Run, Don’t Walk!
Hello dear friends,
It’s been two weeks since we last shared with you, and what a couple of weeks it has been! Last time we spoke about the desire and effort that has been involved in getting to this point, and how we need to rely on God for the results. Well, let us just say that God is Good. Over the last while, God has lifted us up countless times when we needed it most. Those moments of grace have come in many forms: encouraging words from you, applications from excited and joy-filled teachers, an offer of help from a lawyer, visiting a potential (and very promising!) site for the school, and finally… finally!... the launch of our very first fundraiser.
We are extremely excited to announce the launch of our Wine Raffle that has three fun and fabulous prizes, each valued at more than $500! Thanks again to those of you who contributed bottles of wine and gift certificates for this raffle, we are so grateful for you. Since we know and lovingly respect that some of our Orthodox communities do not partake of wine, we are concurrently running a 50/50 draw. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a 50/50?!
So, with no further ado, buy your tickets online at https://raffle.link/heavenlyking!
Run, don’t walk! Well, it’s all online, but “Click fast! Don’t click slow!” doesn’t have quite the same ring. All the same, please show your support by purchasing tickets AND by sharing this link with as many people as you can. Our biggest challenge is spreading the word, and we need your help.
God also continues to lift us up and extend His grace through the words of His saints, like this quote from St John Chrysostom:
“So, let us raise our children in such a way that they can face any trouble, and not be surprised when difficulties come; let us bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Great will be the reward in store for us, for if artists who make statues and paint portraits of kings are held in high esteem, will not God bless ten thousand times more those who reveal and beautify His royal image (for man is the image of God)? When we teach our children to be good, to be gentle, to be forgiving (all these are attributes of God), to be generous, to love their fellow men, to regard this present age as nothing, we instill virtue in their souls, and reveal the image of God within them. This, then, is our task: to educate both ourselves and our children in godliness.”
It just seems so fitting for these words to come at this time, to remind us of why we are doing this. There is so much to reflect on here. Building resilience. The true meaning of discipline and discipleship. Being icons of Christ. Practicing virtues. Or rather, acquiring the attributes of God. And above all, understanding that in educating our children, we must also educate ourselves in the same.
May our Heavenly King continue to bless you and us in this endeavour!
With love in Christ,
The HKOA Team
