I have been given the privilege of chairing an accreditation team for ACSI, our accrediting body. This week I have been in Tirana, Albania, at a sister school called GDQ International Christian School. When I first saw the name of their school, I became curious. What did GDQ stand for? I learned that the school is named after an Albanian evangelist, Gjerasim D. Qiriaz, who lived during the late 1800s and is known for founding the first Albanian school for girls.

I ordered a book about his life called, “Captured by Brigands,” so that I could learn more about him before I travelled to Albania. He only lived for 35 years, and during his lifetime he accomplished so much for God. The book focuses on his time of captivity when he was 26. Gjerasim was on a missionary journey when he was captured by a group of violent bandits who thought that they could get a huge ransom for his return. They did not realize that he was not a wealthy man and that they would get nothing from his family.

When he was first taken, he began to realize that the outcome did not look good and that he would probably not make it out alive. The book quotes him as saying, “I mourned not so much for my life as for my work. Just then I had begun to labour for my people, and day by day my desire to preach the Words of Life to them was growing. Why, then, has God put me into the hands of these brigands? My heart longed for neither riches nor for any other thing pleasing to the flesh. I had only one thing in mind—the spreading of light among my countrymen. Why then should God forget me?”

I have a feeling that if I were in his situation, I probably would have the same doubts and questions that he had. He felt that he was doing good things for God, and yet it appeared that God had forgotten him, allowing him to suffer a horrible fate at the hands of the bandits. But then he recalled that he saw a beautiful flower sticking up through an inch of snow. This sight reminded him of the verses in Matthew where we are told that if God cares for the flowers of the field that are only alive for a day, how much more so does God care for us, His children? The passage ends with the words, “O ye of little faith.”

These five words challenged Gjerasim to cling to his faith knowing that we serve an Almighty God that would work out His purposes in Gjerasim’s life, not in spite of this situation, but because of this situation. We know that Gjerasim made it out of his time of captivity and went on to do great things for His Lord.

If this story intrigues you, I encourage you to read more about the life of “GDQ.” Let us all be reminded of God’s Words of encouragement that are found in Matthew 6: 28-34. Do not worry about tomorrow. God is in control!

Because of His Faithfulness,
Sharon C. Brobst, Ed.D.
Director

One of the reasons that I love riding the U-bahn each day is because of all the different people that I get to see. I find people incredibly interesting, and oftentimes quite funny. One day this summer, a lady boarded my train, and I immediately did a double-take. You see, this person was rather flamboyant. She was dressed up so that when she walked into the train, all eyes were on her. She had this huge hairstyle, most probably a wig, tons of make-up, crazy stockings, a short skirt. You get the picture. She definitely didn’t fit in the commuter setting of the train.

I sat there quietly watching her, and then we both exited the train at the same station. Instead of heading toward the stairs, she walked to the side, so I thought that maybe she was meeting someone there. That’s not what she did. She fumbled through her huge bag to find some money, and then she bent over and gave it to the beggar on the floor.

I must admit that I hadn’t looked upon her favorably. She was an oddity to me. I hadn’t even noticed the beggar sitting quietly to the side, but she did. And she did not hesitate to go and share what she had with this man. I left the station feeling disappointed in myself. Why is it so easy to get a bad impression of someone just because they are different? Why do we form our impression of people by what we initially see? Why do we even think negatively about someone because they are different than we are?

This week in chapel, Mr. Totten, our school chaplain, challenged us all to look around us and to determine together that we will seek to support each other. ICSV now has students from 67 different countries! We are an incredibly diverse group of people. Mr. Totten challenged us to not view those who are different than ourselves in a negative way. He reminded us of the passage in the Bible where the Apostle James asks us to think how we would act if a rich man came into our church service or meeting and then a poor man came in who was wearing filthy clothes. Would our first thought be to treat the rich man well, giving him the best seat in the house, while telling the poor guy to sit over there on the floor? Is that not what I was doing when I immediately thought that person on my train was weird? Not as good as me? But that day in the subway station, who showed love to our neighbor? The lady with the big hair and strange make-up did. I was very humbled that day.

May we use this year as a time when we can show the world what it is like for such different people to come together in love and support of each other. May we never judge others because of our first impression of them. Instead, let us accept and honor those who are different, for that is pleasing to the Lord.

Because of His Faithfulness,
Sharon C. Brobst, Ed.D.
Director

Welcome back! We have missed you this summer and are excited to finish our first week back at school already! As you walked around the school, I hope that you noticed the different places that the facilities team worked on this summer. Doesn’t it look nice? Also, did you see the new quotes that pertain to this year’s theme and the updated pictures from last year? I hope that you noticed our new banner in the reception area with this year’s theme – IMAGINE!
Last year a phrase from an old hymn jumped out at me. I had not really noticed it before. The hymn is “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” and the line said, “Ponder anew what the Almighty can do.” What does ponder mean? Think about it deeply and carefully. Dwell on it. Chew it over. Turn it over in your mind again and again. I got to thinking about how I view God. Do I put Him in a box and limit what I think He is capable of doing or will do for us? Do I fall before Him in awe and reverence? Do I have a respect for Him that is mixed with fear and wonder?

When we were able to purchase the property next door, God got my attention. That was a God thing! There was no way humanly possible that ICSV could outbid an investor, and yet God influenced the owner to show favor on us. God stepped in and showed just how powerful He is. Our God is awesome!

My desire this year is that we not forget about how God has proven Himself faithful to ICSV over the years and that we will stand in awe of just how almighty He is! Our year’s verse comes from a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians. He reminded them that “God is able to do far more than we could ever ask for or IMAGINE.” This year, let us not limit God. Let us not box Him in because of our own limited understanding. Let’s grow in our understanding of this God whom we serve.

I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in and through us this year! Won’t you join me and just IMAGINE!

Because of His Faithfulness,
Sharon C. Brobst, Director