Sellah’s School

She has sat among us, her story unknown. Her saga began to unfold for us this past week. Kenya is home for her, but her dear daughter lives here in Colorado Springs. This widow is retired from teaching, but as often happens in the Lord’s kingdom, she has not stopped working. When she ended her first career she knew the Lord still had work for her to do. Then He reframed her life as a director of a different kind of school. We have a modern day George Mueller in our midst.

In Kenya, one must pay to go to school. Many children can’t afford it, and not all children are able to be a part of the Compassion Program. The Lord put it on the heart of this precious woman, Sellah, to open a school for orphans. These children are ones who have been unable to enroll in school. She began to pray, and other widows raising orphans joined in with her. First they prayed for a building. The Lord graciously answered when a pastor went home to be with the Lord and that church would no longer meet in that particular building. The widows said, “We think this is the one from the Lord.” It was given to Sellah to use. The Lord has faithfully answered prayer and brought teachers to the school. Good teachers. The Lord has brought the students.

When it was time to open the doors, she prayed and asked the Lord how the word would get out to orphans and the grandparents raising them. The Lord impressed on her spirit to open the doors, sweep the floor and wait. She swept the floor, read her Bible, and waited. Twelve children came. Since the opening day in 2008, the numbers have steadily grown. Forty children, between the ages of three and seven, now attend. They are learning to read and write. Most importantly, they are hearing the gospel.

Sellah is here until spring. While she is here, she crotches hats, scarves, blankets, and shawls to help pay for the teachers. Her son is running the school while she is gone; she speaks to him every day. She knows the Lord gave her this vision, and she declares this is His school. Through prayer and walking by the Spirit, she does what He has given her to do. Pray for Sellah and the children. Pray that God will draw these little ones to faith early. May we all be open to the Lord’s leading in the way Sellah has modeled for us. May we banish retirement from our vocabulary and think only: “Lord, what do You want me to do in the season I am in right now.”

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