If you haven't read previous blogs about a local ministry called the Root Cellar, I'll explain it one more time.  The Root Cellar is an inner city mission in a predominantly African neighborhood in Lewiston, Maine.  The Root Cellar does everything from after school care and youth group to English as a second language classes and community dinners.  I love the Root Cellar, and love bringing my students there to experience the atmosphere.

We arrived early for a show for their after school care group, so we set up and the two groups of kids had a chance to interact.  It was a warm day for Maine in early March, so most of the kids went to the playground out back.  Two groups of kids: one exclusively (that day, at least) black, most born in Africa, many Muslim, the other entirely white or Asian, born here in the states, Christian, just being kids together.  They played tag, basketball, jump rope, all the regular playground stuff.

The show was also something special.  After playing together, the Root Cellar kids saw the WCA kids as their friends, which they are.  They cheered on every performer in every routine.  Most special, though, was that Aidan could do his illusion that tells of the resurrection.  Root Cellar staff are always careful of what routines to share with their kids.  This isn't because they want to water down the Gospel, but rather to handle their role as neighborhood missionaries carefully.  Like all missionaries, they need to understand their culture.  In the case of missions to Muslims, the resurrection is something that needs to be approached wisely.  That afternoon, the Root Cellar leaders felt they had gotten the young people's trust and had taught them enough that we could be the FIRST ministry to ever share the good news of Easter with them.  In fact, we were told with the start of the Lenten season, they were moving in that direction.  What a great experience for the WCA kids to be the ones they heard it from first.