I had just finished depositing a month’s worth of groceries on my kitchen counter when I saw Lucy Slater, a faithful recruiter for our school, coming up my walk with a young woman in tow. I greeted them and showed them into the living room.
“I don’t know if I can afford it," the young woman, Becky, admitted, “but I want my little girl to go to a Christian school.”
As we talked, I assured her that God would provide her finances. When she left, I began praying.
The very next Sabbath, Becky stood at the door of the children’s Sabbath School room where I was making last-minute arrangements for the program.
“Lucy said I could bring Mattie to Sabbath School,” she said shyly. She handed me the school entrance forms that she had completed.
Mattie, a spirited, friendly second-grader, was very attached to her teacher, friends and giant slide at her school, but she finally agreed to try the Salmon Adventist School (SAS) for a month.
Since Ken and Lucy Slater were Becky's home-health clients, Becky had been hearing Biblical teaching for months as they took time to encourage and pray with her. When Ken began to suffer the debilitating effects of cancer, Becky spent Sabbath with Lucy taking her to Sabbath School and church, fixing lunch and even taking her to visit friends.
In a short time, a new friend at church, Lorraine Hamilton, responded to Becky’s wish to study the Bible. Becky’s desire grew with each study together, and she was baptized on January 17.
And how did Mattie like her new school? Early in the school year, she and her mother met her former teacher in the aisle of the grocery store. “Mattie,” the teacher greeted her, “I’ve missed you at school.”
Smiling, Mattie replied, “I’m going to a new school where I learn about Jesus!”
Interestingly, Mark Law, SAS principal, received a phone call that fall inquiring if the school could use a playground slide. As it turned out, the school Mattie had been attending wanted to get rid of the slide she loved! So now a giant slide stands in the playground of Mattie’s new school, testifying to God’s loving attentiveness to a child’s wishes.
Mattie Coles' (left) education now includes Christian values along with the basics, like studying spelling words with Allan England.
Thanks to Lucy Slater (center), Mattie Coles (left) is now a student at Salmon Adventist School, along with Shelby King (right).
