in. It was typically one of the SERVE head honchos, Troy, Dawn, or Luke. Unfortunately, since they were always in a leader's meeting, I had to fill in doing my best impersonation. It lead to me challenging people to knock Troy's hat off his head, pick Luke up off the ground, and telling everyone that Troy and Luke were both Dawn's real life sons. Much confusion and hilarity with the servers ensued.

And my favorite . . .

1. Dustin and I Caught Alone Together
So, it's no secret that the crew and I are close. Often, this closeness brings a lot of practical jokes involving one guy, crawling into another guy's bunk while he's asleep (or close to it) for a surprise awakening. Well, one morning, I'm just waking up, and Dustin and I are the only two in the room together. He crawls across the floor, under a desk (he's thin) and onto my airmattress with me. Pretty funny. Meanwhile, the radio show is going on outside, and the boys have just announced that the first server that can bring them a Bible with a certain passage marked, will win a prize. Well, suddenly, in our room, the lights flash on, and two servers who are frantically looking for a Bible, stumble around the desk and find us together on my air mattress. All four of us look around a little bewildered, and after a short pause, one of the kids says, "We're . . . looking for a Bible . . ." Dustin yells at them and tells them there are no Bibles in the Leader's room, and they run back out the door - leaving us to laugh hysterically at the scene they just saw. Two grown men, in their jammies, sharing an air matress.

Phew. Enough for now? Enough for me anyways. One or two more entries should take care of the rest. We'll see. And once again, I've barely scratched the surface of what it means to be part of the Sioux Falls crew. But before I go, I'll leave you with a few of the honorable mention moments.

1. Dawn pulling a . . . ahem . . . muscle while doing a cartwheel and being very sore for a few days afterwards.
2. Me trying to be very serious during the Sunday morning worship as Mark has warned me to "behave this year". Then having Ashley come up next to me, practially bursting with silly energy.
3. Dustin yelling at farmwives driving slowly down country roads.
4. Getting everyone on the host team to Monkey-walk for my own enjoyment.
5. Watching Dan give blood.
6. Seeing what new and tiny places Luke could "Ping" out of.
7. Enduring Mark's "shower dance" for seven straight days.

Till next time,

Jason