If I could sum up FNC Academy's 2017 year into one simple phrase it would be this..."We have dug our ditches". 2nd Kings, chapter 3 tells a story of three kings who decide to unite forces, and go to battle against the Moabites for tax reasons. King Joram, convinces his fellow kings to take a route through the desert of Edom. For seven days King Joram, King Jehoshaphat, and the King of Edom march their respective armies until one day, things become a bit tight. By this time, the men and all involved were tired and weary, with little to no water remaining.
I can imagine the complaining, the bickering, and thought of giving up...until one of the King's has a brilliant idea to call out to a man of God within the camp, Elisha. For me, this is where the story gets interesting. King Joram and Elisha weren't exactly best friends. In fact, Scripture states that both sides couldn't stand the site of each other, but each respecting one another's positions. Elisha is called upon, and graciously meets with the Kings. Elisha isn't at all surprised to hear the predicament and sarcasm seems to come to the table, demanding if he's to hear from the Lord, they will need to accommodate him with a musician. So they do. Elisha then hears what God's plan for the armies to not only survive, but thrive.
Verse 16 begins with God's exact instructions..."This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches..." Now I don't know about you, but that's the last thing I want to tell men or Kings who are tired, weary and wondering if they were going to live to see the next day. If one continues to read the story, you'll find not only did God fill the ditches over night with water, saving the lives of thousands, but He also provided the means to defeat the Moabites...which was something the Kings didn't even ask for!
When the staff of FNC read through this story earlier in the year, the phrase, "digging our ditches" became a thread throughout our daily walk. For about a year now, we have come to the realization, the compound space at FNC was and continues to be tight. We've shifted classrooms around, leased additional compounds, built onto what we had, looked for other opportunities to expand, and after all this, we continue to be challenged with enough space. For me, I really thought 2017 was going to be the year we purchased land, and began the planning and fundraising needed to expand what God has and continues to do at FNC.
Instead, God turned our attention to a greater need; making FNC's foundation secure...and that meant, "digging our ditches," being ready for the blessings we believe await us in 2018. So how did God help us to dig our ditches this past year... For starters, we are now officially a recognized international school in Uganda. With the help of Vestar, our beloved attorney and now a teacher at FNC, God continues to use him for His glory. Secondly, our staff as a whole, the FNC board of directors, alongside the covering of our stateside team, are hand in hand and solid in ways we've never been before. I couldn't be more proud of the entire team! Thirdly, God has helped us see some of the immediate needs of some of our students, particularly with some of our girls. And with that, the FNC's girls home was founded this year...for those of you who helped us with this, the dividends are endless. Finally, a green space for our kids to play is now being used...they had their first play time on it just two weeks back!
I really don't have the time to give you all the highlights, but just be sure, there are so many more...
With that said, all of us at FNC want to thank you for continuing to love on us as you do. Your prayers and support allow us to continue to pour into the lives of our little school and community the wholistic Hope of Jesus Christ. As the digging continues, our prayer and hope is to see God fill these ditches with His blessings. And with that, we believe He will.
