Women’s Sunday
January 16, 2005
Jackie St. John
As an educator, I have the advantage to setting New Year Resolutions twice a year! In January, along with everyone else, I have the chance to set new personal goals. But as a teacher, I have the added advantage of setting New Year Resolutions in September for my professional career as well. Each summer I am able to ponder how I could improve my teaching. How can I more effectively reach my students? What can I do to make my teaching more interesting, exciting, engaging? At that same time, I begin to think about a new year at church. How can I become a better Christian? What can I do to live my faith everyday? The new church year begins at the same time as my new school year begins, and I am able to return to both with new hopes and promises.
This past summer was the same for me. I rested, read books, and recharged my battery. I thought about how I could improve both my life as an educator as well as become more present to my faith journey. My New Year Resolutions for September went something like this:
This last one has been on my list for 4 years and has not ever developed into anything more than a good intention. I promised myself that this school year would be different. I was determined to let my faith and my work become completely united. I was ready to face the New Year in September.
I started off pretty well. We attended Rally Day and I signed up for an adult education Class. Over the summer I had researched youth mission organizations and found a non profit called Kids Care Club. It was an organization for middle school kids and had been started by a Connecticut teacher. Access to all the ideas, the handbook, and forms for organizing a local chapter, were available on the internet. The work was done for me. All I had to do was sign up. There were no fees and no obligations. I signed up in August and received my password and log in ID. This was too good to be true. I had no excuses now. This club was finally going to get started. It would be easy and I was determined. (But, Just in case it didn’t happen, I was sure not to tell anyone. Sort of like a diet, that way no one would know if it never happens)
September always comes sooner than expected and soon I was back at school. I had decided to go easy on myself with the Kids Care Club. September would be devoted to getting the New Year started and October seemed like the better time to start the Kids Care Club. In October, I was still busy with open house and parent conferences. I remember thinking that perhaps it would be best if I allowed myself until November to begin the club.
I secretly began to think another school year would once again come and go and I would not begin the after school club. I also began to realize that my own fear was preventing me from reaching my goal. I realized I was afraid the club would be a flop. Afraid I would not be able to organize meaningful work or handle the responsibility of such an organization.
Then one day things changed. A few kids convinced me to just call a meeting and they promised to help promote the club. It was just after Thanksgiving when I did just that.
The kids made and hung flyers. They encouraged their friends to attend and helped me to feel confident that things would work out.
Meanwhile, I had to call the director of the Kids Care Clubs to ask her for a new pin number to access the website. I had misplaced it and had not been on the site in at least a month. She was happy to help.
This is where the story gets interesting. The director of the organization explained to me that she had received a call that day from a man working for an organization called Prison Fellowship. He worked in ministry with Connecticut Prisoners. He was hoping to find Kids Care Clubs to volunteer to participate in the annual Angel Tree program. This program would provide Christmas gifts for Connecticut children whose parents are in prison. Kids Care Clubs had partnered with the Prison Fellowship program in past years and was hopeful to do so again. The director asked if our club would like to volunteer for this project. I made an on the spot decision to commit. She gave me the name and phone number of the person to contact from Prison Fellowship. His name was Sal. We spoke on the phone and he gave me the details of the project. We set a time line for the next 3 weeks and agreed to stay in touch.
At our first Kennedy Kids Care Club meeting the next day there were over 20 eager kids after school and they listened attentively to the mission of the club, rules, and responsibilities. They all agreed to take on this first challenge of providing Christmas gifts for the needy children. In addition to buying gifts, the kids agreed to make treasure chests for the children. They would decorate shoe boxes and fill them with small candies and goodies and a homemade card. We were off and running to a great start.
I reported to Sal that we would be able to provide gifts for 30 kids. He was pleased with this and asked if we could meet so he could give me all the paperwork and details on how to complete this project. I clearly remember feeling slightly nervous about meeting this person who I really knew very little about. I quickly reminded myself that this was for a noble cause and God would be watching over me. I agreed to meet Sal at McDonald’s on Queen Street at 11:00 on a Saturday in early December. I remember the day well. It was sunny and the sky was blue; a beautiful day. I remember my mother’s questioning. "Jackie, who are you meeting? Some guy named Sal who wants your kids to get gifts for other kids whose parents are in prison? Are you sure you should go alone?” I could hear the skepticism in her voice. I reassured her I would be fine.
I arrived at McDonald’s and began looking around in the parking lot for a guy with a UConn baseball cap. I purposefully tried to look like I was looking for someone. I figured if he was there, he would notice me. Sure enough, I heard a man’s voice call out my name. I turned around to see a white haired man with a baseball cap and a folder of papers. From a distance he reminded me of George Burns in the movie Oh God. I had a flashing thought that this was not real; that I was just a character in a movie and that what was happening to me now was something out of my control. I pushed through these thoughts and politely walked toward Sal.
We shook hands and entered the restaurant. Seated at small table, Sal began to explain the procedures for collecting the gifts. He gave me official information about the prisoners, their children, their ages, and how to contact their custodial parent. Each family receiving gifts had to be contacted by phone to get verification and permission to send gifts on behalf of the parent in prison. There was a lot of work to do and much time to be spent making phone calls. I had my work cut out, but Sal reassured me he would help in any way I needed.
After the instructions were given, Sal and I chatted about how we each got involved in this project. We shared some of our personal stories about life and faith. After about ten minutes we were ready to say goodbye. Sal suggested we pray together. Sitting right there in McDonald’s restaurant, with some young father and his son sitting on the bench close by, Sal took my hands in his and prayed. He asked God to watch over me and my students and to see that this project would be completed without obstacles. He asked for God’s blessing on all those who gave and received the Christmas gifts. Finally, Sal asked God to help the students feel the joy of giving to others as the best gift of all.
I left Sal that day feeling like my life had been changed. When I arrived back at my house, my mother was waiting with a quizzical look on her face. I knew she was eager to find out how the mysterious meeting had gone. I looked straight into my mother’s eyes and said “Mom, I just saw the face of Jesus in that man at McDonald’s restaurant. I never was alone, God had been watching over me all along”
The next few weeks flew by. The phone calls were made, and the kids at school worked eagerly to fill the tall order. The gifts were wrapped and delivered without a hitch. Some teachers and paraprofessionals volunteered their help and the project was completed perfectly.
A few days later I received a phone call from a mom who said her daughter had just received the gifts. She thanked me for doing such a wonderful thing and asked me to extend her appreciation to my students and all those who participated. She ended the phone call saying “God Bless you”.
My faith has empowered me and has proven “Through God, all things are possible”