“...[their] lives are a letter written in our hearts, and everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly [they] are a letter from Christ prepared by us. It is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on stone, but on human hearts. - 2 Corinthians 3:2-3
Aleigha, Class of '06
Being a parent in this world today is a tough job. I knew that every time I put my child on the bus, I was sending her into an environment of peer pressure, students selling drugs, seeing relationships carried on in the hallways, and tired teachers.
YES, God heard from me a lot. Then through my child I heard about an alternative school...Grace Prep. After meeting with Bob I liked what Grace had to offer; academically, morally & spiritually.
In addition to knowing my child is being taught all she would receive in public school & preparing her for college, she also was able to grow spiritually. To see her mature into a strong, bright and caring person is very exciting. Now I put her on the bus knowing I am sending her to a school worth sending her to.
Grace Prep is a place where every parent can be confident their child is in a God loving and nurturing environment.
God Bless you all,
- RoseMary Cessna, mother of Aleigha
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Maggie, Class of '06
"If there isone thing I’m sure about, it’s that Grace Prep is the best place I’ve ever been. Grace Prep has given me the opportunity to branch out from my comfort zone. It’s begun providing me with a better education than I could ever have gotten at State High, and has given me hope and meaning in life...
At Grace Prep I can do things I never thought I could. Before school started I was talked into joining the soccer team. Something that just months ago would have seemed crazy to me. I’ve never been athletic and of all the sports I could have decided to play, soccer would be one of the last ones on my list. At grace Prep I can say things without fear of being judged, and there is not one student here that I can’t consider a friend. I never dreamed any of these things could be possible when I was at State High.
I feel that my mind is being enriched every second I’m in school at Grace Prep. I already have strong bonds and meaningful relationships with each of my teachers, and because of this I feel comfortable asking questions when I don’t understand something, which is one thing I have never been able to do. Nothing we learn here is just a random fact: everything we learn can incorporate into real life, making all of it that much more meaningful. Even things as elementary as the bright colors on the walls contribute to our quality education. The colors keep me more alert and at the same time make me feel relaxed and at home. I never dreamed learning could be this exciting.
Grace Prep has already begun to enrich not only my mind, but my spirit as well. My relationship with God had been on a very long hold in the months before I came here. I came to the extreme Grace trip with half a closed mind, but by the time Danny was taking my hand and the entire school was joining him in prayer just for me. I was getting chills and I know there could be no more holding back. I put the past behind me and jumped in with both feet. Now my life has meaning, and I have worth and a right to be here. I can’t explain the feeling but I never, ever want it to end.
Deciding to come to Grace Prep, while it may not have been the easiest, was the best decision I ever made and there’s no place on earth that I’ve been that could ever compare to this school. If there’s one thing I’m sure about, it’s that Grace Prep is my home away from home, and I’m savoring every moment.
-Maggie
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Rene, Class of '06
Rene came to us on February 4th 2004. Fifteen at the time, Rene had fallen thru the cracks of the child welfare system. She had been bouncing back and forth between her mom’s home and her father’s home for four years. At the age of ten she was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus. Chemotherapy was required by the time she was 13 and school records showed that she had missed most of the prior five years of academics and she had attended 12 schools in 12 years.
I first heard about Grace Prep School at church in April 2004 and then my sister mentioned it to me in passing a month or so later. Hmmm, I thought, a prompting from the Holy Spirit and a confirmation.
At that time God placed a burden on my heart to send Rene to Grace Prep to begin to fight the other battles. I think of Grace Point number 31: We believe in fighting every battle that needs to be fought and leaving no one behind, no matter how broken.
Rene has met every challenge. She has discovered her talents in writing and drama and art. She has been able to question her worth and her station in life, the challenges she has been dealt, and the goodness of God. She questions and receives” the truth in love “ and she knows it is okay in this safe place the Lord has provided for her.
The following are Rene’s words about how she felt before she came to Grace Prep:
"I just wanted to say, “ that’s it!” I am done; I don’t want to do this life anymore. And I am tired of it all! Sometimes I felt I was insane and other times I felt like I was the only sane person in my world. I hated being so depressed. I would think to myself, “I know why people go and shoot up schools, it is because everyone else is loud, annoying, inconsiderate.
When Kathy told me about Grace Prep I was enraged. I was livid. I was cutting. I was smoking. I was snorting pills, but I still couldn’t deal with this idea of school--something everyone does.
My interview with Grace Prep came and I decided to just give up fighting and agreed to try it. I am now in my second year of Grace and taking extra classes to graduate. I am doing things I never thought I would have the opportunity to do. At first, I planned to drop out at 16; now I plan to go on to college. I can’t believe all of the things that are changing. Grace has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me!”
- Kathy Porter, Rene’s Aunt
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Briana, Class of '06
The school year was drawing to a close and we had gone out as a family to celebrate my birthday.
That night, Briana gave me a beautiful gift that keeps on giving. She asked if we would consider sending her to Grace Prep for her senior year. She knew that she could no longer walk the road she was traveling. She wanted a safe place to start over. Maybe that would be Grace Prep.
Looking back, I believe our Grace Prep story began 18 years ago when Briana was born. I truly felt stirred from the moment I discovered I was pregnant. I knew God had an incredible purpose/plan for this new life. The dreams and expectations I held as a mother faded quickly as the middle school years began. Adolescent rebellion took hold of our lives. We tearfully watched, as Satan appeared to have a strong hold on our precious little girl. Bit by bit she pulled further and further away from us.
Life became even more turbulent during the high school years. Our gifted young lady was now failing classes, attracting friends that were traveling a dangerous path and pulling further and further away from us. We encouraged her to consider other schools.
At the beginning of her junior year, we heard about Grace Prep. The advertisements were incredible and I was taken with the powerful message. At the time she was not interested in pursuing something that her parents thought was a good idea. She fumbled through a very difficult junior year. She hit bottom many times.
Throughout the summer months, we all received many little messages from friends that inquired, “Have you heard about this Grace Prep?” God was knocking at our door. We knew from experience that we could not make this decision for her. This would only work if she made her own commitment. I remember a specific email from Bob as we were trying to guide her in this discernment. He said, “Give us a week. If she doesn’t like it, you can have her back in State High in no time.” By the end of the summer, Briana said “yes” and had our total support.
On the first day of school, she joined a group of 49 strangers as she boarded the bus for Extreme Grace. I remember standing in the parking lot crying more than I did when I sent her off to the first day of Kindergarten. I knew that this was a true step of faith for Briana and for our family.
As of today, it’s been 4 months. I have tearfully watched as my daughter’s heart of stone is turning to a heart of flesh. She is inviting us back into her life. This is a gift that words will never be able to describe. A community of prayerful, God-loving people surrounds her. People who look to find the good in each and every student. She is hearing God speak to her. She is slowly unwrapping her many gifts and using them for God’s glory. She is going to Zambia to share the message of purity and abstinence. Although the journey is not over, I continue to pray that Grace Prep will be a tool that God uses to rebuild the foundation our daughter needs to use the gifts he has given her and to strengthen her faith walk as she graduates this spring and moves on a more confident, respectful and loving young woman.
- Larry & Laurie Ragan, Briana’s Parents
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