This post originally appeared on Jody’s new humor devotional called Lessons Learned in the Little Red Schoolhouse.
When I started Legacy Christian Academy in 1999, I didn’t know if we would be ready the opening day of school, if we would have a building, or where we would put all the students who had been applying.
But I did know one thing: where I could take a bath.
That place? My office.
If there is a Guinness Book of World Records category for “Strangest Start to a School,” Legacy would definitely qualify: We started in one room, above a restaurant, with only two desks…and a bathtub.
It made for interesting inquiry interviews.
“So, may we see the school?”
Me: “Sorry, we don’t have one yet.”
“Okay, then…Tell me about the teachers.”
Me: “Sorry, I don’t have any of those yet, either. But I have lots of applications.” (I flash my brightest smile, hoping it would be returned…)
“Do you at least have any potential students?”
Me: “Lots, actually! We just announced the school this week and are already flooded with people who want to come…We just need a place to put them!” (back on track, I thought!)
“Have you decided on a name yet?”
Me: “I’m leaning towards Legacy Christian Academy.”
“So…no teachers, no building, but lots of students?”
Me: “Yes. And a bathtub.” (I indicate the large tub in the room. They are not impressed) “At least we’ll be the cleanest school around!” (Again I flash my best smile, hoping they will have some trust in me)
Reasons to Panic?
Perhaps there were. This being by fifth school I started, people expected more. I know that.
But was I worried? Not a bit. I knew Who was in charge, and it wasn’t me. There were little signs everywhere that things would work out.
The first sign? Not breaking any more bones on my body!
You laugh, but this was a major sign for me, as you will see.
My office was located in the upper wing of a local restaurant called The Abbey in downtown Frisco. Not San Fran, California, mind you. This is Texas. And this is old downtown Frisco. Not the big shopping center you see now, but further up north, where you drive past cows on your way to work.
In my office I had two desks, two phones, and a bathtub full of stuffed animals. The ideal set up, you could say. Oh yes, and we had to add a copier – which was no easy task getting it in. As you will see, the board members truly bore the burden on their backs of starting the school when they brought that copier up to my office.
The main obstacle to reaching my office was the dreaded staircase. It was steep. And when I say steep, I mean Oh my goodness I think I’ll just stay down here…unless someone is willing to carry me? steep. It didn’t help that it was made of concrete, too.
For someone as accident prone as I am, who can break a foot falling off a curb, it’s absolutely a miracle I never tumbled down those stairs.
When you also consider that it was January when we moved into that office and that on those cold mornings there would be ice covering each step, you begin to see why I took this as a positive sign.
I would hold on to the rail tightly with one hand, my briefcase with the other, say a prayer, and up I would go.
After depositing my things, I would descend down the inside back stairs to get my coffee from The Abbey, come back to my cozy office with the bathtub, and begin my day.
Why, ‘Not Panicking’ Is My Middle Name!
In case you are wondering, I never did try taking a bath in my office; somehow it just didn’t seem appropriate.
“Sorry, I can’t talk with you about the school right now, I’m in the bath”— I sensed I would lose what little educational credibility remained considering we didn’t have a building or teachers.
The accident-free walk up the stairs each day wasn’t the only sign, either.
Another key one for me was the delicious, warm bread I would smell in my office everyday around lunch. It took me awhile to figure out that parents wanted the 11:00-1:00 time-slots for family interviews, just to smell the bread and enjoy some of the best cookin’ in all of Texas.
Something about the smell of bread makes a place feel like home. Baths do, too, of course. The Abbey’s bread was so delicious, I never felt like I was missing out on the baths.
I seriously grieved when The Abbey closed this past year, and it will always have a special place in my heart. It was the first home for Legacy Christian Academy.
Another vital sign was when sweet Sally joined me in the office on the 2nd desk. What joy she brought to everyone. (And she could remember each person’s name who walked in, which still amazes me to this day!)
Lin was the first teacher hired. She had been with me at Grace, Covenant, and Prestonwood and knew the travails of a start-up school – and chose to come as a faithful, kindred friend.
We were all in one cozy, crowded room…perhaps like that little red schoolhouse.
Lessons Learned in the Little Room Above The Abbey:
Of course, eventually we got our building and teachers, and yes, I lost my bathtub office.
There was a lot of faith in that office, and I miss what it represents. Sure we didn’t know what the next step of the process would be, but we had hope.
That’s why I honestly don’t take credit for starting any of the schools over the years.
Believe me, when God can use a woman who super glues her eyes shut and still wants to ‘watch’ the final VBS program and hope no one notices, it becomes crystal clear who is in charge.
When a school can start in a restaurant, with one office and a bathtub, adjacent to the most dangerous climb short of Mt. Everest, you begin to have a sense of confidence and peace that you didn’t have before.
Even while waiting for a building, I would sit in my upstairs office, eating my warm bread and longing for a hot bath, and ponder a few things about faith:
1. Things don’t always look on the outside the way we think they should because we are learning to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
2. Over 150 families enrolled their children in a school they never saw and that encouraged my heart because faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
3. You can have a lot of fun and find joy in the journey when we keep our eyes on the Author and Perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)
In short, things can be just ducky when you don’t worry and learn to trust in the One guiding you already!
