"Mom, my little buddy needs new shoes, the text from my son read. “His are full of holes. Can I give him money?”

My son was halfway around the world in Costa Rica on a Renew service project with 40 other Timothy students. On their first day at their worksite, countless kids flooded the street to meet the foreigners that came to build two houses in an impoverished neighborhood just outside of San José. The local kids quickly latched on to the Timothy students, often spending the entire day with them.

Although my son wasn’t fluent in the language, he managed to communicate and developed a fast friendship with his little shadow, who was just 6 years old.

The Timothy students worked under the unforgiving Costa Rican sun — it was hot and physically challenging. The newly constructed houses provided much needed shelter from the elements for two families. But it wasn’t the two-by-fours, or the new roof, or even the new furniture that students donated that would have lasting effects. The eternal value was simply being the hands and feet of Jesus.

My high school student wasn’t the only one who had the opportunity to travel this year. My 8th grader went on a class trip to Washington, D.C. in May. In a whirlwind 3-day tour, they saw all the major sites: the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, US Capitol, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial, just to name a few! The history lessons gave them a deeper and richer understanding about our country — experiences that no textbook could teach. But perhaps the greatest lesson was an impromptu student-led devotional and prayer on the steps of the Supreme Court, all while protesters were nearby.

That is courageous leadership!

If I’ve learned anything from this parenting journey, I know I cannot do it alone. And that is why the Timothy community is so vital, so important to the spiritual, emotional, and academic development of my children. Between the home, the church, and the Christian school, my children are anchored in the Truth.

Teaching and modeling courageous leadership and standing firm on Biblical values are more important now than ever before. It’s not easy to be countercultural — one look at the “cancel culture” is enough to make anyone want to run and hide — especially our youth, who are developing their faith.

But that’s not what we’re called to do.

If I’ve learned anything from this parenting journey — and I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way — it’s that I cannot do it alone. And that is why the Timothy community is so vital, so important to the spiritual, emotional, and academic development of my children. Between the home, the church, and the Christian school, I know my children are anchored in the Truth.

As you read The Reflector, you’ll notice a common theme: Timothy is committed to standing on old-fashioned Biblical values and Truth. You’ll also notice that Timothy’s excellence-driven program of academics along with extracurriculars like Mock Trial, athletics, and VEI are training grounds to develop courageous leaders.

And ultimately that is what we want all of our students to learn — from preschool to high school.  Timothy’s mission is to develop courageous leaders who fully live out their faith in Jesus Christ.

I often think about that little boy in Costa Rica. My son gave every penny that he had left —  a grand total of $27.00 — to the local church, which helped support kids like his little buddy. At face value, $27 isn’t much. But my son learned an important lesson about giving that I pray lasts a lifetime. I don’t know if his buddy ever got new shoes. But what I do know is that he heard the Good News and he experienced the life-changing love of Jesus. And that alone is priceless.