They’ve finally arrived! After months of waiting with anticipation, our new bells are here at last and what a journey it has been. About this time last year, our school was planning a mission trip to Cuba with our bells in tow. When we arrived, we were surprised to see adults with children alike enamored with the shiny tinkling bells. As we ended our week of concerts, Mrs. Holland our bell choir director, shared her impression to leave the bells in Cuba as a tool for evangelism. We were shocked. Nonetheless, we agreed that the music would be a way to reach people when preaching could not.
We left Cuba with our hearts full of memories but with pinpricks of remorse for leaving our bells behind. We began fundraising for another set of bells but by the next school year, we had quite a ways yet to go. We bell-ringers ached to play just one time. God answered our prayers. A generous church in California lent us their bells until we could get a set of our own. After one Christmas concert, a kind gentleman gave a very large donation that completed our fundraising goal and we were able to purchase our new bells in December. But we still had to wait! God does have a sense of humor; He gives us opportunities to become more like Him whether we like it or not.
Today our bells finally arrived. We have more bells than we started with and a set of chimes. God blessed us because we gave with all our hearts. “Give and ye shall receive” is a promise we have seen fulfilled on our campus.