This was on Ragamuffin Soul's blog yesterday, but it so captures where my heart is today that I stole it. I hope you will have the courage to pray this over whatever situation you find yourself and I really hope you will pray it for me.
My Lord God
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following
your will does not mean
that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that my desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire
in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything
apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this
you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear,
for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me
to face my perils alone.
- Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Today has been a difficult day. Several important things have changed and that could have a major impact on the ability to open the school this fall. I am trying to not be discouraged, as I must trust this is all part of His plan, but I am confused and not quite sure what to do next. Let me elaborate.
First of all, as I said at the beginning, I have been preparing for some time to be ready in case God leads us to open a school again, but I have not tried to manipulate anything. So, when Ryan's teacher said she had been giving great thought to leaving her job and helping me provide an environment for him and other kids in his situation, I felt this was perhaps a nudge from God. Then when so many other things feel into place so easily, it seemed apparent this was THE time. I (and many of you, thank you) have been faithfully praying for God's leading each step of the way, and I trust He is leading, even today.
Today, our teacher told me she has decided not to move ahead with us, and although she believes in what we want to do, she is unable to be our teacher. While I certainly do not ever want anyone to do something unless that is what they feel God wants them to do, I thought we were past this. I am saddened on many levels because if she is not the one, then the chances of some of the other student's at Ryan's school who we had hoped would join us, probably will not. This means that we will need to look harder for students and more importantly that Ryan will not have any of his friends move with him next year. I am struggling with understanding this since we are well into the process.
Secondly, we are facing an approaching deadline that could be very difficult. In order to have the school eligible to receive the scholarship funds we must have our completed application in no later than 5:00 pm on Thursday, April 1, 2010. There is one part of the application that seems impossible at this point: we must have a signed Certificate of Occupancy. This gives us less than 2 months for the architect and the site engineer to finish their drawings, the owner/builder to bid the renovations, the bank to approve our mortgage, and all of the work to be completed! The really frustrating thing is that the meeting to approve our application will not take place until May 13th, so the application will sit there for 6 weeks, but we cannot submit it unless it is totally complete on April 1--no exceptions.
So......we have already paid the architect a sizable deposit--do we have him just stop? We are not sure where to begin to recruit a teacher and have no one "in the wings". What does this mean? Is God putting the brakes on this all together or is this a test to see if we are willing to hang tough? I really don't know, and would really appreciate your prayers.
Did I mention that we sent letters to all potential Board members this weekend? We also completed most of the paper work to file for incorporation--do we go ahead and submit it, along with the $1500 fee? I am just not sure and would really appreciate clarity. Also, as a side note, I almost didn't share all this lest we appear as a failure before we even get off the ground, but that would seem to really be hypocritical; we have shared all of the good things, and so it seems we must also share the bad and the ugly. This is where we are--sure wish we had the Board of advisors now!!
First of all, as I said at the beginning, I have been preparing for some time to be ready in case God leads us to open a school again, but I have not tried to manipulate anything. So, when Ryan's teacher said she had been giving great thought to leaving her job and helping me provide an environment for him and other kids in his situation, I felt this was perhaps a nudge from God. Then when so many other things feel into place so easily, it seemed apparent this was THE time. I (and many of you, thank you) have been faithfully praying for God's leading each step of the way, and I trust He is leading, even today.
Today, our teacher told me she has decided not to move ahead with us, and although she believes in what we want to do, she is unable to be our teacher. While I certainly do not ever want anyone to do something unless that is what they feel God wants them to do, I thought we were past this. I am saddened on many levels because if she is not the one, then the chances of some of the other student's at Ryan's school who we had hoped would join us, probably will not. This means that we will need to look harder for students and more importantly that Ryan will not have any of his friends move with him next year. I am struggling with understanding this since we are well into the process.
Secondly, we are facing an approaching deadline that could be very difficult. In order to have the school eligible to receive the scholarship funds we must have our completed application in no later than 5:00 pm on Thursday, April 1, 2010. There is one part of the application that seems impossible at this point: we must have a signed Certificate of Occupancy. This gives us less than 2 months for the architect and the site engineer to finish their drawings, the owner/builder to bid the renovations, the bank to approve our mortgage, and all of the work to be completed! The really frustrating thing is that the meeting to approve our application will not take place until May 13th, so the application will sit there for 6 weeks, but we cannot submit it unless it is totally complete on April 1--no exceptions.
