The Nicolás Fund for Education Board made a final decision concerning the location of our new school, and the location will be close to Cotzal. Our current lease in Nebaj ends in 2019, and by then it is anticipated that our student body will exceed the space available in our current location. The decision followed prayer, and the NFE Board felt God’s clear presence and direction in this decision.
The Widow’s Olive Oil
The Board shared a devotional on 2 Kings 4, “The Widow’s Olive Oil”. In this passage, Elisha advises a widow wondering how she and her sons will survive with so few resources. All she had was a small container of olive oil. Elisha advised the widow and her sons to go and collect as many containers as possible from her home and from all her neighbors. Elisha instructed the widow and her sons to shut their door and begin pouring the olive oil into all the containers. The widow filled all the containers until there were no containers left, and at that point, the oil ceased flowing. The widow was able to sell the oil, pay off all her debts and she and her sons were able to live on the remaining funds.
God’s supply was as large as the widow’s faith and obedience.
As long as we are without greediness or improper motives, God will supply. We are imperfect earthen vessels, so we must empty ourselves of priorities and goals and then present ourselves as vessels to be filled (controlled) by the word and spirit of God.
As the Board contemplated this passage, we felt the assurance of God’s financial provision for His plan.
The Board then broke to pray for courage, wisdom, discernment to know and do God’s will. We contemplated many critical factors, assessing the potential risks and benefits. Factors included renting vs. building, community impact, the proximity of students and impact on transportation costs, resources available, long-term investment potential and the ability to become sustainable. The choice became clear as we debated and weighed all factors.
The Board is now committed to building a school near Cotzal.
There is no space large enough for our needs to rent in Cotzal. Our goal is to raise funds to buy land and build a new school with a maximum capacity of 150 students that would open in 2020. Cotzal is an up and coming town in the Ixil region.
As the Cotzal community grows and changes, we feel our Christian school would be a positive influence and a wonderful community asset.
Our school space could host community events and become a center of excellence in education. Cotzal’s location is central to most of the Ixil villages our students attend and is convenient to new villages we would like to serve in the future. We hope to reduce our transportation costs significantly while reducing the amount of time students are spending on the bus each day. Parents would be able to conveniently attend school events and meetings.
We step forward in faith.
We ask all of you to join us in prayer, and that God would fill our vessels with enough oil to build the school that we believe God is directing us to build.
