I grew up knowing God. But I never knew what I was supposed to do with that knowledge. My family has always been Christian and has always gone to church. But I never knew why I went to church. I finally realized what everything was supposed to mean once I came to an Adventist school.
When our family moved from Idaho to Washington, it meant a change of schools. The first school we checked out was an Adventist school. I had no idea what the religion was or anything about it. The front receptionist showed us around the school campus. After we were done, we both shared our stories about our personal lives. I’d never met someone before with whom I had mmediately felt so connected and so accepted. I just had a feeling that this was the school I wanted to go to even if I had no idea what the religion was.
I was extremely nervous on the first day of school, wondering what all the kids would think of me and how much they would judge me. I sat down without talking to anyone, but two kids came right up and invited me to come sit with them. Once again, I felt so accepted so fast. I also had never had a Bible class as one of my core classes. In the first 30 minutes I felt like I learned more about the Bible than I had in my whole life. It was uplifting to know how Adventists view the Bible and how grateful they are for everything.
From that day I knew that I would love this community of people and the religion. I’ve realized how grateful I am to go to an Adventist school and learn more and more about the Bible, since it has always interested me. I used to wake up every morning dreading going to school, but now I wake up and realize how lucky I am to be part of this school.
Each day of school is more than just a school day, it's a day when I can go and see God in everything. A day when I can go and learn about God. A day when I can be grateful for the little stuff God has given to me. Without this opportunity, my spiritual life would be practically nothing. It's given me more clarity on what it means to be a child of God. I am forever grateful that I am able to go to an Adventist school.
Max Betcher
