In late August, God brought AMTC into our lives- Actors, Models, and Talent for Christ. Faith Anna and I were almost home from our World Vision trip to Uganda when Luke heard an ad on the radio for an open casting call in Dallas. He said that when he heard it, it just spurred something inside of him to investigate further. Luke and his brother, Jordan, were childhood actors and models here in Dallas with the Tonya Blair Agency. He had a great experience with this as a boy, so it has been in and out of our minds over the years. You know, the occasional "Oh your kids are so cute! They should be on commercials!" But there was a never a reason for us to pursue it any further....our plate has been very full over the years with med school, residency, having babies, raising babies, etc. But when we heard about AMTC, that all changed.
So when we got home from Uganda, Luke shared his nudging with me....and I decided to do some online research. Turns out, the ad he heard on the radio wasn't all that legit...but in my internet quest, I ran across a website called AMTC. I was immediately taken by the mission statement of this unique organization- to put Christians in the entertainment industry to shine their light for Christ.
So since we have such a talented bunch of folks around here that love to put on nightly talent shows, write songs, perform songs, dance, and generally entertain in any and all fashions....we decided to audition. The next audition was that weekend, so we prayed about it....and the Lord said, "Go." But not just go and send your talented kids. He said to go for the whole family. He made it very clear that He was calling all 6 of us- that instead of just sending out our kids like we do for most extra-curricular activities, that He wanted Luke and I to lead by example. So since we are just as crazy as these kids He's blessed us with, we went with a smile. We all memorized our commercials that we downloaded from their website, and Logan and Faith Anna prepared songs to sing. We went with joy in our hearts and no expectations.
We were blown away at the auditions. We met some of the most amazing people that made up the Dallas leadership team- people that radiated the love of Christ before they ever said a word. We were so impressed with the mission of this organization....and the true mission field that the entertainment industry is, before we ever went into our audition! But once we walked into the room with industry scout, Jaco Booyens, the Lord began an amazing stirring in our hearts. Again, I thought this was mainly for our kids....but as if he knew that, Jaco looked right at me and asked me to go first. So I stood up, front and center, brave for my kids....paving the way! I did my commercial...and then he asked me what else I could do. I just smiled and said that was all I had prepared. Then from behind me, my precious children started chanting...."she can sing! She can sing!" So of course, he asked me if I would sing something for him. Now shaking in my boots, I kindly replied that we all loved to sing around the house, but I wasn't looking for a recording contract or anything. He didn't budge- "Please sing something for me." So I just began singing our fav song from home- Amazing Grace...but the Young Life version! Well, as I got to the chorus, the kids and Luke all began to join in with me. In a matter of moments, we were all singing the most beautiful praises just like we do at home- and by the end of it, Jaco had tears in his eyes. I don't think he could believe that we were a real family that all love to perform, sing, and love Jesus better than life. One by one, the rest of the family stood and auditioned....and just blew him away. I was so proud of this crew that God has blessed me with! At the end of the audition, Jaco was very complementary.... thanked us and explained that they would be doing call-backs the next day. He was kind but also wanted to be realistic and let us know that they usually had about a 25% call back rate.
The next morning we went to church....and were blown away when we received a call afterward inviting ALL 6 of us for a call back! What??!! We went back in and the Dallas Leadership team prayed with us and said that they too felt like God was calling all of us to take this journey. And so we began our training this fall. We met about once a month with the fabulous leadership team who taught us the foundations of acting, modeling, singing, and dancing. We learned so much...not only about the industry, but about how God's great love for each of us can transform lives- and how the power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside us is waiting to model how to love, serve, and make a difference in a world that is starved for real love, forgiveness, and hope.
These are the pictures the AMTC Style Team selected for each of us from our photo shoot weekend. What a blast! Can't wait to see where this journey takes us. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to SHINE for You!
My handsome Luke
My grown-up Logan
Georgeous Faith Anna
Beautiful Beth
Stinkin' Cute Tag
Thank you so much for praying for us and supporting us on this new adventure!