So......we have already paid the architect a sizable deposit--do we have him just stop? We are not sure where to begin to recruit a teacher and have no one "in the wings". What does this mean? Is God putting the brakes on this all together or is this a test to see if we are willing to hang tough? I really don't know, and would really appreciate your prayers.
Did I mention that we sent letters to all potential Board members this weekend? We also completed most of the paper work to file for incorporation--do we go ahead and submit it, along with the $1500 fee? I am just not sure and would really appreciate clarity. Also, as a side note, I almost didn't share all this lest we appear as a failure before we even get off the ground, but that would seem to really be hypocritical; we have shared all of the good things, and so it seems we must also share the bad and the ugly. This is where we are--sure wish we had the Board of advisors now!!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
February 4th
Thirty years ago today I opened Montessori Children's House on Merritt Island--what a long time ago--I don't FEEL that old. In some ways it seems like just yesterday. I had worked for my Bible College professor in Kansas in the little school she opened. I saw all the work that she did and I spent two years getting to the little church building before dawn on Monday morning to set up the school. Then I stayed late on Friday to pack it all up. Those were long days, but I was young and it worked. The children taught me so much and my professor, Betty, taught me so much. When I moved back to FL I was sad to leave, but vowed to never open my own school--it was just too much work!
When I got back to Florida I worked several part time jobs, including doing some substitute teaching in some of the local elementary schools. I saw some amazing teachers and some precious children. I also saw many worn out, over worked and underpaid teachers who had no joy. The "system" had drained from them the ideals and dreams that first inspired them to teach. They were not bad people, they just lost their motivation to give their best and it was the children who paid the price. Day after day I saw children whose eyes were once filled with curiosity and excitement gradually glaze over and they lost their self confidence. I remember the day I came home and told my parents, "Even if I do everything wrong, I can do better than this."
Seventeen years ago today I had the honor of beginning my Montessori birth to three training--that was life changing. Rachel was just a toddler herself and I learned so much. Since that time I have not only opened several infant and toddler classes. I have also been blessed to teach adult students some of the amazing things I learned. This day early in February has significance for me in my Montessori career.
I believe opening a Montessori for older children who learn differently is what we are supposed to be doing at this time. I don't have all the answers, we don't have all the funds, and I am not totally convinced that we have found the location. I do know that there are children, my son included, whose eyes are beginning to glaze over and who are losing their self confidence, and even if I do everything wrong, I can do better than this, and I must.
When I got back to Florida I worked several part time jobs, including doing some substitute teaching in some of the local elementary schools. I saw some amazing teachers and some precious children. I also saw many worn out, over worked and underpaid teachers who had no joy. The "system" had drained from them the ideals and dreams that first inspired them to teach. They were not bad people, they just lost their motivation to give their best and it was the children who paid the price. Day after day I saw children whose eyes were once filled with curiosity and excitement gradually glaze over and they lost their self confidence. I remember the day I came home and told my parents, "Even if I do everything wrong, I can do better than this."
Seventeen years ago today I had the honor of beginning my Montessori birth to three training--that was life changing. Rachel was just a toddler herself and I learned so much. Since that time I have not only opened several infant and toddler classes. I have also been blessed to teach adult students some of the amazing things I learned. This day early in February has significance for me in my Montessori career.
I believe opening a Montessori for older children who learn differently is what we are supposed to be doing at this time. I don't have all the answers, we don't have all the funds, and I am not totally convinced that we have found the location. I do know that there are children, my son included, whose eyes are beginning to glaze over and who are losing their self confidence, and even if I do everything wrong, I can do better than this, and I must.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Yesterday was a very busy day! I talked to my accountant to discuss getting on with filing our incorporation papers and filing for our 501 (c) 3 status with the IRS. I knew this was an involved process and was prepared to put in the time necessary; I did not know how expensive it is! For Pete's sake we are non profit, that means we don't have an extra $100,000 lying around to fund this project!! Well, it is not that much, but it will cost about $2500 for him to do the work and then the IRS can take a year to tell you if they accept your application. He suggested I do more internet research before I contract with him.
