Parenting in the Fabric of Faithfulness

The following is taken from the beginning of the forthcoming book, Living in the Fabric of Faithfulness, by Julia Stronks and Gloria Stronks.

In the hills north of Spokane, Washington, where we live, there are many days when the air is very still and there is no wind at all. If it snows on such a day, the snow comes straight down, gathering on the branches of the tall ponderosa pines. The tall pines do not sway and bend but now and then they break and from the freshly broken branches comes the wonderful smell of the forest. People tend to use the wood of these lovely trees when appearance rather than strength is important. Yet the cone of the ponderosa is large, sturdy, able to stand upright and is useful for many functions.

Walking among those pines one cannot help but be aware that the newness is always there among the old. It is as though God were playing a mystical hide-and-seek with us. Just when we think we know all there is to know about the forest, a new surprise is before us.

Parenting is something like that. We hold our newborn child and marvel at the newness that is repeated over and over with each birth. One would think it would get old because birth has happened since the beginning of time. People having raised children since the beginning of humankind, one would think we would get it right by now. But just when we think we are coming along very nicely with raising our children, they surprise us with something new and different.

We want to begin this book by telling you that we believe one of the most important things either of us has ever done has been to raise our children. We did not do it perfectly. At times we did not even do it very well. But through God’s goodness and grace, our children have become lovely, caring human beings with a strong understanding that being a follower of Jesus Christ is not a private affair. It always involves others.

Julia: The hardest part about raising children is that you never get to practice beforehand. You don’t get to have one made out of paper, to be thrown away when mistakes are made.

Gloria: One can find countless books about caring for newborn babies and parenting them through each stage of their lives. But little has been written concerning how parents can help children learn to care about things that matter…that are truly worth caring about.

And then, almost before we know it, our children are grown and off to university. Our greatest hope is that they will not only remain faithful to the basic beliefs they have learned from us but that those beliefs will find expression in they way they live and the things they do throughout the rest of their lives.

To show great love for God...

To show great love for God and our neighbor we need not do great things. It is how much love we put in the doing that makes our offering something beautiful for God.

--Mother Teresa as quoted in Sojourners online.

A Christian School for Roma Children

By Emily Klooster - taken from the February 2005 issue of The Calling.

About two years ago, a little white house in the village of Nagydobrony (pronounced nog-do-brone) in Ukraine started getting a lot of attention. Dark-haired children began showing up in the early hours of the morning to peek in the windows, even shyly hanging around in the doorway. A woman would then warmly invite them inside, where they curiously examined the objects set up neatly in the small room: a chalkboard, small wooden desks with matching chairs, pencils and paper.

“Welcome to your school,” the woman said, smiling warmly. “Take your seats and we’ll begin.”

Roma people, often called Gypsies, are an ethnic group residing mostly in Europe; a traditionally transient population that has been discriminated against since their migration from what is believed to be northern India centuries ago. Roma tend to live on the outskirts of European villages in abandoned or self-made housing, taking migrant jobs on local farms to support their families. Throughout their history in Europe they have drawn suspicion from local populations because of their “other-ness” – their dark skin and unique nomadic culture of music, dance, and fortune telling. As outsiders, mainstream education has not been a priority for Roma.

Migrant work takes precedence over schooling, requiring kids to leave school for months at a time to help with planting and harvesting. Roma are also hesitant to send their children to school because they are suspicious of the education offered by a society that has never truly accepted them. They have become accustomed to being overlooked and racially discriminated against in state schools, and as a result their children have not benefited from receiving an education there.

After centuries of missing out, a new generation of Romany parents has begun to see the need for basic schooling. As society progresses, they realize their children will need to be able to read, write, and do mathematics to get a job in today’s world. This new acceptance has encouraged the Hungarian Reformed Church of Ukraine to get close to the Romany community, and the bishop of the HRC considers it a critical mission to impact them. Romany churches have now been established and members are encouraged to send their kids to the local Roma Christian School — the one that began in the little white house.

