(Cont'd. from front page)

Those of you who attended our teacher training this past July may have met Yohanna Gultom, the lady who came from Indonesia in June for the ACCS National Conference, and then stayed in the U.S. for another month for the specific purpose of attending Rockbridge Academy’s training.  Yohanna  has been one of the chief visionaries in the development of Quantum Change Academy, and Heidi’s main contact during these past few weeks of quick preparation.

That QCA has requested this partnership with Rockbridge Academy speaks volumes about the work that all of us do, day in and day out.  Beyond just being impressed with the methodology of classical and Christian education, Yohanna caught the aroma of the school culture God has blessed us with at Rockbridge. This aroma was evident in the conversations she had with so many of you, and in the materials she poured through while she was here.   Her relationship with Rockbridge Academy has already been a blessing to her and, as Heidi carries examples of lectures, lessons, and letters with her to share with the staff of QCA, I know that it will be a blessing to countless others as well.  Indeed the fruit of your hard work may well be seen in faithful future generations of Indonesians, if God is pleased to prosper the work of QCA.  Isn't that an amazing thing to consider?!

There is much to pray about, obviously, and so I will pass on to you some of Heidi’s most specific requests.  I encourage you to lift her up daily, as that is the help from you that she covets the most:

• First, pray for the power of the Gospel to be manifest in the nine days of training and conversations Heidi will lead. 
• Pray for wisdom and grace as she speaks to sometimes mixed audiences of Muslims and Christians at the open houses where she’ll speak.  Pray that she would not compromise the gospel while being wise and considerate with her words.
• Pray for the Muslims in Indonesia and across the world who will begin celebrating the month of Ramadan just a few days before Heidi’s arrival. Pray that they would encounter the living Messiah and see that the atonement of His blood provides the sufficiency they seek. (If you’re interested, there’s a guide designed to help you pray for Muslims during the month of Ramadan, available here.)
• Pray for clear instruction to take place despite the language barriers.  Pray that cultural differences of dress and customs would not be a barrier to clear communication.
• Pray for sweet fellowship and kinship to be built, as Heidi and the Indonesian Christians she encounters rejoice in the bond of Christ that they share.
• Pray for safety, health, and stamina for Heidi. Jakarta is exactly twelve hours ahead of us, so please pray that Heidi would quickly adjust to the time change so that she can make good use of her brief time at QCA.  Pray also for the rest of the Stevens’ family as they carry on: for Ellie as she departs to begin her sophomore year at New College Franklin and for Rick and Maddie at home.
• Pray for Quantum Change Academy as they face the daunting challenge of starting a classical Christian school.  Pray for the stamina and faith of this small start-up group, and pray that God would send the right families and teachers as He builds His kingdom.

Heidi will have some access to email (though it may be somewhat infrequent) and would love to hear from you while she’s so far away.  If you would like to email her, feel free to do so at heidirosestevens@gmail.com.  The plan is for her to leave on August 12 and return on August 25, so she’ll relish some communication from home during this long absence from her family and friends.

By the way, she’ll be trying to post to Rockbridge Academy's new Facebook page while she’s there, as time and internet access allows, so keep your eyes open for photos and updates from the other side of the world.  (And if she’s unable to post while she’s gone, she promises a full report when she gets home!)

Finally, thank you to the many of you who have helped Heidi prepare in specific ways and to all of you for your support and prayers.  May God be praised and glorified in all our work, even as we remember that it is only through Christ's work that we are sufficient. That thought is expressed so well in the beautiful closing stanzas of a hymn we often sing as a staff at morning prayer:

Twas the same love that spread the feast
that sweetly drew us in;
Else we had still refused to taste
and perished in our sin

Pity the nations, O our God,
Constrain the earth to come;
Send thy victorious Word abroad
and bring the strangers home.

We long to see thy churches full,
that all the chosen race
may with one voice and heart and soul
sing thy redeeming grace.