She is 26 years old. She called me and wanted to know if we still had a preschool. In her delight, at my answer, she let me know she had attended our school as a child and she wanted to be sure her daughter got the same experience and foundation.
Another young mom with an only child called and wanted to meet with me. I wondered why she wanted a meeting instead of a tour first. When we met she told me she had a "bad" son and that she was having difficulty finding a preschool and daycare that would keep him. She needed to find a place soon because work was becoming less and less understanding of her not being able to be there. I asked her to tell me specifically what "bad" son meant. As she described her son's behaviors I thought perhaps he was manifesting autism. I invited her to bring her son. The whole family came to the second meeting. It would seem no other school had offered even a second interview. As I observed their son I could see the difficulties that lay down the little boy's path; I knew that it was our calling, as God's representatives, to try and help as much as we were able. The whole staff prayed and we agreed to a 3 day trial enrollment. God is good and he showed us how to help and enable the little boy.
Recently, I received a phone call of a different sort from a Department of Early Learning Resources worker that had helped us in years past. We had enrolled two boys at one point who needed additional help from what we could offer and she was there for us. Her help was indespensable. Now she was in need of our help. In addition to working for the DEL she was a foster parent. She and her husband were, at that time, fostering a young girl from Haiti. This bright young lady had a physical difficulty and could not walk. They were helping her get medical assistance but needed her to have an environment where she could catch up on the things she missed having been in an orphanage in Haiti. I immediately said yes to the foster mother's request and followed it quickly with prayers that Jesus would show us how to represent him in our care of this child and her family.
So, what prompts a congregation to carry on the complicated ministry of a preschool for 39 years? When the going got real tough 5 years ago this was precisely the dilemma facing the congregation of Memorial Lutheran Church. They faced low enrollment, a further depressed neighborhood, and even then a difficult economy. With a willing heart they continued; they brought their discouragement and uncertainty to the Lord and kept moving along. What they did was invest in their ministry and their community with the faith that the Lord would guide them. As another investment in the preschool they offered scholarships to families in need and received a license through DEL to accept state subsidies for our families. Our presence at neighborhood events was increased and new signs were placed in strategic locations nearby.
Now here we are! We have increased enrollment from 9 to 30+. We have gone from 1 classroom to 3. We have learned to mainstream special needs children and earned a reputation as an excellent preschool and daycare. We have remodeled our environment and created a team of people who love the Lord and share it with the children of our community. We could not have done this without the blessing of the Lord. It is these very blessings which tell us we are going down the path he made for us! The most important blessing the Lord has given us in our journey has been the difference we can see being made in the spiritual lives of our children and families.
These are difficult times. Our stability and hopefulness are the gifts we give, daily, to our children, their families and our community. Without the Lord's blessing these labors would have been in vain. In hindsight, we recognize that God has directed us to carry on in this ministry and he has continued to bless it. We invite you to check out our website at
http://www.pdxchambers.com/~ihh/ and see the Lord's blessings at work.