To make a long story short, I spent several hours researching, viewing sample bylaws--the writing of which is a big part of the process, and praying about approaching potential Board members. I learned alot and think we will use a different, faster, a little less expensive, service to incorporate, but we must do that today! We also decided we are not ready to hire the grant coaching/writing service yet. They, too are expensive, but until we have our status approved by the IRS our chances of getting funding are very slim.
Edgar and I talked again about how much more work this is to rent and renovate the house as opposed to locating a place to lease that would require much less work. We feel the house is the best location, but determined to drive around a bit more and just look for a place to lease. We then reviewed our commitment to this venture and our motive for doing it.
It is true that I feel this is my "life's work" and I have a strong passion for doing this well--I also have a basement filled with Montessori materials that really need to be used! The real urgency for this though is our son. Ryan is an amazing little boy whom we adopted late in our life. Most of our friends have grandchildren his age, but we love him so much and are so grateful to have him! He is struggling in school and I feel we can, and must do better for him. We don't care if he makes great grades, we just want him to reach his God-given potential and feel great about himself. He is on the Autism spectrum but we refuse to let that define him. He learns differently and we praise God for those differences. He should not be forced to remain in a system that requires he be measured against children who learn conventionally. Scripture teaches that we should "train up a child the way he should go..." The idea being that we should give support and structure to the personality, and development God intended. He has two more years of elementary school and we must to everything in our power to make sure he can be successful.
Okay, I will get down from my soapbox, but I say this to say we are absolutely committed to opening a program this fall and are confident God will show us where it is to be and how we will do it. For now I am working on the bylaws and a letter to invite Board members who share our passion and are willing to help us accomplish it.
One last note--the owner of the 7 acres called me to see what we thought about the property. He also mentioned that a church was looking at it too!!!!! I asked God what in the world He was thinking, (God and I go way back; He is not offended when I question Him). I am reminded: one step at a time, one step at a time. This post should give you some specifics to pray about, and if any of you have suggestions/experience regarding the non profit filing and bylaws I would love to hear from you!
To make a long story short, I spent several hours researching, viewing sample bylaws--the writing of which is a big part of the process, and praying about approaching potential Board members. I learned alot and think we will use a different, faster, a little less expensive, service to incorporate, but we must do that today! We also decided we are not ready to hire the grant coaching/writing service yet. They, too are expensive, but until we have our status approved by the IRS our chances of getting funding are very slim.
Edgar and I talked again about how much more work this is to rent and renovate the house as opposed to locating a place to lease that would require much less work. We feel the house is the best location, but determined to drive around a bit more and just look for a place to lease. We then reviewed our commitment to this venture and our motive for doing it.
It is true that I feel this is my "life's work" and I have a strong passion for doing this well--I also have a basement filled with Montessori materials that really need to be used! The real urgency for this though is our son. Ryan is an amazing little boy whom we adopted late in our life. Most of our friends have grandchildren his age, but we love him so much and are so grateful to have him! He is struggling in school and I feel we can, and must do better for him. We don't care if he makes great grades, we just want him to reach his God-given potential and feel great about himself. He is on the Autism spectrum but we refuse to let that define him. He learns differently and we praise God for those differences. He should not be forced to remain in a system that requires he be measured against children who learn conventionally. Scripture teaches that we should "train up a child the way he should go..." The idea being that we should give support and structure to the personality, and development God intended. He has two more years of elementary school and we must to everything in our power to make sure he can be successful.
Okay, I will get down from my soapbox, but I say this to say we are absolutely committed to opening a program this fall and are confident God will show us where it is to be and how we will do it. For now I am working on the bylaws and a letter to invite Board members who share our passion and are willing to help us accomplish it.
One last note--the owner of the 7 acres called me to see what we thought about the property. He also mentioned that a church was looking at it too!!!!! I asked God what in the world He was thinking, (God and I go way back; He is not offended when I question Him). I am reminded: one step at a time, one step at a time. This post should give you some specifics to pray about, and if any of you have suggestions/experience regarding the non profit filing and bylaws I would love to hear from you!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Some professional assistance
As it turns out the little house around the corner is charming. It does need some renovations but it is almost across the street from the elementary school, which means advertising to our target audience would be greatly simplified. It is also zoned correctly, sits on an acre of land, and is about a mile from my house---sweet.
