Once In A Lifetime Opportunity

Conestoga Christian School provided the opportunity of a lifetime for its students and parents -- an educational trip to Spain.  CCS students were in Spain from 11/24-12/4 and visited Granada, Seville, Cordoba, Madrid, and Barcelona.  They improved their Spanish, ate delicious Mediterranean food, learned about Spanish history, took a salsa lesson, saw a Flamenco show, visited an olive farm, took a horse and carriage ride around Seville, met with high school students in Madrid, rode bikes all around Barcelona, and got wet in the Mediterranean sea!  It was a marvelous and life-changing trip!!

CCS students and parents in Alhambra

I would have loved to join this group as they toured Spain; just by looking at the pictures I am inspired.  Some of our students called this a life-changing trip, an experience of a lifetime.  While I have not been to Spain, I can understand the excitement and enthusiasm of our students.  I too had a life-changing experience, a one-of-a- kind miraculous event that changed me forever.  I experienced a life-changing event when I was introduced to the person of Jesus Christ.  Like these students, my life was changed; I was not the same person I was before my encounter with Jesus.  Just as Romans 12:2 states, my mind was transformed and I was no longer conformed to the bondage of my sin.  I began living for God once Jesus entered my heart; I have been growing closer and closer to Him ever since.

God used a Christian school to bring me to a saving knowledge of who He is.  I had the head knowledge of who God was, but I did not have a relationship with Him.  Through the Truth of the Scriptures and the faithfulness of my baseball coach/Bible teacher, I accepted Jesus as my Savior as a sophomore in high school.  Conestoga Christian is just like the Christian school I attended when I was in high school - everything is centered and focused on God. Every program, every project, every strategy keeps God at the center.  I hope someday you might find your way to Spain, Italy, Jerusalem, or some destination that would be awe-inspiring, but more importantly, I pray you find Jesus and make Him the Lord of your life.  Once you accept Jesus as your Savior, you will never be the same. 

Thanksgiving Praises

Thanksgiving was a wonderful time of praises for the Parris family; I pray it was the same for you.  Our family had a "first" this Thanksgiving; our oldest daughter, Alyssa, hosted the Thanksgiving feast.  Alyssa and Danny (Alyssa's husband) live in New Jersey and were married in June 2012.  It is a blessing to have Alyssa only an hour away, but even a greater joy to watch the Lord work in and through her.  We had 9 people in Alyssa's small 3 bedroom home - the perfect size to celebrate God and our family.  As I reflect on how God has orchestrated the growth of our family, I can see how He has done the same at Conestoga.

God, in His sovereignty,  has placed each faculty and staff member at CCS this year.  For some this is their first year at Conestoga, for others it is many more; but whether it is their first or forty-third year (yes, someone has been at CCS that long), we are a family.  Just as God grows our personal families, He also grows our CCS family.  One of the true blessings this year was the introduction of our newest family member - Marcus Garcia.  Marcus was born on September 7, 2014 to our very own Spanish Teacher, Liz Garcia.  Mrs. Garcia has been on maternity leave but plans to join us again in the new year.  Just as Marcus is a new blessing to CCS, so is Jared Park, Mrs. Garcia's substitute teacher.  Jared and his wife Naldy are missionaries with ABWE to Santiago, Chile.  While Jared and Naldy were waiting for all the necessary paperwork and support to come through before they could leave for Chile, Jared agreed to sub for Mrs. Garcia.  Thank you, Jared and Naldy, for serving CCS!  Side note: if you want to learn more about Jared and Naldy and their service to the people of Chile, log on to their website at www.jaredpark.org.

The people, new and old, at Conestoga Christian make up our family.  Just as you and your family celebrate events and get together from time to time, so do we at CCS.  December is a great time for class and campus activities.  Here are a few things happening on campus in December. I hope you can be a part of each and every one:

• Cougar Basketball Games - Tip-Off Tournament Dec. 5 with ladies playing at 7:00 pm and the guys playing at 8:30 pm
• Christmas Program - hosted at Hopewell Christian Fellowship on Dec. 12 at 7:00 pm
• Nursing Home Visits - classes going to 4 nursing homes in our area the morning of Dec. 19; any parent who wishes to join us is encouraged to do so.
• Class Celebrations - happening Dec. 19; hope to see you on campus :)