Life on the Surface of the Sun continues to sizzle. Did I say the surface of the Sun, I meant in the Valley of the Sun. There is little difference, except for the 91 million miles that separate them. Little else. Of course I have never been on the surface of the moon, but I've read it's pretty hot! It's pretty hot here, too. I rest my case.
There was a last minute change of plans today. My calendar told me I needed to be in Tucson, for the second time in two days, for a school board meeting at the Desert Valley elementary school. I discovered, however, there was a conflict between that meeting and another board meeting at the Glenview school, located in the city of Glendale, Arizona. I had already attended a school board meeting at the Desert Valley school last month, so I called and let them know that I would be attending the Glenview board meeting and, while there, perhaps convince them to change their board dates to ones that would not conflict with their sister school.
As it became clear during the meeting, this date was an exception to the regularly scheduled date (as will be September and December). But all is well, their regularly scheduled dates for their board meeting do not conflict with any other school. Even the exceptions for two of the following months do not conflict either. That alone would have made my evening a profitable one. But something else happened that reminded me that there is something bigger at play here-- a force and will beyond our puny human musings. Providence continues to invade our predictable and mundane routines. Let me explain.
Last week had dawned on the small Glenview Adventist Academy, a hold-over name from a failed attempt to become a twelve grade school a few years ago. The school was established in 1936 and the buildings wear the years like a badge of honor. The wear and tear is visible inside and outside the school. But most people would perhaps agree that a school is more than the buildings and furniture-- the kids are the ones that make the school beautiful. This is true. The problem, quite apparent to all those involved with the school, is that was a severe lack of students leading into the first week of school. The very conservative budget had been set the previous year at 80 students. Late in the week there were only 60 students, with little hope of additional arrivals. The theme was prevalent- finances. The school is located in a largely lower income, ethnically diverse community. The church has shifted away from the years when many affluent members filled the pews. It now depends on many less wealthy members to carry the load of the school. There is a high level of commitment. It gets worse and then better.
The school owes close to $300,000 dollars to the conference due to a failed experiment in virtual classes. Bad News! The church has offered to take over the debt and pay it off little by little. Good News! But there is more.
Remember the enrollment figures? Well the teachers decided they were not just going to resign themselves to the lower figures. The first thing they decided to do was to pray and dedicate every room on campus to God and His vision for the school. Good News! They literally spent hours on campus-- all of the teachers, praying and weeping over the students that would grace those rooms. Great News! On Sabbath they went out to the churches and spoke to parents. They spoke to potential donors. They talked the vision of the school. Awesome News!
As of today’s school board report, they have 79 students and possibly more. Incredible News! Moreover, they had a random lady (newly baptized) inquired if there were students with special financial needs. The school treasurer mentioned two families. Their need totaled $1900. The generous lady left $2000 dollars and requested the other $100 be used to help someone else. Fantabulous News! Sort of reminds you that miracles still take place when people pray and people are open to the leading of God's spirit. It's going to take many more of these stories to bring back the system from the brink. I am delighted to be part of the journey back! It's cooled down considerably since I started this blog tonight. I think the thermometer just slid downward past 100. Time for some hot chocolate!
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