Published: September 03, 2008 12:23 pm            

Jennifer Payne is skating with ‘Disney on Ice’

With Labor Day past, just about everyone is settled into a routine they will probably keep for the next several months. For most, summer vacation trips are just pleasant memories, but for some of us the memory lingers on.

Ruth Ann Taylor, thanks to her skills in photography and organization, has put together what I think is an excellent documentary of our ‘Israeli Pilgrimage.’ Several churches have invited us to share experiences of our trip last June, and we’ve been happy to oblige. Actually, all I do is cheer Ruth Ann on and perhaps help a little with the packing and unpacking. We went most recently to churches at Colbert and Ahloso and enjoyed both those visits immensely. I like small churches, and it is good to find those that have an inviting worshipful atmosphere and a congregation of hound-dog friendly people.

It was at the Colbert Church which Bob Payne pastors that I gathered information about his older daughter, Jennifer. Bob was pastor of our church, New Bethel, 1966-72, and his older son, Rod, was our music director 1977-85, so the Payne family has remained our good friends. I have not had an opportunity to know his “second family,” Jennifer and Amy, as well as I’d have liked, but they were both kindergarten students of Ruth Ann’s.

Jennifer graduated at the end of May from the University of Delaware at Newark with a degree in exercise science/figure skating.

Shortly after graduation, Jennifer went to work for ‘Disney on Ice.’ The skaters perform “Princess Wishes.” With narrators, Mickey and Minnie, they tell the stories of several Disney heroines such as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. Though Jennifer joined the troupe with no credits except her audition tape, she has progressed rapidly from minor roles to ones with more significance. She will enact the role of Tinker Bell in the performance of "Peter Pan" next week.

The troupe has performed in five major cities in Japan and will continue there until November. She will have a break then and will probably come home before going on to South East Asia until April. From there she will be in Australia and New Zealand until August of next year.

Bob says he is saving for a vacation to Australia next summer (Australia’s winter.) Though he is eager to see his daughter, he hasn’t lost touch with her by any means. They have instant messaging on their computers and “talk” twice daily.

Jennifer is thoroughly enjoying getting acquainted with countries of Asia. The skaters have some time for sight-seeing, so she has an opportunity to get out of the large cities. Her employer provides lodging for the troupe in luxury hotels, and Jennifer says she is appreciative of their provision, especially since food prices are shockingly high. She is very fond of fresh fruit, and she reluctantly paid $2 for a small apple, but she refused some longed-for grapes because they were $20 a pound.

Jennifer’s plans include spending the next five years traveling with ice shows in Europe as well as Asia. She hopes ultimately to gain enough knowledge and expertise to settle in a large city such as Dallas and do choreography for ice skating coaches of the area.

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Most of us like surprise celebrations. Whether we are the recipient or among the planners of the surprise, there is enough of the child in each of us to get a big kick out of really surprising the honoree.

Two such surprise parties come to mind. Lane Self, our church’s popular youth minister, was having his 22nd birthday last Friday. There was no way the church could surprise him on his actual birthday, but the Yahwea Sisterhood (Aren Howell’s women’s class) put their heads together a week or so earlier and figured out a surprise for two days earlier at our regular Wednesday night service.

Since we have been without a pastor, deacons have been responsible for Wednesday night devotionals. We usually meet in the Fellowship Hall for a delicious dinner cooked by Jenny Bailey. We overeat, then go to the sanctuary for a 10 minute devotional, then a prayer service, followed by choir practice.

We women deviously decided that one of us should ask a deacon to approach Lane about doing the devotional for that evening. (Lane usually is in the basement teaching the young people on Wednesday.) We would remain in the Fellowship Hall with the youth for that devotional. When the devotional was over, a large birthday cake would be wheeled out, everyone would yell “Surprise!” and he would be showered with birthday cards.

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The other surprise celebration was held by the Francis Baptist Church for newly elected sheriff, John Christian. John is a Byng School alumnus and grew up here. His father, Ed, and brothers Jerry and Eddie still live here, but John and Janie and their daughter Pierra moved to Francis a few years ago.

The event took place at the church’s monthly fellowship dinner. A red, white and blue patriotic theme was used, and various objects to make a “survival kit” for the new sheriff decorated the tables.

Michelle Latham had written a skit for the occasion and she wore a black and white ‘jailbird’ costume for the presentation. With the help of her grandmother, Norma Allen, she offered advice and props for making life more livable for the sheriff. Back-up for him included action figures representing the police force, firefighters and an Indian representing the Chickasaw Lighthorse squad.

Realizing that his new job would provide headaches and upsetting situations, they gave him a large bottle of aspirin and some antacid pills.

In apprehending a criminal, if John should happen not to have handcuffs readily available, Michelle presented him a roll of duct tape.

“This is 100-mph tape that will hold anything,” she declared. “It has been holding my bumper on my car for the past year.”

John also received various disguises for undercover work—false teeth, fake noses etc. plus a length of lariat to be used when he gets to the end of his official sheriff’s rope.

A box of Spic and Span was guaranteed to clean up the community.

        

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