By The Lord's Direction

Everything has to have a beginning.

Our school's beginning was small and uneventful. We had no idea what lay ahead but we knew it was by the Lord's direction so that was good enough.

We began with 21 students in a small building, with a staff who were not very sure about anything but we knew it was the Lord's direction, so that was good enough.

We began with no money and no knowledge of where money would come from. We had no fund raisers and no real tuition but we knew it was the Lord's direction, so that was good enough.

So here we are today with almost double the students, a seasoned staff, renting in a beautiful building, charging tuition and having fund raisers. Yet the one thing that remains the same is that we know it is the Lord's direction, and that is good enough.

Sometimes I think I work with the craziest people on the planet. They love the Lord with all their heart, mind, body and spirit. They face hardships at home and diversities at school and yet they show up day after day with a keen sense of purpose. Why? Because they know it is the Lord's direction, and for them that is good enough.

Recently the schools in our association have been calling out to the Father to sell off a few of his cattle on the hillside. It is a joke but at the same time we are very serious. Having entered into this new realm with the government we are discovering many extra expenses that must be covered. Yet we do not want to increase our tuitions any further. This is a great exercise of faith in which I hope our parents have entered with us. This is a joint ministry we share with the parents, raising their children in teh ways of teh Lord. To do this in today's context means that it is going to cost a lot more. Where are these funds going to come from?

I am here to tell you that God is always faithful to those who love him. The verse that has been the theme for my week is found in Romans 8:28; "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." In the past week I have been presented with an idea, a plan that could see many of our financial needs taken care of. It involves a partnerships with the Christian schools in the northern Cree nations. If it is God's will (which I believe it is) it will mean that God has gone beyond the couple of cattle we asked him to sell and instead he has sold a couple herd of cattle. Isn't that just like our Dad?

The faith side of this, because anything without faith is not from God, is the amount of time, effort and personal expense I must spend in order to put it all together. It will entail the southern schools sharing the resource of knowledge and skills with our berthern in the north. It is an exciting venture that I hope you will hold up in prayer to our God. We can never take these things for granted and we should never hesitate to pray with and for one another. Please, do not neglect this matter as it must pass the Cree Development board as well as Hydro Quebec.

It is amazing to see how God has moved people and situations throughout the years to bring us to this point. Never doubt him. He has the interests of our children at heart. Trust him. The future of our school is bright.

I want to leave off with Jeremiah 29:11. It is true these words were written to the exiles in Babylon but it speaks to God's heart and his intention for all his children. Remember this and you will understand Romans 8:28 so much better: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." And so we declare that we know our schools exist by the Lord's direction and that is good enough.