Poof…a Training is Dissolved

Yesterday, I received a call and could hardly believe my ears…the Children’s Pastor apologetically explained that they would have to cancel the VOICE Training scheduled to take place at their church...which was suppose to start in less than 48 hours. He has just left a meeting with church leadership which concluded that due to the Annual Meeting this Sunday, all resources and efforts would be needed for that and therefore the VOICE Training would need to be rescheduled, sometime after Easter. Many hours, visits, preparation, letters written, and plans had already been invested into the training…one that we viewed as an answer to our prayer that a church in our area of the city would get involved in the school ministry. And just like that, poof…it dissolved!

Pastor Mark with the Kiswa children behind

The Children’s Pastor, Mark, concluded his painful phone call by promising, “I’ll be there at Kiswa Primary School tomorrow to observe the Values Education Class (VEC) program. And there he was this morning! Come to find out, he is a Child Evangelism Fellowship trained worker...so no wonder he's serving among the children! I suggested that he observe the VEC in the Primary 3 class. I went with the Primary 2 volunteer VEC teachers for their large classes of 80 plus pupils.  Before Mark left this morning, he gave this observation with a big smile: “Our church has tried to penetrate this school in years gone by but the Head Master/Principal would always tell us to come back; we never succeeded.”  With this Scripture Union program, the doors are wide open to teach Biblical values.  Pray that this church will soon reschedule the VOICE Training. Could it be that this suddenly dissolved training might just give time for more churches to see this strategic opportunity and desire to get involved? Please pray!

As a postscript to this story, within hours of learning that the training was called off, we discovered a $1,000 donation which had been given toward the VOICE ministry...such an affirmation from the Lord that we were doing His will and that He is sovereign,even over the disappointments!