A Message From Our Board Chair

Thank you! Just two simple words. Two simple words that can mean everything. Two simple words that I expect to be hearing a lot this month. Two simple words I hope to be saying a lot this month! After all, it’s that time of year! A time when we focus on all that we have to be thankful for. But sometimes thankfulness doesn’t come naturally. Sometimes it’s difficult to see why we should be thankful. How do we open our eyes to see God’s goodness despite a broken world where things don’t always seem so great?

Three years ago this November, my family was heading back to the Midwest to visit family for the Thanksgiving holiday. I was excited because I was also set to meet with one of the founders of a large Christian ministry in the greater Cincinnati area as well as the CEO’s son-in-law. This was an opportunity to build a relationship that may have led to a position with the ministry in the years to come. We had family in the Cincy area and planned to go from there to Indianapolis to see my parents. We also had big news to share. A very important surprise: Baby #4 was on the way! We’d purposely held out on telling anyone to make it a surprise, and we were nearly half way to the delivery date (my own mother slapped me for waiting so long to tell her!).

We left customarily early in the morning and were making good time. In fact, my wife had just commented on that very fact when it happened. The steering wheel began to vibrate and the car slowed down. I began repeating “What’s happening?! What’s happening?! No, no, NO!” We pulled off the highway and navigated cautiously in limp-along mode to the nearest town. It was a Saturday in the heart of hunting season in rural Pennsylvania. We were 2 hours from the nearest large town. Not a single auto repair shop was open nor would be until Monday.

We spent 3 days stranded 6 hours from our destination and 6 hours from home. I completely missed my opportunity to meet with those ministry leaders. In fact, we had to completely skip our planned stop in Cincinnati. This trip culminated in the loss of our only vehicle that could fit our newly expanding family.

What could we possibly be thankful for that Thanksgiving? Why would God close a door like that? We lost a lot of money on that car. If you want to make matters worse, I lost my job three weeks later in a large cost-cutting layoff. But God was good through it all.

First, God prepared a wonderful man at the gas station we stopped at in that small town in central Pennsylvania. He was a former staff member of the governor of PA, a board member at a prestigious engineering university, and he was quietly enjoying his sandwich when I abruptly asked for any help he could give to get me to a good mechanic who was actually open! He connected us with help and got us to a nice hotel. He followed up daily and made sure we had everything we needed. I even ended up on his Christmas mailing list that year!

Additionally, we enjoyed an unplanned stop with my wife’s aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh. Our kids found a 3 day stay in a hotel with an indoor pool to be the best thing ever! A rental car was exciting for them too! While my wife and I were stressed out, we wished we could borrow their innocent perspective just for a bit. The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to give thanks in all circumstances. Does this included even situations like my unfortunate Thanksgiving?

We eventually made it to Indianapolis and finally back home. Although we missed out on part of our trip and suffered significant financial loss, God provided. And he still does every day. Maybe not in ways we’ll always see on this side of eternity, but God is still in control. Jesus is still on the throne, whether the world acknowledges it or not. And we have him to thank for everything. Job understood this well when he said, “Shall we receive good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10). The apostle Paul reminds us that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

I may never fully know why God allowed that trouble in my life that Thanksgiving. But regardless of those troubles, God is good, and I will never stop thanking him for his goodness to my family and I.

Whether you are in a good season or a challenging season, I pray that God shows you his goodness this Thanksgiving. I pray it is a time of blessing and joy. We have so much to be thankful for! God is good. ALL the time.

Andy Martin

LCS Chairman of the Board

November Lunch Menus

Looking Ahead....

• November 11th: Veteran's Day observed- NO SCHOOL

• November 14th: AP CLASSES /DUAL ENROLLMENT US HISTORY IN SESSION ONLY-no other 6-12 classes are in school; LOWER SCHOOL students have a regular day in addition to the Operation Christmas Child Project;

• November 18th: Open House 9-11am

• November 17th: Winter Varsity Sports Begin!!🏀🏀

• November 19th: In House Open House for Prospective Families 9am-11:30am

• November 24th - 28th: Thanksgiving Break🦃

Did You Know?

In an effort to better communicate all the fun things happening in our lower school classrooms, we have created fun websites for you!! These websites are updated weekly with news, announcements, pictures and upcoming activities. Check out our websites below:

Miss Crosbie
Mrs. Owens
Mrs. Parker
Mrs. Dahnke
Mrs. Rodriguez
Mrs. Kergel

Great Parent Resource...AXIS Ministries

What is the Culture Translator?

The Culture Translator, written and published by Axis Ministries, comes as a free weekly email to help Christian parents stay up to date on the music, movies, TV shows, and Social Media trends impacting your student's world!