My husband doesn’t hear very well. He finally got hearing aids five years ago, but he tends to take them off at home. Now, over the years, this has led to some very frustrating times. But then sometimes, it can also lead to some pretty funny conversations. In fact, we just enjoyed a good laugh over a really silly thing. Last night, I was looking at farm animals on Craigslist. When we retire, we hope to have a little farm with chickens, kittens, goats, and maybe even a donkey or miniature cow. Someone had listed a goat for sale that they have raised in their home. It was such a funny post, as the goat wears diapers and sleeps in a crib. I just had to show this to my husband, so as I handed him my iPad, I said, “I’ve found us a house goat!” He responded with a hint of annoyance in his voice, “Why would we need a houseboat?” “A goat! Not a boat!” Now, every time I think of that conversation, I just start laughing. I love laughter. It is my goal each day to make people laugh. I’m so glad that after 42 years of marriage, Greg and I are still laughing together.

This weekend, we had the opportunity to come out and enjoy the delightful show, “Annie.” This is the first time in three years that our students have been able to produce a play for us. I’ve directed this show twice myself, so I know how delightful and funny the story can be. There are moments of sheer laughter and then some really touching moments that tug at your heartstrings. I was excited to spend an hour immersed in this lovely story while enjoying the awesome songs.

The Bible reminds us in Proverbs that “a cheerful heart is good medicine,” and “laughter is a gift from God.” I encourage you to remember to take time to laugh at the little things, and if you can join us at the school play, I look forward to seeing you there. As the orphans remind us in the “Annie” musical, “You’re never fully dressed without a smile.”

Photo by Kanan Khasmammadov on Unsplash

What a special week this has been! I am so glad that we can once again have visitors come to minister to us as a school. The secondary school enjoyed what we call “Spiritual Emphasis Week.” It’s a week when we set aside time each day to focus on God and what He has done in our lives. Our speaker, James Hobson, and his wife, Sarah, came from Lynchburg, Virginia on the east coast of the US to share with us what he has been learning about God. James is the lead pastor of Hill City Community Church there. On Tuesday, he told of how he was raised a Christian and that he was actually afraid that science would disprove his belief in God, the Creator. The exact opposite is what happened. He said that the more he learned about how the universe works, what is necessary for life to exist on the Earth, and what actually goes into a living being, the more convinced he became that the most rational conclusion to the origin of things is that God is the Creator, just as the Bible says.

In a US television show called “Young Sheldon,” Sheldon doesn’t believe in God, but his mother does. Understanding how important her faith was to his mother, during one episode when she was struggling with her faith, Sheldon used logic to try to convince her that God exists. He explained that only a Creator could have given the universe just the right amount of gravity so that the stars and planets don’t fly off into outer space or that they don’t implode. Sheldon was right. Science actually does point us to a Creator.

Another special event of Spiritual Emphasis Week was our Thursday evening Praise Night. We were led by our high school praise team under the leadership of Mr. Caleb Dossett. It was so encouraging to see the room filled with people who had come together as staff, students, parents, and board members to sing praise to God our Creator.

I wish you all a lovely spring weekend.

Because of His Faithfulness,
Dr. Sharon Brobst. Director

Last Friday evening the ICSV community enjoyed the annual Lip Sync. This is one of my most favorite school events, as it is just plain silly fun. During Covid, we lost out on the activities that make ICSV so special. I am so thankful that even though Covid is still around, we are able to enjoy fellowship with each other. The tenth grade, led by class advisors Mr. Dossett and Ms. Porterfield, served breakfast for dinner and then organized the Lip Sync. All money raised will go to Mary’s Meals, an organization that ICSV has supported for a number of years. This ministry feeds almost 2.5 million children every day while they are at school.

In addition to the Lip Sync, various extracurricular activities are now in full force. The drama students, under the direction of Mrs. Gutheil, are busy rehearsing for their March production of “Annie, Jr.” The basketball teams are practicing and competing (and winning!) several times a week. Our musicians are preparing for the two upcoming spring concerts. Our CAS students are running clubs, and our elementary students enjoy clubs, as well. The IB students are taking Mock Exams, and the senior IB art students are organizing their art exhibit. On Tuesday, we held an Open House for prospective families, and Student Government sold and distributed Candy Grams for Valentine’s Day. Last night, this year’s grade 10 students and their parents were invited to an informational meeting about the IB program for next year. We even held a graduation meeting this week. And today, our older elementary students are out ice skating. Life sure is exciting at ICSV!

