The school year at LACS started with a bang! Each child had a gift bag on their desk with all kinds of desk goodies, such as fancy pencils, a pencil sharpener, a journal, bookmarker, erasers, etc. I love to see my students’ faces as they walk in the door. Their delight is evident!
I have 17 students this year, nine boys and eight girls. This is the largest class in the school, and the largest I have ever had. Even so, this is much smaller than classes in public school. Each new year brings new personalities, new challenges (both personally and in the families), and new opportunities for God to work. Every year I see God’s faithfulness—to my students and to their families, and to me. Our God is a great and wondrous God, who is a God of love.
Two years ago I had a boy in my class who was anxious, fearful, and so stressed. His dad was an alcoholic who ended up kicking his wife and my fourth grader out of the house, along with his three-year-old sister. When the students came back from Thanksgiving break, my little friend told me he had seen a miracle over the break: that his dad had received Jesus and became a Christian. He stopped drinking. I wasn’t sure he really had the story straight, but his older sister confirmed this, with a big grin on her face, saying, “I have been praying for this for 10 years.”
This dad never went back to the bottle. He is a changed man. In fact, this summer he proclaimed his faith through baptism. Look at the joy on his face! This picture takes me back to Bible times, when people strained to see Jesus and what He was doing. Some are near, some are far, looking over the wall to see; it is a grand occasion!
This is what World Impact is all about—transforming communities through our seven initiatives. Our schools play an important role, as we share Christ’s love with our students and their families. Of course we also seek to give them a great school experience. It is such a privilege to partner with God as He works His wonders.
I treasure our partnership as well. Thank you for coming alongside me to enable this work to happen! Let me know how I can pray for you.