A Lesson Learned From Christian Love in Action

When Landover Baptist Elementary School teacher, Mrs. Kathryn Karcher read an article about the abduction into slavery of the Christian Sudanese her 5th grade class was moved to tears and vowed to do whatever they could to help. With a $500 grant from the Scaife Foundation they had enough to redeem 50 slaves.

Justly proud of their accomplishment they sold 25 slaves back to Muslim traders doubling their money. The rest, too sick and weak to interest picky Arabs, were packaged up and sent by freighter to Freehold, IA.

God works in mysterious ways.

Just two months ago it looked as if the school trip to the nation's capital would have to be canceled. Unable to raise the money the children were crushed that another year might pass without visiting the famous headquarters of the Rutherford Institute, home of our country's founding documents and the preserved nose of Paula Jones. Unable to bear the disappointment on their little faces Mrs. Karcher began looking for ways to raise the money for the trip.

"In the past we've sold candy bars or gift wrap," said a beaming Mrs. Karcher. "but these were never that popular and they were awfully heavy for the children to cart from door to door.  The slaves practically sell themselves.   In fact, a waiting list has formed of families eager to help the school by purchasing a slave or two next semester."

Before a sale is made

The experience of caring for a slave has helped the children in unexpected ways. "Most children forget to feed or walk their slave once or twice at most before they learn their lesson," said Mrs. Cole, mother of 10-year-old Reagan, "If they don't care for their slave their rooms don't get cleaned. What a wonderful way to teach the children responsibility."

Some children even develop a fondness for their slave. "She's almost like one of the family," remarked 10-year-old Walker Doherty, "except she looks different and doesn't sleep in the house." This happy side benefit is a boon to Landover Baptist parents who must teach their children to distinguish the help, such as the nanny who nursed and raised them, from their parents whom they may have only met on special occasions.

The future

In the process of redeeming the slaves both the teachers and the students learned all about the continent of Africa, its location, its natural resources, and its most manipulable conflicts. "Gunrunning is quite lucrative and something we'll be looking into next year to finance our class trip to Caymans. We're also looking into buying shares of Pat Robertson's Liberian Gold Mine but will have to wait to see if the Baptist dictator of Liberia, Charles Taylor, can manage to remain in power."

"We did have a decent return on an investment in the picturesque island of Sao Tome recently, but that's between me, my Pastor, and the State Department," Mrs. Karcher said with a wink.

Related Link:

Another school with a less economically feasible result

 

 

 

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