*For many families, affording Adventist education is a financial struggle. It often means giving up other things, like dinners out or family vacations to make sure their children have a Christian education. And sometimes it is the combined effort of family help, church help and financial aid that makes the difference of whether or not a student can attend one of our Adventist schools. But we believe the investment is worth it because families are investing in more than an earthly education: the preparation of students for heaven too.
When Angelina* first talked to me, her son Eduardo* was already receiving financial aid to attend our school, Caldewell Adventist Elementary School (CAES). He was a bright boy with a kind disposition. Finances were tight at home. The family even at one point lost their home. Angelina wasn’t working, and the family was surviving on her husband’s disability check.
Angelina came to me emotionally distraught. She knew the devastating effect that pulling their son out of our school would have. “Eduardo is so happy here," she said. "He loves his friends and his teacher. He feels safe here. Is there anything else we can do? We don’t have any money to pay his school bill right now.”
I prayed with her and told her that God had already figured this out. We just had to trust Him. The very next day we received a donation from two of the Sabbath School classes at the Caldwell Church. They had heard about the family’s situation and had collected money to help pay his school bill. The amount collected was just enough to pay for his school bill for the remainder of the year. He would not have to withdraw from school. When I told Angelina the good news she cried, touched by the generosity of others and God’s ability to meet her need before she even asked.
Eduardo wrote a letter to the Sabbath School classes letting them know what it meant to him to be able to stay at our school. He said, “Thank you for paying so I can go to CAES. I have learned so much about God and the Bible. I am so happy that I can make friends who have the same beliefs and continue to get a Christian education. I feel cared about here. In my old school I didn’t feel wanted; I was just a number. I cannot express my gratitude to your class. It is a blessing that you are helping me with my education.”
*Names changed for privacy
