Making New Friends

This is my new friend, Joke (JO-ka).  We bonded while washing hundreds of silver bowls, sorting clothes, and various other things at the Ruth School.  Joka is from The Netherlands and came with her husband, Pier, while he was teaching at the Gypsy Smith School.  She had asked us to use her in any way possible while he taught and we did!  Joka has a servant's heart and I'm glad we got to spend the week together.  Meeting wonderful people like Joka is one of the great perks of my job and I love it!
"Make New Friends But Keep the Old
One is Silver and the Other's Gold."

"Sail On... Lessons Learned"

“Cast up your sails
And let the wind blow
Jesus will never
Let your ship lose control

Sail on…”

(Imperials, 1977)

Building miniature sail boats turned into a week of learning life lessons for the 8^th grade class at the Ruth School recently.  Led by master sailor and builder, Fred Clifford, member of a team from Knollwood Baptist Church in Winston Salem, NC, the students learned the basic parts of boats, how to use a compass, and why boats float.  They also heard the story of Jesus calming the storm and calling Peter to walk on water.  They learned to start a project, finish it, and feel good about their work.  They learned to work together and the joy of being rewarded for a job well done.  The week of lessons culminated in a lunch trip for cheeseburgers and an afternoon of sailing their boats on the lake at the local park.  The students basked in the special attention and heard the message, through the building of sailboats, you are loved.  “Sail on…”