It was in the middle of drawing those detailed stairs that I stopped to ask him about his picture. He told me about the first day he came to school to be tested for Kindergarten and how he cried because he was so afraid. How well I remember that day! He was terrified and cried incessantly. The teachers were afraid that he might run away at any moment. "But now," he said, "I'm not scared any more. I feel safe!" What a sweet blessing to hear these words and to know that Sahel Academy is a safe place for learning and growing!
But what happens when our students have to leave?
It was last year at this same time that I found out one of my students was leaving. He had struggled emotionally and behaviourally all year. I had worked with him diligently on some of those really difficult behaviours and seen some huge changes in him. But he was still struggling and needed a closer connection to his father. His mother decided to return to the U.S. It was a wise decision but I remember being so saddened because I knew that he was leaving a place where he was seeing and hearing about Jesus and he so desperately needed the healing that only Jesus can bring. I had no guarantee that he was going to a place where he would continue to hear that good news.
One year later and I just had another student leave. Her father was transferred to Senegal. They have known since before Christmas that this move was coming. Just after finding out, her mother came to me and asked me if I knew of any schools like Sahel Academy in Senegal. What a joy it was to be able to recommend Dakar Academy, a Christian school serving the international community in Dakar!
So on her last day at school we put her in the middle of a big group hug, prayed for her and joyfully sent her on her way, confident that she is going to a place where she will continue to hear the truth of God's love for her.
I'm so thankful that Sahel Academy is just one of many Christian schools serving the international community around the world. It is truly a blessing to know that when our students leave here, God can take them to other schools where the good work He has begun in their lives here can continue there!
Would you consider praying each day this February for Sahel Academy and other international Christian schools like it? These schools play a critical role in the building of God's kingdom in the hearts of their students and in the countries in which the schools reside. We need God's provision.
For a link to Sahel Academy's specific staffing needs click here. One of those needs is someone who will cover for me while I am away on home assignment next year. Thanks for praying for teachers!
