In the spirit of Valentine's Day, students on the Dallas campus chose service projects to help others in need. Mrs. McGinnis' Pre-K class created necessity bags for the less fortunate of Dallas. Bags with t-shirts, socks, crackers, bottled water and McDonald's gift cards are now stashed in the family car; so that Pre-K students and their families can pass along Christ's love to the homeless of Dallas. . . in a bag.

Mrs. Howard, 3rd grade Dallas teacher, used current events and history studies to bring home the importance of loving and praying for one's neighbors near and far. Two mother's suggested the class raise money to send a water filter down to Haiti. When the students had raised the $56 necessary, Mrs. Howard explained to them the importance of what they had done; that clean water in places left destitute like Haiti can prevent diseases like Cholera and her students were moved to do more. They discussed with the school director, Beverly McMullin, how they could do just that. She and Mrs. Howard talked with them about how "living water" is even more vital than clean water. The class decided to partner with Mission of Hope, an organization that spreads hope through supplies coupled with the Gospel, to send multiple water filters and Bibles to Haiti; and they are currently raising money for this cause. If you would like to help, please feel free to contact the Communications Office.

A Valentine's gesture has become a class changing experience. Mrs. Howard was able to tie history into their missionary efforts to bring Christ to far off places. As she taught of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire and of how the beautiful basilica, Hagia Sophia, became a mosque, she urged her students to pray that people in Istanbul would come to know Jesus once again. And yesterday, her son Will spoke to the class about his mission work in Haiti, bringing the missionary field to their classroom through pictures and stories.