“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
I Corinthians 15:10
“By the grace of God!” This was the theme of the school concert this year. As each year goes by, we are sure of one thing and that it is God’s grace which pulls us through and helps us to keep going. The concert was special in that the teachers chose the theme, did all the choreography and even had different coloured T-shirts with I Cor 15:10 printed on them. Victoria came to help Larisdiana with the practise as she was already eight months pregnant. Victoria also painted the backdrop. Randria opened with a message and it was good to see how much the parents enjoyed it all.
And the concert is also the time to be fashionable…
Dries presented the Rangers of the year prizes. The Discovery prize went to Zidryo which was so heartwarming, as a more dedicated Royal Ranger, you will not find.
The two girls from Lovako School in Ampamata whom we brought to Nosy Be because of their traumatic experience living with their grandparents, are doing well. At some point I wondered how the girls will ever be able to cope with what was done to them. Florette did very well in her national Grade 5 exam and settled in well. Mboty is a quiet girl and I was just so grateful that she had Francise as her teacher. As I made my way to my seat at the concert, I felt a hand brushing my arm and I was surprised when I realised that it was Mboty. When I saw the big smile which reached her eyes, my heart leapt with joy. Furthermore, I could not take my eyes off her when it was the Grade 2’s turn to perform their dance. I could see that she was singing along even though it was an English song. As I listened to the words of the song about ‘God’s grace breaking the chains and setting us free’ I became emotional, because I saw the proof of it right there. The joy on Mboty’s face was clear to see and I knew that God has done a great work of healing in her life.
“Yet not I, but the grace of God.” In ourselves we cannot restore what was broken by sin. God is the only One who can do this. He is the only One who can restore the broken hearted and downtrodden.