Duane L Witmer

School is out and we are coming to the time of year that many Americans know as “summer vacation.” Summer vacation means several things. To the school children, it is approximately three months away from school. Most of us recall the anticipation of letting the books and school schedule go to absorb the delights of summer.

For many, summer vacation also means a trip, some travel plans, or a vacation to the beach, the mountains, or a resort. Those down south travel up north. Those in the hills head to the waterfront.

Second Corinthians 1 is a Scripture which both tells a story and teaches a lesson. In the first few verses (vv3-7) there is a reflection on God’s comfort to those who are distressed. The Scripture also explains that when we receive God’s comfort, we are enabled (and possibly expected) to pass along this comfort.

The Christian Day school is a gift from our forefathers. It is a privilege worth defending. We are a generation in the reaping of a concept and sacrifice which we may not have had the forethought or conviction to begin.

We are also a generation in sowing. The Christian Day school of today is a blend of fruit and seed. If we are going to continue to enjoy it, we must continually evaluate what we are sowing, and sow according to truth.

“Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt 26:52,53)

As we move through the Spring season of communion services and the calendar observance of Good Friday, we turn our minds and hearts again to the old, old story of the suffering and death of Christ.

Because gas is cheap and we are rich, we are able to pursue many possibilities in life. These possibilities open the gates for hobbies, special interests or just plain indulgence of legitimate functions such as work.

But not all of us are content to only pursue a closed-in world of a hobby like model shipbuilding or reading poetry. We look for something that is broader; something that involves other people. We want to socialize with our spare time.

I just returned from my first trip to visit the Honduras mission. It was a short but sweet journey of five days. I had been to El Progresso and Barracoa in 1999 to help build houses after Hurricane Mitch, but never to Siguatepeque or El Naranjo.

In many ways, I found the country to be much the same as before. In El Progresso, I even spotted the street of CAM's compound. I saw the rooftop on which we used to walk on in the early morning sun at the beginning of the day.