During the last weekend of April until May 1 I had the privilege of attending the ACSI Administrators’ Conference in Slovenia. Every year administrators from all over Europe and others from Africa and Asia gather together for a time of encouragement, worship, and professional development. This year the two main topics during the professional development sessions were the elements of an effective ELL program and understanding the Bible from the culture of the time in which it was written. Ms. Cyndi Fitcher, our elementary principal, attended with me. She also oversees our Student Support Services, so the ELL sessions were pertinent to what she does on a daily basis.
The last session that we were able to attend on May 1 was by Dr. Richards. He is the Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Palm Beach Atlantic University, a Christian liberal arts college in Florida. For three days he took us through John’s Gospel and explained it as Jesus’ disciples were experiencing it. He showed us how Jesus very much used a “come and see” approach to teaching. He didn’t explain everything that He did to the disciples, but just invited them to spend time with Him and see what He was doing.
The very last page of my notes written between 2:00 and 3:00 on Tuesday, May 1, included these words: “You will most likely not understand what God is doing. He’s not going to hit the pause button to explain it to you. Just ‘come and see.’ God would like you to grow in maturity and not ask why. Just be obedient. I want to be the tool in God’s hand that just does what God asks without asking why.”
Little did I realize that less than an hour after Dr. Richards spoke those words, I would receive a phone call from the secondary principal informing me of the tragic swimming accident that had occurred. In the days that followed, I looked back over these notes. I realized that I once again found myself in a situation where I would have to learn what it means to trust God when there were no answers. I encourage us all to “come and see” what God is doing – at ICSV, in Austria, and around the world. My prayer for all of us is that our faith would grow to the point where we don’t need answers. We just need Jesus.
Because of His Faithfulness,
Sharon C. Brobst, Ed.D.
Director