Today I spent most of the day with the architect, the fire inspector, the folks at planning and zoning, and the realtor. This house is very doable, but we had to hire an architect to draw plans as the house was built in 1936, and we will need to add a bathroom and open up a few walls. We will also need to hire an engineer for the site plan. The owners of the house are custom builders and will give us a bid on doing the required work. We are hoping they will do most of the work at cost so that they can sell the house and we can include the cost of renovations in the mortgage--feel free to add any and all of that to your prayer lists for us!
I believe that private schools should be accountable to an outside agency. The preschools I have directed or owned have always been licensed and often won awards. We want to have our elementary program accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission. This will not only give credibility to our program, but more importantly, it will allow us to accept SB10 Scholarship money from our parents. This will not only be of great value to our parents, but will virtually assure us a full class.
We moved to GA in the summer of 2006 and in the spring of 2007 our Govenor signed SB10 into law; he signed it on my birthday. :) This is designed for children with special needs who have been in the public school system and have an active IEP for at least one year. Should they decide to enroll their child in a private school, they are eligible for scholarship funds from the state--funds which will continue through the 12th grade! The interesting thing is that schools must qualify to receive the scholarships, but they do NOT have to do anything to accommodate the needs of the student!! In order to qualify, the school must be accredited and complete all of the paperwork for the scholarships correctly. We can qualify as a non-traditional program, but by July 1, 2013 we must have a campus that is at least 4 acres.
So, while the architect was here we walked the 7 acres that we found two weeks ago--did I not mention that yet? Oh yeah, God is just showing Himself faithful in so many ways. We were driving on a road near our shop that we travel all the time, but just noticed a little "for sale by owner" sign. The 7 acres are about 5 miles from the house and the owner will finance the property! Since we know we have only 3 years to build on at least 4 acres, this was an unexpected blessing! It is in a great location and the architect walked it today with us and felt was a great property--flat enough but with some great trees! Not sure how we are going to finance two properties at once, but we are taking this one step at a time.
Lastly we are supposed to sign with a grant writer/coach tonight. It is exciting, scary, fun, and amazing watching God orchestrate this amazing adventure! Thanks for your prayers!
Today I spent most of the day with the architect, the fire inspector, the folks at planning and zoning, and the realtor. This house is very doable, but we had to hire an architect to draw plans as the house was built in 1936, and we will need to add a bathroom and open up a few walls. We will also need to hire an engineer for the site plan. The owners of the house are custom builders and will give us a bid on doing the required work. We are hoping they will do most of the work at cost so that they can sell the house and we can include the cost of renovations in the mortgage--feel free to add any and all of that to your prayer lists for us!
I believe that private schools should be accountable to an outside agency. The preschools I have directed or owned have always been licensed and often won awards. We want to have our elementary program accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission. This will not only give credibility to our program, but more importantly, it will allow us to accept SB10 Scholarship money from our parents. This will not only be of great value to our parents, but will virtually assure us a full class.
We moved to GA in the summer of 2006 and in the spring of 2007 our Govenor signed SB10 into law; he signed it on my birthday. :) This is designed for children with special needs who have been in the public school system and have an active IEP for at least one year. Should they decide to enroll their child in a private school, they are eligible for scholarship funds from the state--funds which will continue through the 12th grade! The interesting thing is that schools must qualify to receive the scholarships, but they do NOT have to do anything to accommodate the needs of the student!! In order to qualify, the school must be accredited and complete all of the paperwork for the scholarships correctly. We can qualify as a non-traditional program, but by July 1, 2013 we must have a campus that is at least 4 acres.
So, while the architect was here we walked the 7 acres that we found two weeks ago--did I not mention that yet? Oh yeah, God is just showing Himself faithful in so many ways. We were driving on a road near our shop that we travel all the time, but just noticed a little "for sale by owner" sign. The 7 acres are about 5 miles from the house and the owner will finance the property! Since we know we have only 3 years to build on at least 4 acres, this was an unexpected blessing! It is in a great location and the architect walked it today with us and felt was a great property--flat enough but with some great trees! Not sure how we are going to finance two properties at once, but we are taking this one step at a time.
Lastly we are supposed to sign with a grant writer/coach tonight. It is exciting, scary, fun, and amazing watching God orchestrate this amazing adventure! Thanks for your prayers!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Never presume anything!
