Staff and supporters of Hood View Junior Academy (HVJA) in Boring, Ore., saw the unthinkable happen on Feb. 4.
For 10 years, HVJA sat under an umbrella of debt due to a building project. Year after year, auctions and other fundraisers were held to slowly chip away the balance. But by January, the fund for their media center/music wing was completely drained.
The school's annual auction has typically bridged that payment gap. Every February, constituents put on a silent and live auction, selling items like Lasik eye surgery, Hawaii vacation rentals, orthodontia packages, front-row Blazer tickets and front-row Mariner tickets. A can of Nuteena has even been sold for $300. Baskets full of donated cooking gadgets, games, scrapbooking materials and such are available for bidding as Gale Crosby, former Hood View principal, plays auctioneer.
Supporters knew one thing this year: They needed to continue making $3,000-a-month payments. HVJA knew the school had to raise almost $37,000 during the next auction.
The most successful auctions at HVJA have garnered $30,000, but this year it looked bleak. Donations were down, attendees were sparse, and computers were broken. Anything that could go wrong did.
And then the school community prayed. They claimed God's promise: "‘Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it’" (Malachi 3:10).
God taught an important lesson that night: He is in control. There is nothing impossible for Him. By all accounts, the event should have been a nightmare. But God brought beauty from chaos.
After the event, constituents realized the $30,000 goal was surpassed. The school had made $50,000, a monumental confirmation that God is all-powerful.
God throws "open the windows of heaven" so students, like these pictured here, may continue using Hood View Junior Academy's music room.
