God gives us what we need when we need it. His love for us is never failing. He shows up in many ways when we least expect it. This has been made apparent to me throughout many seasons of my life.
As I continue the story of my journey, I want to share a major event in my life that I made it through thanks to my Sunday School class. In first grade, I attended the most wonderful little country school, Dewey School. It consisted of grades 1 - 3 with two teachers and a cook. Those three ladies loved us and took the best care of us. The lessons they taught us and the guidance they gave us set the foundation for a love of learning, love of God, and love for each other. The 3rd grade class had 7 or 8 students, the 2nd grade class had 5 or 6 students, and my 1st grade class had only 3 students (4 for part of the year). I loved going there. I loved learning there. I was encouraged when I took it upon myself to do some of the lessons assigned to the 3rd graders. If they were assigned something to memorize, I would memorize it just to prove to myself that I could do it too. With such small classes, we were given plenty of one on one time. They not only taught us, but encouraged us to reach further. They also hugged us and prayed with us and for us.
For progress to happen, change must occur. My world was about to be changed and turned completely upside down. Toward the end of first grade, it was announced this was the last year Dewey School would be open. We were all heartbroken. Fear of having to go to the big school downtown engulfed me, but I didn't tell anyone how scared I was.
The summer quickly passed and the big day came. I walked into the big elementary school scared, but determined. Neither of the other 2 girls I knew from first grade were in my second grade class. I didn't know a soul in my new class. I had a new grumpy, old lady for a teacher that scared me to death. My dad had her when he was little and he said she was old when he had her. Luckily, I was one who followed rules to the letter.
Another surprise awaited me. We changed classes in this school! Well, I went to my math class across the hall in a daze since I was trying to get acclimated to this new crowded situation. (It wasn't crowded compared to today's standard of crowded, but it was to a little girl who came from a school which had a total of approximately 17 or so students in the entire school.)
I walked toward my desk, and there sat Sammy, my Sunday School teacher's son, in the row next to mine! A familiar face! I sat at my desk and felt the safety of my Sunday School class right there in my new math class! I felt like a protective bubble was surrounding me. I knew everything was going to be just fine. Relief flooded through me and I relaxed.
As luck would have it, I was to only be in that class for less than a week when someone realized I was supposed to be in the math class for fast learners instead of the regular one. There were 4 teachers for each grade, each taught the same subject at the same time, but each teacher taught a different level of the subject. This allowed students to learn at a pace that was better suited for his/her learning speed. Well, you guessed it, my math teacher was to be my homeroom teacher; the grumpy one. Turned out that I ended up with her for all but one or two of my classes.
After seeing someone from my Sunday School class, I wasn't scared any more so, this was okay with me. Plus, I must admit, I thought if Sammy can handle going to this school, so can I! I was, well, still am, a little competitive :) She was a grumpy lady, she was strict, she was scary at times, but I learned well under her no fuss, no nonsense style of teaching. She would tell us what she wanted, show us how to do it, and just expected us to do it. That worked well for me. That way still does. Just tell me what the job is and let me do it. While the start of my love for math began in first grade; this teacher planted that seed deeper in me. My third grade teacher was to plant it even deeper.
I know God gave me those few days with someone who reminded me how I felt in Sunday School to give me what I needed to accept the gift he had for me. The gift of knowing I can make it through change and continue a love of learning that I would need later in my life to just survive. He was setting the foundation for my future trials. That's another story for another day.
I thank God for the familiar face in a crowd of strangers.
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