Remembering in Washington DC
Remembering in Washington DC
For our 8th graders, Washington DC is a place where history, the Bible, and relational connection intersected our students in a memorable way. (Read the full story…link to blog)
“Eventually that entire generation died and was buried. Then another generation grew up that didn’t know anything of God or the work he had done for Israel.” Judges 2:10
To remember is to keep stories alive of those who came before us. When the Israelities crossed the Jordan River, God commanded Joshua to take 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan and create a memorial as a way to look back at what God did for the Israelites. Our eighth grade students began their journey of remembrance when they boarded two charter buses bound for Washington DC.
For many, Washington DC is merely a city where our federal government is housed. For our 8th grade students, the city is more than that. For them it’s now a place where they found God, grew closer to each other, and learned the history of the United States.
For some, those memories came from the relational aspect of being on a trip with their classmates and teachers. For others it was listening to Mr. Dalhman speak at the 9/11 Memorial about what it means to remember God through our stones of remembrance.
While in Washington DC, our students learned to find God throughout the city as well as its rich history through stories. There are many stories that Washington DC tells, but the two that stand out are the Washington Monument and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
Perhaps the most impactful for some was at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. As we approached, our attention was immediately drawn to Dr. King looking out across the Tidal Basin as he emerges “out of the mountain of despair” with work that still needs to be done behind him. Before we left the memorial, students were exhorted to think of the difficult times in their life where they need to trust God to bring them out of their “mountain of despair.”
It is from that mountain that we gain a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us. A student’s parent wrote to me saying, “At a time when lots of indicators are showing that American school children are being taught to hold their country in contempt, I'm appreciative of Tree’s value of our nation's capital and history.”
John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail, “Human nature with all its infirmities and deprivation is still capable of great things. It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity...” It is with excitement that I look towards the future waiting to see what this generation will do for our world, this country and the Kingdom of God!
Mr. Stetz and Mrs. Fought