Our secondary students also have the opportunity to join a discipleship group. Students who would like to meet in a small group with a staff member can sign up with Mr. Totten, the school chaplain. Discussions will center around spiritual growth.

Next week we can all enjoy a week of rest and refreshment as there is no school during Energy Break. When we return, you will receive a survey that is the start of our re-accreditation cycle. Every seven years, ICSV must conduct a self-study and then host a team visit from our accrediting body, the Association of Christian Schools International. This survey will provide us with a 360-degree view of the school. It is essential that we receive feedback from you in order for the results to be accurate. Members of the school board, administration, faculty and staff, parents, alumni, and secondary students will be asked how well ICSV is doing in different areas. Please take time (it’s supposed to take only 10 minutes to complete) to provide us with this much-appreciated feedback. Be on the lookout for a special email during the week that we return from Energy Break.

I wish you all a wonderful time with your family and friends. My husband and I are excited to be heading to Scotland for the week. We never cease to be both amazed and blessed to see the beautiful creation that God has given to us. Scotland has been on Greg’s “bucket list,” so I’m glad that we managed to schedule this trip. Stay safe and healthy! We’ll see you in a week.

Because of His Faithfulness,
Dr. Sharon Brobst. Director

Every week in Elementary Chapel, Ms. Fitcher closes with the encouragement to “do something kind for someone else.” This year, I even made a vinyl quote with those words that are now hanging in the cafeteria for our students to see each day. It goes so well with this year’s theme of “Build Each Other Up.”

I know that I’ve expressed frustration when I run for the U-bahn and the door slams in my face (especially if I had to run up the stairs). I tend to take it personally, even though I know that the trains must run on an exact schedule. Last week, I was privileged to witness a wonderful display of caring for others. I was in the bus that heads toward my apartment. There was a young family with a child in a stroller. I happened to notice that he didn’t have any shoes on. I remember thinking that it was pretty cold out, but figured he could put his feet inside his snowsuit when they got off the bus.

Well, a couple of stops later, the family exited the bus, and the bus driver pulled out. Just then, a man now standing where the stroller had been minutes before looked down and saw one small shoe. Of course, it belonged to the toddler in the stroller. He picked it up and ran to the front of the bus, explaining to the driver that the child had lost his shoe. The bus driver honked his horn to get the parents’ attention, pulled the bus over, and proceeded to pass the shoe to the boy’s father through the open door. That one act of kindness spared the family the trouble of looking everywhere for his shoe and saved them the expense of purchasing a new pair. No one in the bus minded the short stop to help this young family. I’m sure we could all relate to misplacing something like that.

Well, this morning, as we were exiting the bus at Kaisermuehlen, I followed the protocol that we use when disembarking from an airplane. I normally wait and allow those passengers closest to the door to exit first. Everyone got out except for one man who had his head buried in his phone. My husband and I walked by him and were at the exit door when he got up and headed into the aisle. I happened to notice that he was not really paying attention, but was engrossed in what he was reading. There on the seat next to him were his gloves. I had a feeling that he did not remember that he had them. As I am still not very confident with my German, I simply tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to his gloves. He responded with, “Danke,” and then he must have recognized us from our travels back and forth on the bus. He immediately switched to English, with a delightful British accent. We laughed and wished each other a nice day.

“Do something kind for someone else.” It takes so little effort, and yet the result can really make a difference. It can be the encouragement that someone needs at that very moment. It can make someone’s day start with a smile instead of apprehension or sadness for what will meet them when they get to work. Just as we encourage our youngest students each week, I want to remind us all that being kind to those we meet each day is a way of showing God’s love for them. In the Bible, there are many verses that instruct us to be kind to one another, and even to strangers. As we are at the beginning of our second semester, let’s revisit our theme for the year: “Encourage one another, and build each other up.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Because of His Faithfulness,
Dr. Sharon Brobst. Director

Last week I talked about how watching “The Chosen” gave me a greater perspective on the disciples and what they really gave up to follow Jesus. Another thing that stood out to me while watching was how they used Scripture throughout their day and how much time they spent memorizing it.

