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.
However, as soon as our third child became tall enough to conquer these thrilling rides, we quickly learned that this joy was not a predominant trait in her personality and this was going to be something that, as her loving parents, we would need to cultivate on our own, especially since no one wanted to sit out and wait with her.
During her first amusement park adventure, we decided to slowly increase the intensity of each ride that we took her on. It was our hope that her courage would grow throughout the process and eventually lead us to the "Millennium Force", which at that time was the second largest ride in the park. She was very cooperative for the smaller rides, but she kept telling us that she didn't want to ride the Millennium Force because she was afraid that the cars might get stuck going up the hill. As much as we tried to reassure her that would never happen, she always found another alternative ride instead of the Millennium Force. Hoping that her courage would significantly grow by nightfall, we kept making our way around the park, while keeping our eyes on the prize of the 310 ft. first hill of the Millennium Force that awaited us! Later that day, we noticed a large crowd starting to form and stare in the direction of the Millennium Force. Ken politely inquired with one of the guests what the problem was, and he indicated, "Look at the first hill of the Millennium Force. The train of cars are stuck!" Sure enough, Krisitne's worst nightmare was coming true as we watched the train of cars remain stationary, while the maintenance cart was going up the side of the track to assist. Fortunately, Kristine was oblivious to what was going on and Ken quickly communicated with his eyes to drop the whole idea on getting her on the Millennium Force that day!
Can you imagine getting all the way to the top of the rollercoaster and then getting stuck? Your mind was ready, your adrenaline at its peak, the thrill, the anticipation, the excitement, and then - nothing? That analogy is very similar to how we felt last April regarding our National Lutheran School Accreditation process!
For two years, we worked our way up the huge hill of completing necessary and important documents so that we could meet and/or exceed all required standards and expectations for accreditation status.
On March 5, 2020, we submitted all completed documents to our District office, as well as each member of our Validation Team so they could prepare for our scheduled April 15-17 visit, and on March 13, 2020, all schools in the state of Michigan were closed. In a blink of an eye, our car was stuck at the top of the first hill on the NLSA rollercoaster!
Have you ever experienced one of those "stuck" moments? Maybe you can't get something fixed because you have to wait for a part, or you can't schedule a procedure until you receive approval from the insurance company, or you find out that your plane has mechanical issues and you need to wait for the next available flight before you can depart? It's during those moments when you realize that this is not a perfect world, and we are not perfect people, but we need a perfect Savior to help us patiently wait for God's perfect timing. One of my favorite sayings that tends to help me through the waiting periods of life is "While we are waiting, God is working." There are things that we will not understand, but we do know that God is always in control and with His help, we can get through anything!
However, the good news is that starting this Monday, October 5, 2020, our NLSA Visiting Team is rescheduled to return onsite to validate all of our reports and present us with their recommendation regarding our accreditation status.
We are very excited to resume this process and look forward to how the Lord will use this process to enhance our school ministry. After all, the reality is that this is His school, and we always want to give Him our very best efforts!
So buckle up and keep your hands and feet inside the car, because we are about to go on a very exciting ride!
In His Love,
Mrs. Palka