Click here to view an illustrated version of this newsletter on Facebook!

Dear CCAM Partners and Friends,

At the CCAMS Christmas Celebration in 2012, Pastor Kevin Kane preached a sermon from Philippians 2 about Christ’s volunteering to leave the privileges of heaven to be born as a human baby on the earth, for the sole purpose of sacrificing His life to pay for the sins of the world. Because of this, He was called the bondservant of God.

This passage of scripture urges members of the Body of Christ to stop seeking their own selfish ways and instead to follow Christ’s example to be God’s bondservants too. In closing, Pastor Kevin encouraged CCAMS to create a dance or drama to proclaim this message. And that’s when the Holy Spirit placed that calling on Gioia’s heart.

Sophun and Pastor David had already been encouraging Gioia to create a new dance mixing Khmer and Western styles, like she had done with “The Dew of Life.” Only this time, Pastor David wanted to create the original music, and both Sophun and Reaksmey wanted to help with the choreography by adding the Khmer touches.

So receiving the story and spiritual message from Philippians 2 last Christmas completed the vision in Gioia’s heart for this original dance drama, “Song of the Bondservants.” See the libretto below, followed by the continuing saga of its creation.

"SONG OF THE BONDSERVANTS" Dance Drama
Blend of Western Contemporary and Khmer Classical Dance

Commissioned by Pastor Kevin Kane
Libretto by Gioia Michelotti
Lyrics by Gioia Michelotti and Noren Vann Kim
Music and Vocals by Pastor David Bin
Recording by Martin Neil, Voices from the Nations
Choreography by Gioia Michelotti, Sophun and Reaksmey Ty
Dancers/Musicians CCAMS Students
Costume Design by Gioia Michelotti
Costume Construction by Kann Bunnan and CCAMS Students
Video Filming by Kelsey Wilson

LIBRETTO

Overture (music only)

Dance of Conflict in the Church (pastor & congregation)

Dance of Division (pastor prays)

The Proclamation of Jesus Christ from Heaven (John 15: 12)

"This is My commandment that you love one another,
just as I have loved you."

Jesus Christ’s Song of Exhortation & Dance of Repentance (Phil 2:2-4)

"Make My joy complete by being of the same mind,
Maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose;
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,
      but with humility of mind
Let each of you regard one another
      as more important than yourself;
Don't merely look out for personal interests,
      but also for the interests of others."

Dance of Reconciliation (music only)

Pastor’s blessing
Pastor invites congregation to sit down
Pastor opens Bible to preach

Pastor’s Proclamation Song & Dance of Agreement (Phil 2: 5-11)

      Introduction (v.5)
Pastor: "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Congregation: “Because He loves us, because He loves us!"

      The Triune God: (v.6)
Pastor: “Although He existed in the form of God,
He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped.”

Congregation: “Because He loves us, because He loves us!

      The Nativity: (v. 7)
Pastor: "He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant,
being made in the likeness of men.”

Congregation: “Because He loves us, because He loves us!"

      The Crucifixion and Resurrection: (v. 8-9)
Pastor: "Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself,
By becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross,
Therefore God highly exalted Him,
And bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.”

Congregation: “Because He saved us, because He saved us!"

      The Judgment (vs. 10-11)
Pastor: "At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow,
      those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth,
And every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
      to the glory of God the Father.”

Congregation: “And so we praise Him, and so we praise Him!"

Dance of Praise (music only)

Song of the Bondservants & Dance of Commitment (Phil 2: 2-4)

"Let's make His joy complete by being of the same mind,
Maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose;
Let's do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind
Let's regard one another as more important than ourselves;
Let's not merely look out for our own personal interests,
      but also for the interests of others."

Transition (music only)

Coda: Song of the Bondservants & Dance of Harmony

"Let's follow Christ's example as bondservants of God!
Let's make His joy complete! Let's make His joy complete!"

In January 2013, Gioia wrote down her vision for the dance in the above libretto. Then Noren translated the words to traditional Khmer poetry, which became the lyrics of the songs. After that, Pastor David and Gioia met to discuss how to compose the music to maximize the emotions, the movements, and especially the message.

