Prayers at the crack of dawn are not something I would call a routine, yet my heavenly Father occasionally wakes me up in order to call on Him on behalf of others. The morning of December 15, 2015, was a morning filled with gentleness and it permeated my prayers, it was prayer without urgency. I was directed to pray for my staff at Los Angeles Christian School without great concern or anxiety. My prayer came to an end; I eyed the clock, and calculated that I had time to get more sleep before I had to start my day. Resting my head on my pillow an unexpected call from my mom lit up my phone.
Ending the call I realized this day held something unprecedented: the entire Los Angeles Unified School District closed. The district serves more than 640,000 students in more than 1,000 schools. The decision was made after a bomb threat had been sent to school/district staff. This has not happened in my lifetime. As the principal of LACS, I continued to receive calls and messages with the same question, “Will our doors remain open?”
We chose to open. With open doors we were invited to see a glimpse of God’s glory through those we serve. Without a doubt we took extra precautions before our students arrived that morning, and by God’s grace we were all clear. The majority of our students have older siblings in the public school system; so they were very aware of the tension and concern that was in the air. We are also located next to two major public schools. Yet, students began to fill our auditorium in single file lines and it brought great joy to my heart to see the majority of our students present as well as all our dedicated teachers. Looking in our little auditorium you could see hope, joy, and peace beaming from each student squirming in line, listening to the morning announcements. Opening in prayer is not unusual for our students, but that morning’s prayers were profound as they prayed for safety and could experience shelter in a God that is not shaken or moved.
Parents lingered after dropping off their students – we could hear low chatter coming from the teacher’s lounge (which also serves as the parent’s lounge). Sitting in my office, I could hear parents praying in unison strong, bold prayers for the safety of the students, but it did not stop there. They prayed for the neighborhood as well as for the students and faculty that attend our local public schools. The intensity of their prayers spilled out of the cozy teacher’s lounge down our halls. The Holy Spirit was present and it felt as if I was standing on holy ground. This day was different. It reaffirmed that our small inner city school was called to stand firm and bring hope to our community.
It was a remarkable day! The response of our staff and families to remain open made the day one to be rooted deeply in my memory. I felt that I had been invited to be in a high holy place, it was the most incredible place to have been in Los Angeles on December 15. Though we are a tiny school in Los Angeles, we are mighty because of our Heavenly Father.