Bethlehem School Receives Much Needed Playground Equipment
Once upon a time there were three hundred kids who loved to learn and explore life and play. And while they were blessed with classrooms in which to learn and teachers who challenged them daily, their break times were rather Spartan.
As with any good mission, there are always bigger dreams and a “to-accomplish” list at least a mile long. It is no different at Jerusalem School Bethlehem (JSB) where over five hundred students study daily.
In his 2015 fundraising plans, Jamison Creel, the superintendent of the school, sat down and pondered the needs from “that would be nice” to “urgent, must happen now.” Included in that list was a recurring thought, “these kids need a place to play!” Three hundred elementary students sharing a slab of concrete for breaks each day was less than ideal.
When the need was placed before the Lord and the body of Christ, one church stepped up and offered to fund the whole project. The next step was taken via Men and Women of Action where Director Hugh Carver put together a crew of men to do the work.
The playground was ordered and materials were shipped. The work crew was ready to begin the task of making kids happy by the fall of 2015, but what followed was eight months of red tape, frustrations, office visits, phone calls, port visits, hundreds of man-hours, thousands of pages of documents changing hands just to release the parts of the structure. At one point Jamison sat down in weariness, looked over at me and said, “I believe God started this process and we’ll get our playground. I’m just not sure how.” That one statement summed up the entire mission at JSB: “God started the process. It will happen. I’m not always sure of how.”
As of May 18, 2016, Jerusalem School Bethlehem got to see the miracle of the “how.” One day, the red tape just ended. The playground was released. An amazing work crew from MWOA arrived, and in one of the hottest weeks on record, four men turned a concrete slab into a child’s dream!
“If I had the words, I would describe to you the three hundred sets of eyes following every move of those men as they dug holes, poured concrete, positioned poles, tightened bolts, and arranged slides,” Jamison stated. “Anticipation sparked in the air!!!! And upon its completion, every single child (and teacher) took their turn on those slides and ladders and monkey bars.”
“There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a need and watching the Lord arrange all the details to provide for that need in spite of every obstacle,” Jamison concluded. “At JSB we are praising the Lord and playing our hearts out!”
(Source: Men and Women of Action)