In the movie about Jesus’ life, I was amazed by how everyone knew and used the Scripture in such a natural way each day. I know that I shouldn’t have been surprised, for I’ve known that Jesus’ life on this earth was in fulfillment of prophecy. But when I saw that they all knew and believed the prophecies, it was so much more clear why this truth is emphasized in the Bible. From what I know, there are 351 Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. That’s an amazing number! Even so, many people did not understand that He was the Messiah that had been promised. Their interpretation of who the Messiah would be and what He would do were wrong. They were anticipating a king that would defeat Roman rule to free them from the oppression. But that’s not what Jesus came to do; He came to defeat death and to make salvation available to everyone. That was truly a radical idea in His day.

For the last few years, the administrative team has been studying a book on leadership together. The book that we’re reading this year speaks to the importance of memorizing God’s Word. I can think of numerous times throughout my life when I was going through a certain situation and a passage or verse would come to mind. One memory is when I had a student in my office when I was a principal at another school. I had received word that a group of seniors had broken a school rule, and I knew this boy was one that I could trust to tell me the truth. When I told him what I had heard, he very quietly said to himself, “Be sure your sins will find you out.” I could just hear his father quoting from the book of Numbers. Here was someone who knew Scripture, and it came to him at a time when he needed to learn something about saying you’ll do one thing and then doing another.

One way of memorizing that has worked well for me is to put the words to music. The psalms were actually songs. I absolutely love going to elementary chapel when I hear the students singing songs with words that they will always remember. One of my favorites is “Something Good.” I am convinced that when these kids go through a difficult time, the words that they have sung and memorized will come back to them and help them through. (If you have an elementary student, ask them about this song, and be sure they show you all the motions.)

I must admit that my “memorizer” isn’t as good as it used to be, but I encourage you just as I encourage myself, that memorizing Bible verses is not a waste of time. God will use them to remind you of His goodness and faithfulness, especially when life gets tough.

Because of His Faithfulness,
Dr. Sharon Brobst. Director

During staff devotions last Friday, Mr. Dossett mentioned that he had been watching the movie “The Chosen.” I had heard about it, but I tend to shy away from movies about Jesus because I don’t find them very realistic. Well, I took his advice, and I started watching it over the weekend. One of the things that the movie really helped me to better understand was how Jesus chose His disciples.

I always knew about the twelve that He invited to follow Him, and I even knew that some were fishermen, one was a zealot, and another was a tax collector. But this movie helped me to understand how difficult it was for these twelve men from such different backgrounds to trust each other or even to get along. I also never really thought about their families back home. Many were single men, but others had older parents to care for or even wives and children that they were leaving. I guess I never gave any thought to how their families reacted to their news that they were dropping everything to follow Jesus. This meant that they gave up their livelihoods. They could very well have been leaving their families without a source of income. Their wives sure would have had to believe in Jesus just as much as their husbands did to be willing to live alone without them.

Many of us here in the ICSV community have left our families and friends to live in a new land. We have students from almost 65 countries and staff from 19! Isn’t it amazing how we all happened to be in Vienna at the very same time? I don’t believe that’s an accident, at all. Coming from such varied backgrounds, I’m sure it’s not always easy to live together in unity. We tend to trust things and people that are familiar to us. What an amazing experience for us all, as we learn to trust and even love one another, even with all the differences.

Another thing that I thought about while watching the movie is that just like the disciples leaving their homes, we have done the same. Just as they missed spending time with family, worried about the wellbeing of their parents, and lost time with their children, we have done the same. I think the hardest thing for me being away for the last eight years is that my granddaughter was just one year old when we left. She is now nine. We’ve missed all of those milestones with her. I’m thankful that my daughter-in-law has family close by, but there are days when I am deeply saddened because of all that I’ve missed.

You know what makes it all worth it? Jesus told us to follow Him, so we did. For this season, He meant for us to come and serve here in Vienna. Had we not obeyed, but rather based our decisions on our own feelings, we would have missed out on being part of this amazing school community. When asked what I like most about Vienna, I always say the school. Our students are awesome, the staff is the absolute best, and our parents are a joy to partner with. Even on the days when we miss a birthday or Christmas with our kids and grandkids, we are confident that God chose us to be here for this season of our lives.

If you haven’t watched “The Chosen,” I encourage you to tune in. If you have questions about Jesus and His life, make the time to tune in. You might just have your eyes opened to some things that never made sense to you. I know that I’ve had many “a ha” moments while watching.

Because of His Faithfulness,
Dr. Sharon Brobst. Director