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God’s timing is perfect, and His purposes often transcend our understanding. It is a humble confidence that is captured when we learn to submit our expectations to that truth. The stalwartness of God’s faithfulness as been our anchor during our visit back to Windermere on this trip. The campus and classes are quite different from the years we spent serving and teaching at the school. And still, there are the marks of providence and potential that reveal both God’s sovereign provision and possibility for future ministry.
Mrs. McPhee is the new principal and she has a spark of optimism that doesn’t ignore the real challenges that the school is facing. She values the relationships and partnerships of the past and present that are collectively working toward building a better and brighter future for the school. But the challenges are great.
As we walked back on campus we met the hill topped by an enormous dumpster. Normally on the island you rarely discard anything (after all it is an island). However, this titanic trash can was filled with all the used and broken vessels and articles that have served the school over the years. When I was living on campus, it was this one single discipline that was the catalyst for new growth – you have to throw away that which is broken and used.
It is a way that essentially forces your hand to find, fundraise, and purchase those new tools and resources that in turn will lead to new growth and vision. I was so happy to see that the leadership at WHS is taking this brave step to challenge themselves to build back that which was broken.
There’s so much more that I could say about our time back on the hill. The physical needs for the campus are great and extensive. The staffing needs for the school are also next to desperate, however each one of the teachers and administrators that I met are both skilled and committed. The potential for ministry and rebirth at Windermere has never been better, and I’d be lying if I didn’t confess that my heart longs to have another shot at bringing fresh renewal to that campus.
During our short visit, Micah and I spent our time focusing on the workshop. We broke it down and built it back up with a top to bottom reorganization that involved inventorying those items that needed to be added to the dumpster and those items that got recorded for future ministry. Time will tell how God continues to work out His purposes at this school, and it’s my hope and prayer that our contributions will continue to be called upon.