The past 2 years with both Joe and I being in administrative positions at ICSV has made it more difficult for us to find good news to share. We have an amazing staff and fabulous students, but often when you are in a position of leadership, you tend to hear all the bad junk that goes around. So today, I want to focus on some good news.
The school has moved much closer to fiscal equality. We have cut back on spending, scaled back our staff and made a budget that almost breaks even with 243 students. And God has sent us 243 students!
That means we can start cautiously planning for the future. Looking at ways to increase our teaching staff, improve our education level and find ways to use our current space for a greater number of students. This is the same place we were 2 years ago, but now we can do all of this with fiscal responsibility and, God willing, with no more debt.
We have a great many new student inquiries for next school year already! When we had to dissolve our marketing department and our international liaison program last year, we thought that our enrollment would sharply decline. But God is so faithful, He continues to prove that His hand is upon our ministry and that He is working in Vienna. God does have a sense of humor, too. The 3 classes in our school that are at maximum capacity (2nd, 4th and 10th grades) are the ones getting the majority of inquiries. Pray that we will have wisdom to find creative ways to fit as many of these students in our building as possible. Our building capacity is technically 300 students, but because of space limits in each class, new students have to fit in classes that we have free space.
Our teachers have been very busy sowing the Gospel this year. Often, we do not get to see a harvest for all the planting we have done. Continue to pray that the seeds of Truth will be planted in fruitful soil and that God will grow the seeds into a harvest of souls.
Please pray for our staff to stay healthy and full of energy as we enter into the last half of the year. Pray for continued financial stability at the school. Pray for wisdom for the administration and pray for new students.
As far as the Overbys are concerned, we are doing well. Pray for our hearts to be dependent on the Lord and our strength and encouragement to come from Him.
We do have two financial needs: 1) plane tickets to the States this summer and 2) tuition for the kid's education this year. The two together add up to around $20,000, We have about 1/5th of that amount set aside right now but we need to look at purchasing tickets very soon. If God leads you to help us in this area, please go to the RCE Website in order to donate. It will give you instructions on how to donate by check, credit card or automatic bank draft. The donations are tax deductible and greatly appreciated.
We are so thankful for all of you who continuously support us through you gifts and prayers. You are part of sowing each seed of the Gospel that is planted at ICSV. I hope I gave you some good news to encourage you today, too!
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Pondering
"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19
I have spent much of the year pondering treasured up things. I think that's common when someone you love passes on into eternity. My dad wasn't much of a talker so I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about what he held dear and what he regretted in his life. I know there were places he wanted to see that he never saw and that was a huge source of guilt for me when he died. But what other things did he treasure up?
I think about Mary as she raised the child, Jesus, the savior of the world. On the days when it was really hard to be a mom, when she wasn't really sure about the angel's announcement of Jesus' identity, would she think back to the events of that first Christmas for comfort and assurance? When Jesus had a rough day, would she tell him the story of the shepherds and the gifts the Magi had brought him and how they foretold a greater plan that was birthed in God's own heart?
In the last few months, several things have happened in the lives of my children that I have treasured up and I want to be able to share them so that I can ponder them forever in my heart.
Bethany was sick the last week of school. One night, she had a high fever; she was bundled up and shivering in her bed and I went down the hall to get her some medicine. As I came back to her room, I heard her voice. Like an angel, she was singing "Silent Night" in German; it was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard and it went straight to my heart.
Caylah has spent much of the year telling me what a wonderful country one of her classmates is from. The food is wonderful, the scenery is gorgeous, the people wear beautiful clothes and this little girl is the luckiest person in the world because her country is so special. We went to the UN bizarre this Christmas season and visited this country's booth where Caylah oohed and awed over everything on display. As we were leaving the booth, she said, "Mom, I love Persia! It is in my heart." I almost cried as I thought about my little girl loving Iran like that, and it is something that I will need to remember as she grows and follows the Lord's leading for her life.
Nathan has spent the last four years in a diverse faith culture that has challenged him to explore many different world views and decide for himself who or what to follow. This fall, he shared with Joe and I that he had thought about many of the religions that his friends follow and some of them had interesting ideas at first. But after he thought about it, he decided that Christianity was the only "religion" that made sense. It was the only one where God came to man to meet his needs instead of man trying to find someway to reach God which is just impossible.
These things, I want to remember, to be able to share with my children when they have a rough day or a faith struggle. And I want to remember them on days when I am having a rough time being a mom or being away from my family. Days like today.
I have spent much of the year pondering treasured up things. I think that's common when someone you love passes on into eternity. My dad wasn't much of a talker so I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about what he held dear and what he regretted in his life. I know there were places he wanted to see that he never saw and that was a huge source of guilt for me when he died. But what other things did he treasure up?
I think about Mary as she raised the child, Jesus, the savior of the world. On the days when it was really hard to be a mom, when she wasn't really sure about the angel's announcement of Jesus' identity, would she think back to the events of that first Christmas for comfort and assurance? When Jesus had a rough day, would she tell him the story of the shepherds and the gifts the Magi had brought him and how they foretold a greater plan that was birthed in God's own heart?
In the last few months, several things have happened in the lives of my children that I have treasured up and I want to be able to share them so that I can ponder them forever in my heart.
Bethany was sick the last week of school. One night, she had a high fever; she was bundled up and shivering in her bed and I went down the hall to get her some medicine. As I came back to her room, I heard her voice. Like an angel, she was singing "Silent Night" in German; it was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard and it went straight to my heart.
Caylah has spent much of the year telling me what a wonderful country one of her classmates is from. The food is wonderful, the scenery is gorgeous, the people wear beautiful clothes and this little girl is the luckiest person in the world because her country is so special. We went to the UN bizarre this Christmas season and visited this country's booth where Caylah oohed and awed over everything on display. As we were leaving the booth, she said, "Mom, I love Persia! It is in my heart." I almost cried as I thought about my little girl loving Iran like that, and it is something that I will need to remember as she grows and follows the Lord's leading for her life.
Nathan has spent the last four years in a diverse faith culture that has challenged him to explore many different world views and decide for himself who or what to follow. This fall, he shared with Joe and I that he had thought about many of the religions that his friends follow and some of them had interesting ideas at first. But after he thought about it, he decided that Christianity was the only "religion" that made sense. It was the only one where God came to man to meet his needs instead of man trying to find someway to reach God which is just impossible.
These things, I want to remember, to be able to share with my children when they have a rough day or a faith struggle. And I want to remember them on days when I am having a rough time being a mom or being away from my family. Days like today.
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