Almost 18 months ago we were all set to open a small Montessori preschool program. The typical model of Montessori schools is that a single preschool room opens and as the waiting list grows, another class is opened. Then parents love the program and want their children to continue in Montessori, so a lower elementary class is started, and/or they have younger siblings so a Toddler program is added. This was our plan also.
We found the "perfect" location as it is in a great location--highly visible from a major highway and in a building where occupational services are offered to children--so it gets alot of traffic from families. We spent time checking with all the local officials and did a budget, a floor plan, etc., and all was going great until we got the Environmental Health office. It seems this relatively new building was built on a small piece of land and does not have a sewer system. Since preschools require a lot of sinks and toilets and the septic field was already at maximum capacity we were stopped in our tracks! Very disappointing but we took it as a clear indication that this was either not the time, not the place, or neither.
A few weeks ago as it became more clear that we needed to start with an elementary program, we went back to the "perfect" space we wanted to lease--it has set new, unoccupied for almost 3 years. This time, because we were talking about older children, the bathroom was no longer an issue--yeah! We got permission for 15 students and 2 adults. We were so excited and called the landlord to hear these words, "Oh, I wish you would have called sooner--we are signing a contract with a church this weekend to lease that space." Wow! I was really surprised and had a flashback to a very difficult time in my life 22 years earlier.
In 1980 I opened the first Montessori school in Brevard County, FL. The school began in my home church in a rented space, and in 1983 I built a building for 100 children. When Edgar and I met in 1986 and decided to get married, I knew I would need to sell the school. We had two groups who wanted to buy it. Both groups promised to keep the staff and students; one was a couple whose child was enrolled in the school, the other was the church to whom I had been leasing the school to on the weekends. The church had an investor who was out of the country but who had pledged to front the money when he got back in town before the end of the school year. Both were good offers, but we wanted to support the church so we accepted their offer and the parents invested their money elsewhere.
Two weeks prior to the closing the investor came to town and decided he didn't want the church to own our building and he withdrew his offer. To say this created a huge amount of stress is an incredible understatement! I won't recount the entire story, but suffice it to say it was a difficult time. Now, I certainly do not want to have our school anywhere but where God wants it to be, but this thing with churches is a bit unnerving!
Believing that we are supposed to open this fall with an elementary program, we sent back to our knees and asked God for the next step. This was on a Thursday. Friday afternoon Edgar came home and said, "Hey, what do you think about that little house just around the corner? It is for sale and I think we should go look at it." So we did.....stay tuned.
We found the "perfect" location as it is in a great location--highly visible from a major highway and in a building where occupational services are offered to children--so it gets alot of traffic from families. We spent time checking with all the local officials and did a budget, a floor plan, etc., and all was going great until we got the Environmental Health office. It seems this relatively new building was built on a small piece of land and does not have a sewer system. Since preschools require a lot of sinks and toilets and the septic field was already at maximum capacity we were stopped in our tracks! Very disappointing but we took it as a clear indication that this was either not the time, not the place, or neither.
A few weeks ago as it became more clear that we needed to start with an elementary program, we went back to the "perfect" space we wanted to lease--it has set new, unoccupied for almost 3 years. This time, because we were talking about older children, the bathroom was no longer an issue--yeah! We got permission for 15 students and 2 adults. We were so excited and called the landlord to hear these words, "Oh, I wish you would have called sooner--we are signing a contract with a church this weekend to lease that space." Wow! I was really surprised and had a flashback to a very difficult time in my life 22 years earlier.
In 1980 I opened the first Montessori school in Brevard County, FL. The school began in my home church in a rented space, and in 1983 I built a building for 100 children. When Edgar and I met in 1986 and decided to get married, I knew I would need to sell the school. We had two groups who wanted to buy it. Both groups promised to keep the staff and students; one was a couple whose child was enrolled in the school, the other was the church to whom I had been leasing the school to on the weekends. The church had an investor who was out of the country but who had pledged to front the money when he got back in town before the end of the school year. Both were good offers, but we wanted to support the church so we accepted their offer and the parents invested their money elsewhere.
