spent the evening assisting Rosies staff and connecting with people in need. On Monday, Bryce U’Ren (Year 5) attended our Chapel so we could applaud his compassion and courage to act and to help children battling cancer through his Super Max Turtle night light initiative. In December Bryce and his family, travelled around Australia to deliver 244 Max Turtles after his fundraising efforts at St Andrews last year.
Chaplains Chat
Trust in the Lord Human Excellence! How often do we bump into it? It is such a wonderful encouragement to encounter our fellow brother or sister conducting themselves in a manner that is inspirational and beyond what we normally expect. Stories of great courage and bravery are able to influence us in our everyday existence to rise above who we naturally are and demonstrate human excellence in our own sphere - whether it be at home, work or the wider community.
In Week 6, a number of Middle School students will take part in an ALWS (Australian Lutheran World Service) Awareness Week activities around the theme – Walk My Way: Stepping Out To Bring Love to Life. This will be a time to connect with students from other Lutheran Schools in Queensland and to encourage students to think about their journey to school compared to others. Along with this they will be asked to consider their attitudes about going to school compared with the attitudes of some of the students they may ‘meet’ today. Our first Mufti Day for the year will be held next Wednesday 22 February. All funds raised will go to support Rosies outreach. This is a free dress day and we are asking students to bring in a gold coin donation. Students are asked to revisit the dress expectations which are listed in the Student Diary (Page 34). On Thursday a group of students from Ehime University Senior High School (Japan) arrived. This is our first cultural exchange for 2017. Thank you to those families who are hosting visitors. Next Monday 20 February, Miss Bible will host an information evening for our Study Tour to Germany (December 2017). Inter-House Swimming Carnival – Thursday 23 February Next Thursday our Inter-House Swimming Carnival will be held for all students in Years 7 – 12 at Somerset pool. This is a wonderful event based around participation and House Spirit and also a time for our top swimmers to shine. Parents are welcome to attend and share in the event. Please contact me should I be able to offer any assistance to you or your child(ren) or if you have any concerns of feedback regarding your child’s experiences at St Andrews Virginia Warner Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School virginiaw@salc.qld.edu.au
An outstanding example of human excellence was Desmond Doss, the subject of Mel Gibson’s film Hacksaw Ridge. This gentleman demonstrated extreme human excellence through his endeavours during the last stages of World War II in the Pacific. His story included being ostracised from the unit he belonged to because he refused to carry a weapon or to be directly involved in killing the enemy. Understandably, his fellow soldiers could not understand his stance and he was labelled a coward. But his conduct on the frontline of battle on the Island of Okinawa left no doubt that he was far from being a coward and he ultimately proved himself to be courageous beyond belief. He singlehandedly saved 70 plus men in one 12 hour period while under enemy gun fire. For this and other acts of heroism he was awarded the US Medal of Honor which is the equivalent of our Victoria Cross. All of Desmond Doss’s actions were inspired by his remarkable trust in Christ. It was his God who convinced him of the need to reject violence at all costs. It was the same God who led him to enlist in the army with the view of saving lives in amongst all the killing that was going on. A verse that Doss held close to his heart through his lengthy ordeal in the armed services was Proverbs 3:5 & 6 - Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge the Lord in all of your ways and he will make your path straight. His life was the epitome of living this out. He placed his life in the Lord’s hands and against all rational understanding lived a life of absolute excellence. He did not live a life of ease - he suffered significant wounds as the war came to an end and he experienced hardship in his later life through the death of his wife and other challenges that are part and parcel of the human existence but his preparedness to love and serve shines like a beacon amongst the darkness that is so often seen in our world. The same God who inspired Desmond Doss is the God who interacts with us here in the St Andrews Community, day in and day out. May He lead us to put our trust in Him and his ways so that more light may be shone in our world. Graeme Schache Chaplain