Dear Cherished Interested’s, August 15th 2024
Hilda has had children in class now since Monday. Today is day three. She is back into the deeply-spoiled North
American educational context. I suppose
I should have said deeply-blessed, materially, North American educational
context.
Hilda was chosen to be brought from the other side of the
world, and other side of the equator, to be the first ever 8th grade
physical science teacher for this pre-engineering school in Greeley
Colorado. They had no 8th
grade at this new facility until this year.
Culture shock for us both occurred when we walked into this
high tech, high security, facility and we both felt like we were moving to
“Eureka”. Eureka was a science fiction
TV Show about a community of scientist-engineers solving big problems and
creating bigger ones, back when our kids were little.
Hilda knows many of the children’s names already. Of course, the agitators, mouthy, even openly
hateful are the first to earn knowledge of who they are. This is what she left when she left brick and
mortar in the US, a few years back.
Yet, wonderfully, Hilda feels supported here. She has had teachers who had this bunch last
year walk in to her class to openly affirm her and assure her that any problems
can be sent to them. Then write their
name on the board for all the children to see.
Hilda has chosen to leave any name written there by any fellow educator.
She still has no badge with security chip so we wait by the
front door each morning for someone who does to come along. Then she waits by her classroom for another
one with badge to swipe and code her into her own classroom. The badge is in process. As are fingerprints which I am to take her
for next week Monday.
When this group
said on line that they were hiring in faith.
In faith and without every nut and bolt, every security and background
detail, neatly in place. They truly
meant it.
She has hurdles to work with Colorado State accreditation,
but they are trying to assist in that too.
Still, she has a classroom of young minds trusted to her with computers
for every student and one for herself.
Two white boards, a smart board, document camera and all the audio
visual aids and tech. She has lab
benches, counters and cabinets, working sinks and gas valves, and a hood for
laboratory work and demonstrations. They
truly meant it.
God has worked in hearts here. In Washington she often was marginalized,
even demonized, because of her age, heart for the students, and her faith. Greeley has proven itself as open and
accepting, even wanting a mother and grandmother Sunday school teacher who
wrote laboratory science demonstrations for practical presentation in a third
world context with nearly nothing, to students from pre-kindergarten to Teachers.
We are confused but awed.
And grateful, even if overwhelmed some.
Part of God working here can be seen in many of the local
churches forgetting their common predilection for celebrating on their own name
and kind of faith. 83 different
languages are spoken here among the student body. Over 70% of that same student body lives
under the poverty line. Many local
churches have shared outreach ministries supporting the gleaning and provision
of clothing and other home making necessities.
This has helped Hilda and I too. She is now fully stocked up in North American
professional teachers clothing saving us probably 600-1000 dollars. Still, Africa has not left her. She dresses professionally but with head
scarf to cover and protect her hair, most often long skirt and sweater against
the air-conditioning. Her fellow
teachers, her administrators, truly smile and love who they are discovering in
her.
I can walk into the building now, as the front office staff
just buzz me in smiling. I walk in with
my African repaired clothing and cross hanging around my neck. Second day at this facility, last week, a
young man made a joke of me bringing them some beer for after their training
sessions. I found out later that young
man was the principal. He thought he was
making a joke.
His requested beer, Root beer, both sugar free and sugared,
is in the staff refrigerator in the staff room nearest Hilda’s classroom. HA! My
joke, in return for his, is good enough to drink..
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So, local churches..
Found an Immanuel Lutheran Church, ELCA, on the way up the
hill to the University. The worker bees
are awesome. Hilda is visible everywhere
but, I am completely invisible to the pastor who is paid full time by the
church but gives half time to the university.
I may be most needed there. In
spite of not having credentialing that would make me visible. Time will tell.
Found retired Wycliffe missionaries at an evangelical
Presbyterian church and went to a service of sincere and scriptural message and
singing with beautiful people and voices up front, but no Lord’s Prayer, no
Creed, no real liturgy. May be needed
there but, not only is Hilda visible, I am too.
Hold onto your socks.
Only twenty years ago, both Hilda and I would have been denied Holy Communion
at both the Missouri Synod and Wisconsin Synod Churches.
There is a book on the dashboard of the rented truck written
by a retired Missouri Synod pastor who spoke with me for over an hour in one
parking lot, last week. The book was
written at the request of his son. His
son called and asked his pastor father, and former teacher, to help him explain
heaven to his 4 year old son, the pastor’s grandson. This was necessary, as that 4 year old boy had
terminal cancer.
I get trusted with hard stuff like that.
