I Will Sing of the Goodness of God

Have you been missing the pre-Covid ICSV? I sure have! What do I mean by that? We used to be able to just hang out together. We enjoyed cramming students, staff, parents, alumni, and anyone else into the MPR to enjoy a talent show or a lip sync contest. Without distancing and without masks! We used to go on field trips to all kinds of locations, taking advantage of all the cultural and historical opportunities close to Vienna. We’d rehearse for hours and hours to perform in musicals and concerts. We would hug each other. We were just being together, and we loved it. I’ve missed all of this during the last two years.

Well, I’m excited that little by little we have been able to return to the “days of old.” Our basketball teams have finally been competing. Our kids are practicing for spring concerts. We will enjoy CoffeeHaus this evening with the high school kids, and our elementary students had fun during the Book Character Costume Parade. True life is returning to ICSV. Community is what we do best, and we are starting to be able to enjoy that again.

Last week we held one of our first all-staff meetings together in the MPR. After going over some announcements and a time of encouragement, we joined together to sing “Goodness of God.” You should have heard us! With Mr. Dossett playing just his guitar, we belted out the words to this song, many with tears in our eyes. Here are some of the words:

I love you, Lord, for your mercy never fails me.
All my days, I’ve been held in Your hands.
From the moment that I wake up until I lay my head,
I will sing of the goodness of God.

All my life You have been faithful,
All my life You have been so, so good.
With every breath that I am able
I will sing of the goodness of God.

On our staff, you will find parents of children with some pretty severe disabilities. You will see Christians who have walked with the Lord for 50 to 60 years. You will recognize teachers who have dedicated their entire lives to serving God by serving children. Here we stood, praising God for how He has carried us through all kinds of things. Pandemics, wars, loss of loved ones, illness, and the list goes on. Through it all, our love for God has grown. He has kept His promise to us that He would never leave us alone, but He would be a faithful and good God.

When I think about the Ukrainian refugees coming to ICSV, it brings me joy. Did you realize that the school was founded by missionaries who were crossing the iron curtain to smuggle Bibles into the Soviet block countries? Now people from the same areas that the missionaries reached are coming to us! This opportunity to serve may be just what the ICSV community needs to bring us joy again. It may shake us awake from thinking about all that we have lost with Covid and provide us with a real sense of purpose. I reach out to you again this week with a plea for help with the Ukrainian refugees who have begun to come to ICSV seeking admission. We are looking for people willing to sponsor some children by covering educational costs. We are looking for people who could volunteer some time to help them with schoolwork or just to give them some extra attention. Please email office@icsv.at if you are able to help in any way. If you’d like to give, you may contact advancement@icsv.at, and they will be able to help you.

Truly, all our days we will sing of the goodness of God!

Because of His Faithfulness,
Dr. Sharon Brobst, Director