After many weeks, the music began to take shape. Eventually, Pastor David presented Gioia with a music CD draft, and she started to choreograph the dance to the new music. However, after trying to dance to the music, some more interactions between composer and choreographer occurred, as Gioia asked for some additions and changes to facilitate the ebb and flow of the dancing. Finally, the music was completed, perfectly suited for the purpose intended!

Now we needed the Khmer music teachers to help our students add Khmer traditional percussion instruments to the musical score played by Pastor David on a Western-style keyboard. After praying for many weeks, the teachers finally came, and our students gradually became proficient playing the music. The next step was to record it.

However, many problems arose while trying to find a good place to record, with suitable equipment, a willing technician, and adequate funding. But God answered our prayers by sending volunteers Martin and Rebekah Neil from Voices from the Nations, who brought their portable equipment with them to produce a true musical masterpiece with exquisite sound quality!

Another setback to the Bondservants project was that one of our volunteer costume seamstresses, who had already mastered the skill of sewing the Western-style costumes, left CCAM to pursue a salaried position elsewhere. Our regular volunteer seamstress, Reaksmey’s mother Bunnan, is a professional seamstress in the Khmer style, but not proficient in the Western style. Nevertheless, she volunteered to try to sew the Bondservants costumes, and began to make exciting headway!

But in the middle of the project, she became ill and had to go back home in the province to rest. As we prayed for her, she began to recover. Sophun and some of the dancers drove many hours, crossing the river by ferry, to get to where she lived, so that she could measure them and work on the costumes at home whenever she had enough strength.

However, to this day, all of those costumes are still not finished, even though our students have helped as well. Please pray that Bunnan will be totally healed, so that she can complete sewing all the costumes before our first major performance on December 18.

In the meantime, our work on the dance has continued, perfecting the choreography and the dancers’ interpretation of it. Our students have never before tackled anything as structurally complicated, technically difficult, and physically and emotionally draining as this dance drama. But as we have prayed for them, they have steadily improved, little by little.

But the more all of us persevere in our resolve to follow God’s vision, and the closer we come to reaching our goal, the stronger the spiritual opposition from “the forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Those evil forces do not like the way the Body of Christ at CCAMS has been sharing their gifts and working together in unity. They do not want CCAMS to continue to proclaim God’s truth to Cambodia and the world, especially through such a strong message like “Song of the Bondservants.” Also, the fact that this dance will be performed by disadvantaged young people who have been divinely rescued from disaster and redeemed by the blood of Christ to receive His “garlands instead of ashes” makes its appeal even more irresistible (Isaiah 61)!

Recently the schemes of the devil against us have included sickness, injury, confusion, or rebellion, afflicting selected dancers, as though the enemy is picking off the stragglers on the front line of battle. This was especially noticeable before and during this past Wednesday’s private performance for Kelsey, causing the hoped for shining outcome to be somewhat tarnished, although Kelsey herself was still thrilled to see how much progress had been made.

Kelsey did film the performance, but instead of proudly sharing the result for you to view on YouTube, we took it home to use as a teaching tool, to help our performers see their mistakes. In this way, we helped them to compare this video to the previous vibrant rehearsal two days earlier that had caused me to earnestly praise their progress. It worked! After hours of confessing and using our spiritual weapons listed in Ephesians 6, all who were afflicted were set free! As they prayed to thank God for giving them a fresh start, they quoted the words of Philippians 2 from the lyrics of “Song of the Bondservants,” committing themselves to be true bondservants of God from now on!

Please pray diligently for these performers, especially until the end of the Christmas season, during which they have been invited to perform many times. Throughout this past year of preparation, every obstacle has been overcome by our diligence to persevere and our faith in the power of God! So let’s pray that God will continue to give us the victory, until we have accomplished the work He has called us to do. Even though our enemy the devil is ruthless and powerful, yet greater is the Holy Spirit of Jesus in us, than the evil spirits that are in the world (1 John 4:4)! Amen!

Still following the vision,
The CCAMS Family