The whole week was pretty crazy. I worked all day Monday at the library, and that evening I ended up sick. My youngest brother Stephen had just gotten over a week of feeling bad after the stomach flu, and I was scared that I had now come down with it. I was only sick one time, though, so I think I had been consuming too much "cleansing" stuff (kefir, diatomaceous earth, etc.), and my system got too overloaded all at once. ANYWAY, I didn't know that at the time, so you can imagine how concerned I felt. I had to show up for filming in 48 hours!
I was able to sleep for a few hours, then woke up around 2am feeling sick again. I got up slowly, sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes, then carefully made my way down the hall to the bathroom - and I STILL ended up passing out! I almost always end up passing out if I'm sick and I have to get up in the middle of the night. Thankfully, I've never gashed my head or given myself a concussion or anything. I ended up with a few painful bumps and bruises from this fall, but nothing major.
Take it from me, folks - fainting is not graceful and romantic like it is in the movies. :-)
I wasn't able to sleep much the rest of the night (no idea why - I wasn't sick anymore) or any the next day, but I felt much more refreshed after a solid night's sleep on Tuesday. Still, I was concerned about going into two night shoots much weakened and sleep deprived. But I tried to set my fears aside and embrace the peace that comes from trusting God and knowing that His plan is perfect and He has everything under control.
I rested for a few hours Tuesday afternoon, then drove to set by 6:30pm. I was in the background of one or two scenes, but mostly I was in holding until 3:30am, which is when I was finally able to do my scenes with my dialogue. It was so much fun!!! It was a treat to work with award winning director Tracy Trost and have scenes with talented stars Andrew Cheney and Rachel Hendrix.
Tracy talking to Andrew and Rachel before a scene filmed earlier that week.
It was kinda funny how almost everybody assumed that this was my first time on a film set and this was my big "film debut." It was a natural assumption since almost ALL the other extras were local university students who had never been in a movie before. As for me...well, it WAS my first "supporting role." I've been a background extra and a principal (lead) actor, but this was my first time playing something in between.
My part was easy. I was a sales girl in a pawn shop. My lines were easy, too, as long as I could keep straight what scene we were on, since we kept jumping around. The director was very complimentary and said I was a natural, so that was encouraging. :-) I would love to work with him again.
We wrapped at 6am. I drove to a friend's apartment and managed to get a few hours of sleep off and on during the day. I would sleep for about an hour and a half, then wake up for no good reason. So I would listen to an old time radio show and fall back asleep, then repeat.
The second night was even more fun since we were mostly just filming the scenes I was in. Everything went well. I only had one embarrassing moment - when my stomach growled during a scene when everything was dead silent. Everybody got a big laugh out of it. :-)
During our breaks when they were moving equipment around, we got to jam on the musical instruments in the pawn shop. Here's a picture of Rebecca (wardrobe supervisor) and me strumming on some ukeleles.
We wrapped a few hours early that night, and I went ahead and drove the hour home at about 3 or 4 am (I forget which). God was so amazing to sustain me through both nights of filming. Under normal circumstances, I would have started feeling nauseous from the exhaustion, but He gave me energy and kept me from feeling sick. By human logic it makes no sense, but God is so much bigger than all of that! If we are walking in His will, He will provide us with what we need to accomplish the task He has given us! Never be afraid to take that leap of faith - He will take care of you! Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens us!
This was a huge test of faith for me. I know how my body reacts to lack of sleep. It's not fun. I feel nauseous and ill in my head, and I get panicky if I'm around people...and that's no way to be feeling on a film set when you've got scenes to do and there's no easy access to a bathroom, and you don't want to hold up production or end up getting sick in front of people. When I got sick on Monday night and couldn't sleep, it was hard not to question God and get really frustrated with the situation. Talk about bad timing! It was going to be hard enough without going into it extra tired and weak! I had to keep choosing to release my fears and frustrations and trust God's wisdom, providence, and sovereignty. He knew what was going on. He allowed it for a purpose.
In my weakness, His strength becomes more evident. If I am capable of handling everything on my own, then where is the need for His provision? Where is the testimony of His power?
He blessed me with this incredible opportunity in the first place. I trusted Him to see me through it despite the odds...and He did. I hardly even felt tired those two nights. (The next day I felt worse than death warmed over, but that's beside the point.)
Wherever God has you...trust Him to take care of you, even when the situation seems impossible. Nothing is impossible with God. It is a blessing that He keeps us dependent on Himself, for otherwise we wouldn't have the chance to see Him working in our lives and providing a way when all seems hopeless. Chose to set aside your anxiety and embrace His peace. I'll leave you with two of my favorite verses...
The only picture posted on Facebook so far that has me in it...
We wrapped at 6am. I drove to a friend's apartment and managed to get a few hours of sleep off and on during the day. I would sleep for about an hour and a half, then wake up for no good reason. So I would listen to an old time radio show and fall back asleep, then repeat.
The second night was even more fun since we were mostly just filming the scenes I was in. Everything went well. I only had one embarrassing moment - when my stomach growled during a scene when everything was dead silent. Everybody got a big laugh out of it. :-)
During our breaks when they were moving equipment around, we got to jam on the musical instruments in the pawn shop. Here's a picture of Rebecca (wardrobe supervisor) and me strumming on some ukeleles.
This was a huge test of faith for me. I know how my body reacts to lack of sleep. It's not fun. I feel nauseous and ill in my head, and I get panicky if I'm around people...and that's no way to be feeling on a film set when you've got scenes to do and there's no easy access to a bathroom, and you don't want to hold up production or end up getting sick in front of people. When I got sick on Monday night and couldn't sleep, it was hard not to question God and get really frustrated with the situation. Talk about bad timing! It was going to be hard enough without going into it extra tired and weak! I had to keep choosing to release my fears and frustrations and trust God's wisdom, providence, and sovereignty. He knew what was going on. He allowed it for a purpose.
In my weakness, His strength becomes more evident. If I am capable of handling everything on my own, then where is the need for His provision? Where is the testimony of His power?
He blessed me with this incredible opportunity in the first place. I trusted Him to see me through it despite the odds...and He did. I hardly even felt tired those two nights. (The next day I felt worse than death warmed over, but that's beside the point.)
Wherever God has you...trust Him to take care of you, even when the situation seems impossible. Nothing is impossible with God. It is a blessing that He keeps us dependent on Himself, for otherwise we wouldn't have the chance to see Him working in our lives and providing a way when all seems hopeless. Chose to set aside your anxiety and embrace His peace. I'll leave you with two of my favorite verses...
Isaiah 26:3-4
"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You,
because he trusts in You.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."
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