Dear VCS families and Body of Christ, 

One week ago today, as we ended the school week, we anticipated a very different close to our December and anticipated a very different start to a new year than what we are experiencing right now.   Above all else, our hearts are hurting for the Steck children. Eric, Lydia, and Levi are always present in our minds and prayers. The loss of their parents, Jeremiah and Erin, is great.  

And yet, simultaneously, we celebrate the birth of our King.  We welcome a Savior into our hearts who was welcomed into our world 2000 years ago. The two very present realities coexist here on this earth with such a tension that it nearly breaks us.  It breaks our hearts as it breaks His.  These moments, these situations, and all things broken, were the very reasons He went to the cross.  Sin entered the world and brought with it death, sickness,  discord, and chaos.  A remedy was needed, God’s one and only Son.  

Our prayer is that the spirit of disappointment would not overwhelm. We pray that the presence of the Holy Spirit be very present with the children in their hospital rooms and that His voice would be recognizable. He is our priest, our teacher, our counselor, and our comforter.  We pray for this in each one of your lives, families, and homes as well.  

These words repeat in my heart and mind: 

I continue to think of the words of Jesus in John 10:10. He has come to give life and life abundantly. We recall His resurrection power, all He has done, every example He has ever given. He is and will forever be our only standard for what is possible. We raise Him high above all else, including our own experiences and disappointments. His name be praised.

In Christ, 

Kathy Thompson