…Heart breaking news that is. I am sad to say that one of the main reasons for the timing of this letter is to inform you that NICS (Network of international Christian Schools) has made the decision to close Rhein International Academy. The reason behind this decision is because our student enrollment dropped significantly this year. Therefore, we do not have enough funding on our own to continue operating. NICS will fund the school through the end of this academic year (17 June), but cannot continue to take on the financial burden.
As I have begun to process and sharing this information, I am filled with a multitude of emotions. There is a great amount of sadness (for many reasons), but the Lord has been good to provide peace!
One of the things God keeps bringing to mind is an analogy He made real when I went hiking with a couple of friends this fall in the Aletsch glacier region of Switzerland.
Our goal for the trip was to get as close to the Aletsch glacier as possible and cross the new hanging bridge over the glacial river. What we hadn’t planned on was the hike taking seven hours and it pouring down rain for the first five. By the time I was climbing up the other side of the valley, I was tired, sore, and soaking wet (which is an understatement). On top of which, the path we had to climb was incredibly steep. We were basically going straight up a Swiss mountain!
As I was climbing, I had a mantra of, “I’m tired, wet, hungry, and cold. I can’t do it. I hate this. I don’t want to go any further!” flowing through my head. My friends were wonderfully encouraging and waited patiently for me as I slowly made my way higher up the mountain.
Whenever I stopped for a break, I would look behind me and see how far I had come and that the view was even more spectacular than the last time I had stopped. I realized that if I had quit halfway through the hike I never would have seen the amazing panoramic view of the Glacier and the Alps at the top. Not only that, but it is easier to see the bigger picture from above with everything laid out before you.
I think this relates to my life events often, but particularly in the situation of the school closing. At the moment, most of us teachers have absolutely no clue where we will be living and working next year. We also don’t know where most of our students will attend school because many of them were rejected from the other international schools in the area before coming to us.
The road before me is full of uncertainties and is not particularly appealing. I have the choice to walk forward with a grumbling attitude that refuses to acknowledge that there is usually a beautiful scene to behold at the end or to walk ahead, despite the challenges, trusting in the hope that God sees the full panoramic view of the situation and I will, at some point, get to relish in that view.
The view promises to be more than worth the effort, so I choose the challenging, stretching and growing hike!
The amazing view of the Aletsch Glacier at the end of the hike.
Connecting Life and Heart Strings
I have recently come across a couple verses that seem appropriate.
“Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” Philippians 2:14-15 ESV
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25 ESV
Prayer Requests
There are approximately five more months of school. Our goal as a staff is to make sure that the last semester of school is extra special. That being said, we are a small staff and wear many hats, so adding the extra umph and possibly extra activities could be quite taxing. Please be praying that our semester will proceed well, that the staff is able to squeeze every little bit out of our limited time to minister to the school families, that we have the energy to accomplish it all, and that we are able to end in a spectacular way.
As this letter is making it’s way to you, I will be looking for places at which to apply. I have absolute faith that God will provide. He has never let me down before. I am wrestling a bit with letting go of this place I love so much. But I do earnestly desire to follow His leading and not my own. Please pray that God will direct my next steps and that I will accept whatever that path might be. Please also pray that His peace would reign in my life as the uncertainty of circumstances continues.
Classroom Encounter
My students like to make pictures for me, about which I do not complain. Lately they have taken to hiding the pictures around the room and in the last few minutes of the day we play “hot and cold.”
One day, the game began as normal with me being very cold in the front of the room and becoming somewhat warmer as I moved throughout the room. At one point, one of the girls told me I was in Antarctica because I was so cold. The next was Germany because I was getting warmer. I started to get even warmer and I found myself in Africa, then Dubai. I started to get a bit colder again and was back in Greenland.
This was a new twist to the game that I had never thought of before and was a concrete reminder that I teach children who know the world well!
My girls and I celebrating the 100th day of school!
