Layers of Opportunity

Yesterday, we took our 5th and 6th graders (100 of them!), and as many parents as wanted to go, to the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. We had both school buses full and several cars following. Field tips can be amazing, or they can be so bad that we vow never to try one again (as my husband did our first year in Singapore when he took all of his high school social studies students to Little India!). 

There are several key factors to making a field trip a success like organization and parent volunteers, but that is not the topic of this blog post. What continually ran through my mind yesterday is that the Lord had given me many layers of opportunity with this day. Here are some of them: 

1. Going to the Ark Encounter and inviting parents along introduced our families to this wonderful resource just 2.5 hours from us. Several parents told me they had never been and were so happy to discover it. One told me, "We're coming back!" What a joy to have little treasures like this when so many field trip options result in us having to undo or clarify biblical truth to something a presenter said. This is a great biblical worldview resource parents now have! 

2. This is a simple one, but we all prayed together before boarding the bus. We pray often as a family as we travel and even as we just start the car for the next school day. This modeling for young Christian families might have an impact for a new habit they can begin. 

3. As soon as we got there, we gathered for a group photo. Of course, we want the ark photo! But beyond that, we are able to post this on social media and our website. This shows those interested in our school the kinds of activities we plan for our kids. This allows others to see what we value and how we fulfill our mission. 

4. As soon as each kiddo had a ticket in hand and each parent leader had our day's schedule, I headed straight for the coffee shop! Half of my job was done: getting 161 people safely to the exhibit with tickets and meal vouchers in hand. (Getting them home would be the other half!) I invited our two sixth grade teachers to go with me, as we each left ourselves free from a group responsibility that day in case we were needed to troubleshoot. As we sipped our coffee to ward off the chill that set in that morning, we talked a bit about how things are going. This opportunity to ask them how they are doing and this chat was such a privilege to me. I want to support teachers, and sometimes a cup of coffee and time to ask is needed. 

5. One of the opportunities available to us was an animal encounter. This young gal who presented was so knowledgable and taught several basic concepts of God's design as she presented. She continued into a Gospel presentation. She was so articulate and confident and genuine! I kept thinking as she presented that it was a wonderful example to our kids of a youth who is being used by God. 

6. After a big day and an even bigger buffet lunch, it was time to load up and head home. The kids did great on the buses, and as we neared home they began to sing. One would begin a song, and the others would join. I knew they would eventually get to our theme song, "The Fear of the Lord," written by our head of school for this 2023-24 school year. Singing this together and seeing happy faces behind bus benches reminded me that these are the kinds of things the kids will remember. These are days that help them know they are part of this big family God has joined together. 

(And one more! 7. Did you thank our bus driver for giving us his entire day to do this for us? This was a great opportunity for student training!) 

I did fall asleep really fast when my head hit the pillow, but it is worth the exhaustion. Have you ever thought about the layers of opportunity that different experiences and lessons within your own classroom or school give you? They are there for the taking, as God desires that we join Him as He completes His work until His return! (John 5:17) 

A Strong Tower

 

I took this castle picture in 2016 when my husband and I were traipsing through the highlands of Scotland. He introduced me to all things Campbell and Scotland, and I've loved it ever since. Recently, I was thinking of the many castles or "strong towers" we saw there as a mental picture while reading Proverbs 18. Verse 10 tells us that the "name of the Lord is a strong tower" and that "the righteous run to it and are safe." The commentary in my Bible mentioned that cities usually had an inner fortress that could be seen from anywhere. They knew that if the outer walls were besieged, they could run to the inner tower for safety. 

On our staff right now, many of us have heartaches and trials that are deep and feel unrelenting. One teacher has walked through her high school son's cancer treatments for a year. One lost her parents within months of each other. I am watching my own mom in her final stages of Alzheimers. The struggles and pain abound. We need a strong tower, and the Lord is the only One we have to rely upon for the strength we need. Many days lately I have felt the need to run to that Tower for safety. 

As Christian school leaders, our job is not to pretend that we have finally arrived at a point in our lives where we are strong in our own strength, power, and experiences. Our job is to lean heavily on the Lord and to show our students that we need Him deeply. It's ok to say, "I'm afraid sometimes too. This is when we go to the Lord for help." For our students, it may be small problems (like a sick dog or the fear of an upcoming spelling test) or big problems (like mom and dad separating). We must continually point our kids to The Strong Tower, the Lord Jesus.