The St. Maries Christian School meets in the Shadowy River Mall in St. Maries, Idaho. This means they are neighbors with the other businesses. One day at prayer time, Mark Law, teacher, and the students discussed praying for their mall neighbors. They decided they would pray each week that God would bless one of the business proprietors.
The door slowly opened one day after school, and Angela shyly came in. Her parents operate the radio station in the mall. She had something in her hand.
“A letter!” Law exclaimed. He opened and read the letter: “You are doing a great thing by teaching kids about God and Jesus, so I hope you don’t ever quit. Do you ever pray in class?”
One student assured Angela that they do pray.
“And guess what?” the teacher smiled. “We pray for you and your family.” Angela left with a wave and a smile.
Law asked several mall shop owners to give the students a tour of their businesses. Marie Weber, from the graphics design business down the hall, showed the students how she uses the computer and printer to make signs. She enthusiastically showed them the photographs she had captured of a dragonfly larva emerging from its skin.
“I love this stuff,” she grinned. Then she asked, “How would you like to come over to our pond and observe this yourselves?”
Would they?! Plans were made, and the guest list grew to include some home-schooling families. The students were given nets to scoop out water creatures and slide them into an aquarium for observation. They found such creepy-crawly life as snails, water fleas, a bright green tree frog, a water scorpion, diving beetles, dragonfly larvae and caddis fly larvae.
The plans for a day of observation at “Marie’s Pond” grew to include a hot dog roast with salads, chips, homemade cookies, s’mores around the fire pit, and even horseback rides.
Prayer results in wonderful things — including friendships.
Myles pull up something of interest from the pond.
Excited students make a find while visiting a pond.
Teacher Mark Law and a young naturalist put another find into the aquarium.
