I'm sure that some of you are ready for an update that includes more than "we are praying." prayer is a good thing, and at the end of this blog post I'm going to share with you some specific ways you can join us in prayer, but first let me share with you some of the things we have been contemplating.
It seems as though there is no way to start a tutoring center in the neighborhood at this point. The Clay County zoning board says it can't happen.
So we have been thinking and imagining what we could do instead. Here are some of the ideas in no particular order.
1. School-parent liaison. We think it would be a good idea to have someone at the school who could facilitate conversation between parents and classroom teachers. Sometimes families, for whatever reason, are reluctant to contact the school with questions or even to come to school for a conference when requested by the teacher. Unfortunately the classroom teacher's job is changing and it is difficult for them to put in a lot of extra time and effort into communication with parents. We see, that at our school, especially in the K-2 grades it would be helpful to have a "middle man." This school liaison would not wait until there is a problem but try to target at-risk families and then "train" them on the best ways to communicate with teachers and how to get the information they need to help their child succeed.
2. A real bus. Currently our book bus is just our cars, but all along we have talked about getting a real bus that we could convert into a classroom/computer lab/library. We could drive into the neighborhood, park, and offer training in a number of areas.
3. Church. We can't start a school in the neighborhood, but we can start a church. We would have to develop land and buildings that would meeting building codes, which would be pricey. As a side note: there is a saloon, one of the few pieces of commercial property that backs up to the neighborhood, which we have discussed seeing if they would be willing to let us meet there on Sunday mornings. We have not talked to the owners of the saloon, but it is an idea we are playing with.
4. Relationships and Homes. We have also discussed that if we could build enough relationships with people in the neighborhood, then our new friends might be willing to host classes or group discussions in their homes.
We think these are good ideas. We think all of these ideas could end up working together.
We don't want to do what we think, though. We want to do what God has planned for us. We know that whatever His plan is will work out and we won't have to make it happen. We know there is work to be done, but that His work is fulfilling and life-giving.
We also know that prayer works. We know that as we seek God, He will be faithful to lead us in His direction. So, we have decided to pray the hours of prayer (3am, 6am, 9am, noon, 3pm, 6pm, and 9pm). We have split the hours amongst our core team so that someone prays at each hour, then we are all praying together at 9pm. We would love for you to join us at one of these hours, especially 9pm.
There are no real rules here. Pray for as long as you like however you like (write it down, sing it, etc). No need to report to anyone, unless of course you have a vision for us...then please share!
This is the prayer we have all agreed to start with, and then we will see where God leads from there.
Lord, help me now to unclutter my life, to organize myself in the direction of simplicity. Lord, teach me to listen to my heart; teach me to welcome change, instead of fearing it. Lord, I give you these stirrings inside me. I give you my discontent. I give you my restlessness. I give you my doubt. I give you my despair. I give you all the longings I hold inside. Help me listen to these signs of change, of growth; help me to listen seriously and follow where they lead through the breathtaking empty space of an open door.
We are still planning our class for new moms, and the book bus will be out again this weekend- so these are things that are already happening that you could pray for as well.
praying...
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