Staff members at the Roma School have taken a proactive approach to recruiting students.They go into the Romany community themselves to meet with parents and encourage their involvement, presenting to them the many ways education can benefit their families. If your child is educated, they say, it is less likely you will be taken advantage of or manipulated by the rest of society. The child will be able to get a good job to support his family. “These teachers have been well-received because parents can see that they genuinely care about their kids,” says Dale Dieleman, WCS field director for Europe. “They see a real love and compassion from the Roma School teachers.”

The principal of the Roma School has been impressed with the effort put forth by the new students. She reports that their response has been outstanding, and they are eager to learn and tend to catch on quickly. They excel in computer work, art, music, sports and math — some of which, especially music, runs in their blood, so to speak. Dieleman, who recently returned from a visit to the school, reports that the children rarely sit still during free time, dancing and singing non-stop throughout the day.

“WCS plays a unique role as a partner agency of the Roma School in this transitional generation,” said Dieleman, referring to the recent Romany acceptance of education. “The Roma School has been a beacon of hope for families who do want their children educated.”

A Refuge to the Poor

Why do all of us continue working for Worldwide Christian Schools? It is because of the second great commandment: To love our neighbor as ourselves

For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.

- Isaiah 25:4-4

Request from Avitha and Daniel in India

Dear Friends,

Greetings in Jesus' Name from Jesus Enables Ministries(JEMs).

We are excited about the upcoming Get-to-Know Jesus Camp 2K7 (exclusively for persons with disabilities) in April.

As we get ready to organize this, we would like to start with prayer. As in the previous years we would start the daily "One-Minute Prayer Email" for a month. We hope that you would find this useful and helpful, as many have told us. Please "pray as you read", these daily emails, for one prayer point each day.

Just a short introduction. Each year we come in contact with 30 to 40 new persons (all with some disabilities and majority of them from non-Christian background), most of them to study computers. They usually join us in July/Aug and we slowly introduce them to prayer, Bible, Jesus and the gospel. This is done through our daily prayers with them in the Computer Class, in the hostel (about 10 to 12 persons with disabilities stay with us in our home).and through the Monthly Get-togethers and newsletters. Also we gift them a Bible as a Christmas present.

Our hope, desire and faith is that all these new contacts would attend this Camp and accept Jesus as their Personal Saviour.

Would you please pray for our Camp for one minute daily, for a month?

In Christ,

Daniel & Avitha

A Boy in Oaxaca

I recognized him immediately because he was still wearing his big white painter's cap with the visor pulled so far down that I couldn't see his face. I had watched him last evening, going from table to table trying to sell his little box of bubble gum. He may have been 8 years old but he was very small and very thin.

Unfortunately the gum looked as though he had found it in a trash bin behind some grocery store. Last evening the people at each table would look at the box of gum and shake their heads. But I saw that many of them tried to give him money. Each time they did that he would shake his head "no" and scurry away.

This afternoon as I watched, he was following the same pattern. It was very clear that he didn't want charity. He wanted to earn money and this was the only way he could think of to do so.

When we help people who are in need, we must be careful to do so in ways that preserve their dignity.

The beautiful city of Oaxaca, Mexico

We are vacationing in Oaxaca, Mexico right now. Oaxaca is in the southwestern part of the country and is known for its historical sites dating back to 600 BC. Oaxaca is also known because the artisans in the mountains bring their products to the markets here. They do beautiful handwork both in cloth and in jewelry.

The main industry of Oaxaca is tourism. However, for the past year there have been very few tourists. This is because of the demonstrations there have been against the government. For a year now the U.S. government has issued warnings saying that Americans should not visit Oaxaca. Recently it has been more safe and so we thought we would come.

It feels very safe. However, the other evening there were several hundred police with heavy plastic shields. The university students and students in the elementary and secondary schools were free for the day and the police were afraid there would be more riots and demonstrations.

Because of the lack of tourists the show owners aren't selling enough to keep their families alive and well. The people weave wonderful rugs and it is customary for the buyer to bargain with them. If we don't bargain we are being condescending. Still, I am always afraid that I might bargain too much. Yesterday we bought two rugs. We proceded to bargain the way we are supposed to. After the deal was closed and I had paid, I asked, "Did I give you enough money so that it is a good deal for you?" The rug seller said, "You have made my whole day a very happy one." So we were both pleased.

