It is amazing how fast time goes by! It seems like just yesterday we were preparing to enter 2012, and now we are already in the month of March. The first quarter of this year has been a time of regrouping for our family, and now that we are back to working out of our home area I’ve been able to get into a regular schedule with our public schools. Though I still have work to do through the computer side of the ministry, it has been refreshing to once again teach so many students. During the month of February, we attended the annual Rock of Ages refreshment week in Dalton, GA. Not only was it a good week of fellowship, but the Lord allowed me to help the hosting church by fixing some computer problems they’ve been struggling with for months. I was also able the assist a number of the Rock of Ages missionaries with their computer question, and even a few minor repairs. I thank the Lord that He allows me to help the missionaries in this area of ministry!

TRAGEDY AT HOLDEN
It seems like only yesterday I was asked to assist in counseling the students at Holden, when one of their friends died through a car accident on the way to school. This past February, I was once again faced with the opportunity to help these students through yet another tragedy. Though I had heard about an awful fire in our area that took the life of a mother and her 7 year old daughter, I was unaware of how many people it affected. It wasn’t until I arrived to teach at the school, that I actually realized just how devastating the fire was on the students. One young man in particular has struggled quite a bit with what he witnessed. Though he a senior at Holden, he is also a volunteer fire fighter. Unfortunately, he was the one to find the 7 year old girl after the fire was put out. I have had the privilege of teaching that young man since he was in the 6th grade, and the concepts that we teach have helped him and many others through tragedies such as this. Please pray for this young man “Blake”, as he is trying to turn an awful tragedy into triumph!

THE NEXT GENERATION
During our first classes of this spring semester, I’ve had the opportunity to teach some new 5th graders for the first time. As I stepped into the classroom, a few of the students had a puzzled look on their face. Though at first many of them had no clue why I was there, one young man made a statement that defines why we minister in the public schools. With extreme excitement he said, “I know who you are!” He continued to say, “I’ve heard all about you from my brother, and I’ve been waiting ever since first grade to hear you teach these lessons”. Though his brother has graduated from high school and is no longer in our classes, he passed on his excitement to the next generation! It’s always an encouragement to see the influence that we are able to have in the lives of these students.

In His Service,
The Decker Family

(NOTE): If you would like to download this prayerletter (in PDF format) on the Rock of Ages letterhead, you can click on the following link! Download PDF Prayerletter with Letterhead – http://deckersontheweb.com/wp-content/plugins/download-monitor/download.php?id=47