Resonate Global Mission missionary Rebekah Wissink thinks of her classroom at Good Shepherd’s Fold in Uganda as a training ground for students to give their best to God. This past year, her students did just that when they stepped out of their comfort zone and staged a performance of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Strengthening Biblical Connections

When Rebekah and her co-teacher volunteered to teach drama to middle and high school students this year, they thought The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe adapted from the novel by C.S. Lewis was a natural choice.

“There are so many wonderful connections C.S. Lewis makes between his novels and the Bible,” said Rebekah. But producing a play also encouraged students to stretch themselves with new tasks and responsibilities.

Students who are generally quieter in class were cast in leading roles. Students who didn’t always show the most motivation in their classwork were given lines to memorize, costumes to design, and sets to construct. Rebekah and her co-teacher worked with each student, encouraging them to give their best to God. Students seemed to take the lesson to heart and worked hard.

“I think some [students] have been surprised at what they have seen classmates do—and even what they have done themselves,” said Rebekah.

Stretching Themselves

One student who speaks quietly and is more reserved was cast as the White Witch. As the students gathered the first week of practice to rehearse the first scene, she shocked everyone. She already had almost all her lines memorized!

“I was so excited to see this student who generally is more quiet … get so much into her role and really act the part,” said Rebekah. “It was so fun to watch and it also really ignited the desire to perform well in the students around her.”

Students poured into not only memorizing their lines, but learning their character. Students worked together to create innovative set pieces. Week after week, they worked hard to get ready for showtime.

Showtime

The day of the performance, students donned costumes pieced together with leopard print shirts, shiny fabric, fuzzy blankets, and big belts. Jittery with nerves, they stepped onto a stage transformed into Narnia and performed for their fellow students, families, and friends. 

One student who helped design and paint much of the set also stepped into the role of Aslan. “You would have never guessed how nervous she was during the performance,” said Rebekah. “We couldn’t have been more proud of what the students accomplished.”

Resonate missionaries serving as teachers work hard to empower young people to live for Christ. Putting on this play was not just an important lesson for students this past year—it’s an important lifelong lesson. They stepped out of their comfort zone, stretched themselves, and worked as a team to give their best to God.

“My prayer is that God will continue to help these students desire to do their best for him,” said Rebekah.