The world is such an unfair place. Many of us eat too much while others starve.

Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.

- Deuteronomy 15:10

Come to the Party!

Worldwide Christian Schools is celebrating its 20th anniversary with an international celebration and fundraiser on July 21, 2007. Your family won't want to miss it!

Worldwide Christian Schools'
20-Years Festival!

"An international celebration and fundraiser to mark the 20th anniversary of Worldwide Christian Schools"

When: July 21, 2007

Where: Fairhaven Ministries in Hudsonville, Michigan

What:
An internationally-themed celebration and fundraiser including food, kids' games, and entertainment from around the world.

Who's invited:
You! If you're a supporter of our work, or would like to be, we'd love to see you there.

Why:
We want to thank our supporters and fundraise creatively to further our work in providing access to Christ-centered schools for all people.

How:
Entry to the festival is free, but attendees will have opportunities to give in interesting ways throughout the event. Alongside free entertainment including jugglers, sidewalk musicians, and an international petting zoo, tickets can be purchased for festival activities such as food and games from around the globe, a giant slide we're calling "The Great Wall of China", and a climbing wall the size of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
(It seems that way when you're standing at the bottom looking up.)

Responsive Servanthood

Parker Palmer wrote:

What God requires of those who call on God's name is responsive servanthood. God wishes to act in and through us, so Christian hope does not relieve men and women of responsibility. We are not primarily responsible for shrewd analysis of problems, for strategic selection of means, for maximizing the chances of success. We are primarily responsible for turning to God, for attempting to know and do God's will. That well may lead us into actions which are not shrewd, strategic, or successful, as the life of Jesus suggests. But as Jesus' life demonstrates, human action which is faithful to God's will can have transforming effect.

Quoted in Sojourners

A wonderful story from India!

This is a picture of Lillian, the author of the following story, with Prem, her husband. Gypsy Meadows, the WCS Field Director for India is with them.

Several years ago, one of our Mullai School children was walking along with her mother on a village track. The mother saw a fruit lying on the ground and was about to pick it up. But the child told her mother not to do it. The mother was surprised because it is very common for any villager to pluck peanuts, sugarcane, mangoes or anything from farms that not their own but are on their way.

The Mother asked, "Why not?".

The child explained that we should not take anything that does not belong to us.

Mother was all the more amazed and asked her child, "Who told you that?".

The child replied, "Our teacher taught us that."

The mother started wondering, if the teacher is so holy, how much more holy shall be the God of the teacher!

Subsequently, the mother of the child met Lilian and eventually she was lead to the saving grace of Jesus Christ!

This lady is now one of the believers of the local church which Prem pastors. The child, too, is attending Sunday School and growing up spiritually.

We need you to pray for the father of this child, who is still opposed to the ways of the Lord.

Lilian

We surely will pray for them and also thank God for the work of our partners, Lillian and Prem.

Reweave the web of life!

We are reclaiming a world precariously on the edge. We take action not with arrogance and certainty, but with humility and uncertainty. It is our giving that counts - not our success. But in selfless giving, we have victories. And through everyday actions, we reweave the web of life.
- Vandana Shiva

Excerpt from Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace.

Basketball

I have seen four basketball games in the space of two days. I really have never liked watching basketball games. In fact, I decided in my freshman year at college that I would never date a boy who enjoyed basketball because I might marry him and then have to watch that game forever.

But our grandson, Matt, now is a high school sophomore who is a "starter" for the varsity team at Northwest Christian High School in Spokane. The schools are playing the state finals at the arena and I never miss watching them. It is funny how one's interests change.

High school sports now seem to me to be extremely important, if they are managed well. A young boy or girl can learn cooperation, team playing, and even learn to fail. Those of us who did not play had to learn those things on our own.

But I still would rather read a good book.

Gypsy and Danielle in India!

Gypsy, the new WCS Field Director for Asia, and Danielle, her assistant, are in India right now. They are visiting schools and meeting with the people who are on the WCS-India Executive Board.

This photo shows them taking photos that they will share with us when they return.