End of School/Summer Update 2012

To our friends and family across the sea, greetings! I hope and pray that this letter finds you seeking after the Lord and growing in your faith; and that you will be encouraged by this letter after hearing what God has been doing in us and through us.

Where to even begin? God has been incredible throughout this past school year. If you don’t remember some of the stories we’ve shared about God’s provision and power, be sure to reread them at thelantzlife.blogspot.com. You will find stories about soccer season, church events, mother’s day, family visits, ending the school year and lots of Isaac!

As I (Jason) have said before, our school is small and faces many difficulties. We have the lowest enrollment rate in the history of our school, which causes us to have financial struggles. We are the smallest of international schools in Korea, and because of that it is often difficult to attract experienced teachers who have a heart for ministry. Yet God continues to give us blessing after blessing.
At the end of May (School is out the first week on June) we had only hired 6 of those positions. We had one possible teacher but were waiting on immigration to give the okay. We were left with 2 vacant positions and absolutely no applicants. Not just zero applicants for our school, there were zero applicants for these positions in the entire network of schools. We prayed hard, knowing we could probably make something happen to survive the year again, but hoping against all “odds” that He would provide us with the teachers/leaders/mentors to fill these positions. In one week we had filled both positions. Enough said. Dance parties were had, and that’s just our side of the story. Surely God worked on the hearts of all our teachers to bring them here this year. And this gives us great confidence that although we have low enrollment and financial struggles, God is not finished working at Pyeongtaek International Christian School.

This summer, Gail, Isaac, and I have been working hard to prepare everything for the new teachers’ arrival. We have been moving furniture, cleaning houses, making welcome baskets, and thinking up ways to help the new teachers transition smoothly into their new lives.  Being home all day has given me a great opportunity to spend time with Gail and Isaac and grow closer as a family. Gail and I have been going through Love & Respect with another couple, and it has really challenged us to better understand God’s design for marriage. It also explains a lot about each other that we wish we had known 7 years ago! But we know this is perfect timing.

What a good thought! Perfect timing, even when it’s late. We’ve come to experience God’s perfect timing in so many life situations. Our hardest struggles have been our greatest stepping stones into this current career path. Several times this year I (Gail) have said to myself, “Well if I had known 10 years ago what I currently know about [xyz: cooking, traveling, working, relationships, the Bible], I would’ve been able to [fill in the blank: save so much more money, provide healthy food for my family, save so much more money, use my time more wisely, delve deeper into scripture, save so much more money, ect).”
But if I had known xyz, I wouldn’t be where I am for sure. I wouldn’t have the relationships I have, and I wouldn’t have had to work for the things (and people) I cherish the most! God’s perfect timing used my inadequacies to give me the people and relationships from which I needed to learn. God wasn’t withholding from me; he was making the experience much more worthwhile.  Have you experienced this lately? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart [even when your waiting] and do not lean on your own understanding [because you might get it wrong]. In all [ALL] your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight [just as He always planned].” Proverbs 3:5-6, adapted by Gail.

As we prepare for the new school year, we are excited for how God will work in our school and in our lives. We are eager to share with you our ministry, and we are so thankful for your prayers and support. Thank you for being the body of Christ, thank you for all you have done for us, and keep a lookout for more updates of how God is working all the time, everywhere!

Love,

Jason, Gail, and Isaac Lantz

Prayer Requests to begin the year:

·      Our school leaders: Tad Romsa, Director and Meredith O’Hara, HS Principal

·      Health and safety of the new babies arriving this year

·      Great transitions for the new teachers and staff

·      Strengthening of the staff and staff families

·      Safety for all athletes and coaches

·      Discipleship among the students

·      Spring 2013 mission trip

·      Enrollment