Making Music Together!

If you happened to turn into the evening news last week in Arad, Romania you would have seen a news story about Sunshine School students and been able to hear them making beautiful music together with hand bells (chimes). Ovidiu Martin, RCE Director, explained to the viewers how the children were given this amazing gift of learning to play the bells.

It all began in Washington DC last April when Linda Elkan heard a young girl from Romania play the flute at Fourth Presbyterian Church. This child had been rescued out of a state orphanage for disabled children and lived at RCE’s group home (Darius House) before being adopted into a Romanian family. While Linda listened to a girl once considered ‘irrecoverable’ play the flute she realized that the children at Darius House and Sunshine School could learn the bells and enjoy them as much as the children she directs in the Special Blessings Choir at Fourth Church. And so a trip was planned.

Matthew Elkans rides the Metro to a government office in Washington DC every day. Chatting with a fellow passenger on the train last summer he mentioned that he would be going with his wife to Romania where she would be teaching the teachers at Sunshine School a simple method that allows even children with severe disabilities to play the bells. Matthew’s fellow traveler was more than interested since his cousin ‘just happened’ to be in Europe making a documentary on hand bells in different religious and community ceremonies around the world.

This, not so chance, encounter led to the veteran filmmaker, Eric Thiermann, traveling to Arad in September to document Linda’s work with the teachers and students at Sunshine School. He captured the first beautiful notes played by our very own Hand Bell Choir a few days later. The local newspaper covered this story with the headline, “Discovery Channel filmmaker comes to Arad to document American volunteer teaching music to special needs children at Sunshine School”. (Thiermann’s hour long documentary - Sunshine School only playing a small part - will be shown sometime in 2009 on either PBS or the Discovery Channel.) Mr. Thiermann was so impressed with the work of RCE that he offered to make a four-minute video of Darius House and Sunshine School as a gift to the ministry. This professionally made video will be available later in the year via the web site.

Best of all, of course, was seeing the faces of the students as they played their first notes. And now a short month later they have played together for their city on the local television station, helping the community better understand these long ignored and uniquely wonderful children in their midst. Dr. Daria, and all the Sunshine School teachers, operate on the belief that every child is precious in the sight of God, has a right to life and a right to learn. And now these children can enjoy more of the good gifts God has given - including making and enjoying music together. This Christmas the Sunshine School Hand Bell Choir will help lead in worship at local churches playing the song Linda Elkan taught them, Silent Night, Holy Night.

Praise God for this provision of enrichment that God’s people at Darius House and Sunshine School can give to children who previously have been denied even the most basic human dignity.

Thank you for your investment in the Kingdom of God that enables RCE to change lives and for your faithful prayer that sustains them.

Mary Ann Bell