10th Annual St. Matthew Turkey Trot!
Early in my ministry, I was standing in the hallway greeting students good morning when I received a response that shook me to my core... "Mrs. Palka, I'm not supposed to tell you, but we had to sleep in our car last night, and I was so scared!"
"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6
For years, we told my oldest son, Josh, that we would celebrate the conclusion of his five years of residency with a family trip during the summer of 2020. Although the COVID-19 pandemic altered many of our plans, we were still able to all gather in one destination, but it required numerous car rentals to get each member of the family from the state that they currently reside to our vacation location.
"He who watches over you will neither slumber nor sleep." Psalm 121:4 Many years ago, I received a text from my husband that stated, "Wait until you see what I bought you! It is absolutely amazing, and you are going to LOVE it!" Messages like this do not happen very often, so I was kind of excited when I saw the headlights of his car pull up into our driveway. Bursting into the house and calling my name with great intensity, I met him in the kitchen where he was very proudly holding up a new vacuum cleaner! "Isn't it a beauty?" he asked with tremendous endearment in his eyes.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart as working for the Lord and not for men." Colossians 3:23
Have you ever entered an event that involved crossing a finish line? If you, so know that great excitement of working diligently at something and finally seeing the finish line, knowing that completion is within reach.
NLSA Validation Team Arrives October 5 - 7!
Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart as working for the Lord and not for men." Colossians 3:23
Are you the type of person that enjoys riding roller coasters or do you get squeamish just saying the word? My husband and I love roller coasters! As we became parents, we were thrilled to learn that this was something that was genetically passed down to our first two children.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights." James 1:9
Last Saturday was an extremely joyous day in the Palka family. Not only was it a beautiful and crisp fall day, but it was also my grandson's first birthday! Every birthday party is a joyous event, but for this little guy, his birthday cake just seemed to taste a little sweeter this year as we reminisced how his journey began.
"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." Psalm 150:1
Five years ago, I opened a text from my middle son that contained a photo of the cutest puppy and the caption, "Congratulations... you're finally a grandma!"
"My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Indeed, He who watches over you will neither slumber nor sleep." Psalm 121:1
Have you ever had a minor nuisance develop into a major problem? Perhaps it started out as a small leak, or a peculiar noise when you started the car, or an occasional animal/insect sighting in the garden?
What an exciting week as St. Matthew Lutheran School was able to welcome our students back into the building for the start of a very memorable school year! I think Mr. Czinder summarized it best when he expressed, "After all these months of dealing with COVID, it's like the building came back to life when all the kids arrived on Monday." We want to thank all of our parents for your tremendous support and understanding throughout this endeavor!
Your encouragement is so greatly appreciated as we partner together to create the safest environment possible for our students and staff.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the Heavenly Lights." James 1:17
Talk about a memorable school year! In my thirty-four years of working in education, I think this year will go down in the record books for many reasons!
We began this school year with the motto "Let The Whole World See The Greatness Of Our God", and as I reflect upon this school year, I can see so many opportunities that God gave us to show His love to others...