Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” When God gifts you with children, he gifts you with an amazing discipleship opportunity, right in your own home! You can raise your children up to know the Lord and to walk in His ways. But when God calls you to move across the ocean to serve others, what does that mean for your children? Is it possible for them to experience a school environment grounded in solid, biblical truth?
The good news is yes! There are safe places where children can continue to grow both academically and in their faith. One such example is Black Forest Academy.
This Christian school in Kandern, Germany is run and staffed by global workers from a variety of organizations, including GEM, who have answered God’s call to serve in this type of ministry. In addition to their day program, BFA also serves remote families that don’t have adequate educational alternatives for their children by offering a high school boarding program. BFA has the privilege of serving over 200 students of over 20 different nationalities, who come from families living in over 60 countries. Talk about having a global impact!
Those who serve in ministry at Black Forest Academy take on roles including teachers, office staff, counselors, maintenance, dorm parents, resident assistants, and everything else that keeps a professional school going. They do it because they love it and are passionate about raising a strong up-and-coming generation.
So, why would God call someone to serve in this capacity? Maggie Green, a Resident Assistant at Black Forest Academy shares several reasons; “To work at BFA is to support ministries across Africa, Asia, and Europe. To support missionaries working in the 10/40 window, or with refugees or translating the Bible, or to end human trafficking. The list goes on and on.” The workers at this school aren’t just ‘doing their jobs’, they are allowing other workers to fulfill their callings, as well as ensuring their children are being trained up in the way they should go. “When you break this job into pieces – making breakfast, or driving a student somewhere, or helping someone with their homework, there’s a lot about it that may seem mundane, but all stitched together, this job is literally life on life discipleship,” Maggie explains.
These students are continually in community. What an amazing discipleship opportunity these workers have, to be in community with these students and display what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus.
Katrina Custer, a middle school teacher at BFA says, “I think anybody who gets into education as a teacher does so because they want to make an impact. I think being at BFA as a teacher, it just maximizes that impact because it’s a world-wide scale.” Katrina is excited about the possible impact that serving missionary kids can have, “Statistics show us that a quarter of these students could end up in missions someday… that’s a generation I want to be a part of!”
In 3 John 1:4 it says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth”, and although Paul wasn’t referring to actual children, I believe we can apply it to those the Lord entrusted to us – our children. Yes, there is so much joy in knowing that our children are walking in the truth, and thankfully we don’t have to carry the entire weight of teaching them on our own shoulders.
Let’s pause in our busy lives to pray for those working at Black Forest Academy and schools like it. They have a great responsibility in not only ensuring these kids receive academic success, but also in raising up the next generation to know the Lord and to walk in His ways. That is something these kids will remember the rest of their lives!
About the author:
Leanne Monge Barrera is a storyteller with Greater Europe Mission and serves out of Winnipeg, Canada.