Two weeks prior to the closing the investor came to town and decided he didn't want the church to own our building and he withdrew his offer. To say this created a huge amount of stress is an incredible understatement! I won't recount the entire story, but suffice it to say it was a difficult time. Now, I certainly do not want to have our school anywhere but where God wants it to be, but this thing with churches is a bit unnerving!
Believing that we are supposed to open this fall with an elementary program, we sent back to our knees and asked God for the next step. This was on a Thursday. Friday afternoon Edgar came home and said, "Hey, what do you think about that little house just around the corner? It is for sale and I think we should go look at it." So we did.....stay tuned.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Something is going on
While waiting to see if God was going to ask me to open a school, I was busy doing all I knew to do--I think I mentioned a few of those things in my last post. The really surprising thing is that all the while I had a real peace about the whole waiting thing. I seriously was not anxious or impatient, just peaceful.
I was not as peaceful regarding my son's education. I know I am somewhat idealistic, but I want him to retain his excitement for school, his wake up in the morning before dawn and eagerly prepare for the day happy. I also want him to learn, but more importantly, I want him to want to learn. He used to. But this year he is in the third grade and the majority of his education involves testing and preparing for testing. If he is being fully educated it is not translating. His joy of learning is fading, and that is leaving my spirit anything but peaceful.
Early in the school year I asked one of his former teachers if she would consider tutoring him. She said "yes" and that helped some, but this is a year that requires the memorization of math facts and the ability to process abstract concepts in language and math--things that are difficult for a child who is just beginning to think abstractly. And he has homework--I don't like homework. He gets on the bus before 7:00 am and I pick him up from after care about 4:30. That leaves 3 hours to have dinner, shower, brush his teeth and play. Yes, play. I think it is important to still be a child and play. If he can't get it in the 7 hours he is in the classroom, then he is just not getting it and sending him home with more school work to be completed is just insulting; I don't like it.
Around Thanksgiving I began to suggest, jokingly of course, that she resign her job and just homeschool Ryan and a few of his friends--as it turns out she is tutoring several of them. I painted a lovely picture of a shortened work day, the opportunity to inspire children, and help them accomplish individual goals. Obviously she could not afford to do that, so I reluctantly dismissed the thought. Evidently she did not.
Just after the first of the year she told me she had been given serious prayer and thought to what I had said. I could not believe my ears, but decided I should further investigate the possibility of getting together a few kids and hiring her. When I began to look into all that would be involved, things begin to happen so quickly, so easily, and so unexpectedly, my only conclusion had to be--"hmmm I wonder what God is up to?" Let me tell you--He is up to alot!! I will tell you more next post.
I was not as peaceful regarding my son's education. I know I am somewhat idealistic, but I want him to retain his excitement for school, his wake up in the morning before dawn and eagerly prepare for the day happy. I also want him to learn, but more importantly, I want him to want to learn. He used to. But this year he is in the third grade and the majority of his education involves testing and preparing for testing. If he is being fully educated it is not translating. His joy of learning is fading, and that is leaving my spirit anything but peaceful.
Early in the school year I asked one of his former teachers if she would consider tutoring him. She said "yes" and that helped some, but this is a year that requires the memorization of math facts and the ability to process abstract concepts in language and math--things that are difficult for a child who is just beginning to think abstractly. And he has homework--I don't like homework. He gets on the bus before 7:00 am and I pick him up from after care about 4:30. That leaves 3 hours to have dinner, shower, brush his teeth and play. Yes, play. I think it is important to still be a child and play. If he can't get it in the 7 hours he is in the classroom, then he is just not getting it and sending him home with more school work to be completed is just insulting; I don't like it.
Around Thanksgiving I began to suggest, jokingly of course, that she resign her job and just homeschool Ryan and a few of his friends--as it turns out she is tutoring several of them. I painted a lovely picture of a shortened work day, the opportunity to inspire children, and help them accomplish individual goals. Obviously she could not afford to do that, so I reluctantly dismissed the thought. Evidently she did not.
Just after the first of the year she told me she had been given serious prayer and thought to what I had said. I could not believe my ears, but decided I should further investigate the possibility of getting together a few kids and hiring her. When I began to look into all that would be involved, things begin to happen so quickly, so easily, and so unexpectedly, my only conclusion had to be--"hmmm I wonder what God is up to?" Let me tell you--He is up to alot!! I will tell you more next post.
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