I spent two hours with a Wisconsin Synod pastor on the patio
of a coffee shop this week, and the conversation became me affirming another
brother in Christ in his deep heart struggles too. Both Hilda and I are welcome to share
communion at that church too.
All Nations Church, non-denominational, was nearly empty on
Sunday. The new pastor was fresh back
from Sturgis where he organized several Christian groups attending the
motorcycle rally to serve any and all struggling and seeking in
attendance. He had spent over 6 hours
every day singing while playing his acoustic guitar and mandolin. He is a full white hair, and completely
unafraid of me, while being open and welcoming.
Maybe I will be used there..
Where we are living is the motel, near the tracks and
rendering plant, that houses alcoholics, drug addicts, home-less, mentally ill,
and single moms with kids. Hispanic
ladies run this for a non-christian-absent-investor and take unbelievably
loving, if need-fully rule abiding, care of everyone they house.
After two or three conversations with those housing, and
those being housed, Hilda and I both knew we are where we need to be until long
term housing for us opens up.
Along with conversations, some wordless as Spanish is not
mine, I took children to school on their first day and helped locate one, who
walked away from the school bus and single parent, on the second day.
Your hearts and minds faithfully work miracles, your praying
is part of that!
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About long-term housing, we completed leasing paperwork with
a representative of the University last evening. The University is a bureaucratic boondoggle
but, we are hoping to have keys for Hilda’s, and mine, 16th story,
fully furnished, two bedroom apartment; looking predominantly west into the
Rockies, by Friday.
The top two floors, of the tallest building in northern
Colorado, have been set aside for affordable long-term housing for professors
and lecturers of the University; and now, teachers of the local school
district.
Hilda is again a first in this too, as it was only opened to
her school district 1 ½ months ago. We
are the first to have been examined, background checked, security checked, and
even with an unfillable and un-document-able hole of time devoted to Tanzania,
which doesn’t communicate North American any more than North America
communicates Tanzanian, now approved.
Hilda is smiling..
She hasn’t even seen a single apartment.
I have, it’s tiny and I will be walking sideways as usual. But we will have room for any willing
children and grandchildren to come visit G-ma-Hilda.
I am happy because, not only Greeley police but also Campus
police will be active and easy for her to call, while I am on the other side of
the world, and equator.
Obedience is hard.
But, Hilda is smiling..
Your prayer again.
Thank you.
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The book of messages written from Tanzanian Lutheran Church
lectionary in two languages is still in process but nearing completion.
I wrote the final two messages for the book, to
incorporate the lesser festivals of the global church, both in one day before
leaving. Hilda listened, read, and
insisted they be translated and included.
I think more messages will need to be written when I return
there.. We will see..
Hilda settled safely, seems to maybe be coming together. Transportation still needs working out before
I take the rental truck back to the airport and fly away for a while.
Closing Africa house and returning to Hilda I pray will be
easy, no matter how impossibly hard. Deserting the loved ones there is extremely
painful. Perhaps, with today’s tech, it
won’t be as complete a desertion as it was in the past.
Long way to go, still..
Your prayer deeply sought for this work too. Thank You.
------------------------------------
Keep our feet to the fire, please. Thank You!
We may live dangerously, but we are alive. Thank you for praying us the courage to live
this way, if dangerously. We don’t see
it that way.
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You who read and pray and suffer
along with us. Please believe what we
get to see. Thank you for praying our
strength and guidance for each moment with each face. Folks
like you are beyond precious.
vwilliamson@sprynet.com
Really blessed while deeply
under attack.. all of it is
spiritual.. I wish I could teach that to
everyone so they could truly know it. I
didn’t know it for far too long.
Please keep crumpling us up and
throwing us at God. That is where we
need to be. God will sort us out.
One day at a time.
Just like how you each live. Just
one day at a time.
Thank you, each of you.
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What to Pray for:
Our armed forces families, our leadership, our people, whole
world round, all of Gods kids -
All the tough and blessing expressed above –
The love of folks –
Whatever is on your hearts and minds for us –
For our children and grand-children who miss us?..
For Makumira Secondary School looking to share stories and
partner in some way with a foreign school, Great leaders, teachers, students, programs,
strong backs, minds, and hearts –
For our health to stay ahead of whatever is before us –
For each and every one of you –
Each and every one of your prayers, your precious
conversations with God –
Prayers, Your Prayer, Even your groaning prayers makes all
the difference..
Vern W
May life be as Music to your Heart – May Music be as Heart to your Life –
May Heart be as Life to your Music
